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Banana Hungarian Sweet Wax pepper plant with long tapered yellow and orange-red fruit

How to Grow Banana (Hungarian Sweet Wax) Pepper From Seed

By Maxim Kaufman — Founder & CEO, Organo Republic

Updated July 2026

The Banana pepper, also known as Hungarian Sweet Wax, is a long, tapered, waxy-skinned pepper that ripens from pale yellow through bright orange to red. It is sweet and very mild, ranging from zero to about 500 Scoville, with just a faint tang rather than real heat. Prolific and easy to grow, a single plant will load up with slender 6-inch fruit all season. Crisp and tangy off the plant or pickled into rings, the Banana pepper is a garden and sandwich-shop staple.

This is the quick guide to Banana (Hungarian Sweet Wax). For the full step-by-step on starting seeds, transplanting, feeding, and troubleshooting peppers, see our complete guide to growing peppers from seed.

Quick start

Start seeds indoors about 8 weeks before your last frost, kept warm at 75 to 85F. Harden the plants off, then transplant them out 18 to 24 inches apart once nights stay above 55F. Give full sun, steady water, and a stake or cage for the heavy clusters of fruit. Pick peppers pale yellow and crisp from about 70 days, or let them ripen through orange to red for a sweeter flavor.

Best tip

The Banana pepper is one of the most forgiving and productive peppers you can grow, but it still needs warmth to set fruit. Start seeds indoors early and wait until nights stay above 55F to transplant. In hot-summer regions like Texas or Florida, a little afternoon shade during heat waves keeps the blossoms setting. Pick often to keep the plant producing, and remember the peppers grow sweeter as they turn from yellow to orange-red.

At a glance

How to Grow Banana (Hungarian Sweet Wax) Pepper From Seed — growing specifications at a glance
Botanical name	Capsicum annuum
Plant type	Warm-season annual
USDA zones	3 to 12 (grown as an annual)
Sun	Full sun (6 to 8+ hours)
Days to maturity	70 days yellow; ~80 red
Height	18 to 24 inches
Spacing	18 to 24 inches apart
Water	Regular and deep; keep evenly moist

Uses

The Banana pepper is a crisp, mild all-rounder. Enjoy it raw and sweet sliced into salads and sandwiches, or the classic use is pickled into tangy rings for pizza, subs, and burgers. It is mild enough to stuff whole or roast, and it holds its crunch well. With almost no heat, it is a family-friendly pepper that even those who dislike spice will happily eat.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a Banana (Hungarian Sweet Wax) pepper take to grow?

Banana peppers are ready to pick pale yellow in about 70 days from transplant, and turn orange-red and sweeter by around 80 days. Start seeds indoors about 8 weeks before your last frost for a strong head start.

Is the Banana pepper hot or sweet?

This is the sweet type, ranging from 0 to about 500 Scoville, so it is mild with only a faint tang. Do not confuse it with the Hungarian Hot Wax pepper, which is a different, much spicier variety.

What color should a Banana pepper be when I pick it?

You can pick them crisp and pale yellow for a mild, tangy flavor, or let them ripen through orange to red, when they turn noticeably sweeter. The long, tapered fruit reaches about 6 inches.

How big does a Banana pepper plant get and is it productive?

Plants grow about 18 to 24 inches tall and are extremely prolific, loading up with fruit all season. A stake or cage helps hold the heavy clusters, and frequent picking keeps new peppers coming.

Ready to grow your own? Banana (Hungarian Sweet Wax) seeds give you loads of long, sweet, waxy peppers that are perfect fresh or pickled into rings. For the full step-by-step, see our complete pepper growing guide linked at the top of this page.

Sweet Hungarian Wax Pepper Seeds – Non-GMO HeirloomHeirloom, non-GMOHeirloom Hungarian Sweet Wax (Banana) — mild, waxy sweet peppers great fresh or pickled.

Price$4.99

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Want more peppers? These value packs pair sweet peppers like the Banana pepper with other varieties:

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Pepper Seeds Variety Pack – Non-GMO Heirloom13 super-hot varietiesThirteen fiery chilis for heat lovers, from habanero to the hottest peppers we carry.

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By Maxim Kaufman — Founder & CEO, Organo Republic

Maxim founded Organo Republic in 2017 and personally selects, tests, and grows the heirloom, non-GMO varieties the company offers. Under his leadership, Organo Republic was named Agri Business Review’s Top Non-GMO Seed Variety Solution 2026.