Santa Fe Grande pepper plant with ripe fruit

How to Grow Santa Fe Grande Pepper From Seed

By Maxim Kaufman — Founder & CEO, Organo Republic

Updated July 2026

Santa Fe Grande, also known as the guero pepper, is a compact, heavy-yielding chile with smooth, conical fruit about 3 to 4 inches long. The peppers ripen from pale yellow through orange to red and carry a mild to medium heat of roughly 500 to 1,500 Scoville heat units, milder than a jalapeno. With a fruity flavor and productive, bushy plants, it is a Southwestern favorite for salsas, pickling, and fresh eating. It thrives in heat and shrugs off dry spells.

Ready to grow your own? Shop Hot Pepper Santa Fe Grande Seeds from Organo Republic.

This is the quick guide to Santa Fe Grande. 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 and steady water; the bushy plants are self-supporting but a stake helps in wind. Pick peppers pale yellow from about 75 to 80 days for the mildest flavor, or let them ripen orange to red for more sweetness and color.

Best tip

Santa Fe Grande, also called guero, is a compact, heavy-yielding pepper that thrives in heat and handles dry spells well. Start seeds indoors about 8 weeks before your last frost and transplant out once nights stay above 55F. The bushy plants pump out loads of conical fruit, so pick regularly to keep them producing. Harvest peppers pale yellow for the mildest flavor, or leave them to ripen through orange to red for more color, sweetness, and a touch more heat.

At a glance

Botanical nameCapsicum annuum

Plant typeWarm-season annual

USDA zones3 to 12 (grown as an annual)

SunFull sun (6 to 8+ hours)

Days to maturity75 to 80 days yellow; longer for red

Height24 to 30 inches

Spacing18 to 24 inches apart

WaterRegular and deep; keep evenly moist

Uses

Santa Fe Grande is a mild-to-medium guero pepper popular in Mexican and Southwestern cooking. Its waxy, conical fruit is excellent pickled, fire-roasted, blended into salsas, or sliced fresh into salads and tacos. Harvested yellow it is milder and fruity; ripened orange-red it turns sweeter with a bit more warmth. The plants are so productive that a couple will keep a kitchen well supplied all season.

Frequently asked questions

How long do Santa Fe Grande peppers take to grow?

About 75 to 80 days from transplant to harvest at the yellow stage, with a bit longer for peppers left to ripen orange-red. Start seeds indoors roughly 8 weeks before your last frost.

How hot is a Santa Fe Grande pepper?

It is mild to medium, around 500 to 1,500 Scoville heat units, milder than a jalapeno. This gentle heat and fruity flavor is why the guero pepper is so popular fresh and pickled.

When should I pick Santa Fe Grande peppers?

The conical fruit can be picked pale yellow (about 3 to 4 inches long) for the mildest, fruitiest flavor, or left to ripen through orange to red for more sweetness and color. Frequent picking keeps the bushy plants producing heavily.

What are Santa Fe Grande peppers used for?

Also called guero peppers, they are popular in Mexican and Southwestern dishes: pickled, fire-roasted, blended into salsas, or sliced fresh into salads and tacos. The plants are very productive, so a couple keep a kitchen well supplied.

Ready to grow your own? Heirloom Santa Fe Grande seeds give you loads of waxy, conical peppers that ripen yellow to orange-red and are perfect for salsas and pickling. For the full step-by-step, see our complete pepper growing guide linked at the top of this page.

Hot Pepper Santa Fe Grande SeedsHeirloom, non-GMOHeirloom Santa Fe Grande — sweet-hot yellow chile that ripens to orange-red.

Price$4.99

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Want more peppers? These value packs pair Santa Fe Grande with other varieties:

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Pepper Seeds Variety Pack13 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.