I first came across 'Monkey Face' hot pepper at a local nursery. It was early in the season and what attracted me to this variety was the name. I had never heard of 'Monkeyface' peppers and knew immediately that I had to grow it! Fast forward four years and I'm still growing it. 

From that first plant, I saved seeds from some of the more interesting fruit, replanted them the next year and the cycle continued. My strain of 'Monkey Face' Pepper is well adapted to my zone 5a/b garden and all the usual quirks in the weather and unstable summer weather patterns for Ontario, Canada.

'Monkey Face' pepper is a mildly hot pepper. On the Scoville scale, it ranges between 2500-5000 SHU. The colour of the fruit is an orangey-yellow, with a mild flavour of mangoes. It has a sweet heat that doesn't overpower its delicious flavour.

Fruit grow to a length of 4-5 inches (10-13cm) and grow into an undulating shape that resembles the face of a monkey. I have a hard time finding that face. If you grow it, I would love to know what you think!

Fruit mature into their ripe colour in approximately 80 days.

Growing Information:

Start seeds indoors at least 8-10 weeks before the final frost date. Please refer to my Seed Starting Calculator for specific planting dates for your area. Use a heat mat to help speed germination, if the environment is cold.

Peppers prefer to grow in full sun. Transplant outdoors after all risk of frost has passed and space your plants at least 1.5 to 2 feet apart.

If you would like information on saving your own pepper seeds, please see my post "How to Save Pepper Seeds".

Days to Harvest: 65

Price: $4.95

Packet: 10 seeds

Scoville Heat Units: 2500 to 5000

Germination: 92%