Generally, the large types are a relatively mild '3' on a scale of '10', while the small 'Habanero' and 'Scotch Bonnet' types are a fiery '10'. The medium-size 'Jalapeno' is a medium hot '5'. A description of some of the types of peppers and their relative hotness on the previous page. This should be viewed as an approximate guide, however, as peppers are not always named correctly, and hot and sweet cultivars often occur within a type. Even within a cultivar, cool weather and excess water and nitrogen increase sweetness, while stress adds pungency.
Peppers have less cold tolerance than tomatoes, although more than eggplants.
Flowers must be pollinated within 24 to 30 hours of opening, so 1 to 2 days of hot, dry conditions can result in lower fruit set, especially on bell types. Flowers can also be lost at high temperatures. The United States imported 21 percent of its bell peppers in 1989. In 1992, top states in sweet pepper acreage were California, Florida, Texas, New Jersey and North Carolina. Of the U.S. pepper acreage, 48.6 percent of the sweet pepper acreage, 17.5 percent of the hot pepper acreage and 65.2 percent of the pimiento acreage was in the Southern Region in 1992.