Jaloro Jalapeño Pepper Seeds

Jaloro (Cal Oro) Jalapeño pepper seeds grow into upright, erect plants reaching 25–30 in, bearing yellow fruit about 54 x 28 mm (2.1 x 1.1 in). Heat category: Hot. It is especially suited to yellow jalapeño pickles, nacho rings, salsa, picante sauce, salads, processing, and hot-climate gardens. Maturity is 70-79 Days.

Minimum seeds per packet: 25 seeds.

About Jaloro (Cal Oro) Jalapeño

Jaloro (Cal Oro) Jalapeño is a hot chile pepper grown as Capsicum annuum L. Plants have an upright, erect habit and reach 25–30 in; support is listed as stake. The principal mature or market color is Yellow, with fruit described as about 54 x 28 mm (2.1 x 1.1 in). Reproductive classification: Open-Pollinated (OP). Maturity: 70-79 Days. Names associated with this variety include Jaloro Jalapeño, Yellow Jalapeño, Pepper Seeds - Hot Pepper - Jaloro (Cal Oro) Jalapeño.

• Scientific name:Capsicum annuum L.
• Life cycle:Annual
• Planting season:Spring
• Growth habit:Upright/Erect
• Plant height:25–30 in
• Sunlight:Full sun
• Seed depth:1/4 in
• Germination:7–14 Days at 75–90 °F
• Spacing:18 in between plants; 24 in between rows
• Soil:Loamy; pH 6.0–6.5
• Water:Moderate
• Support:Stake
• Reproductive type:Open-Pollinated (OP)
• Fruit:Yellow; About 54 x 28 mm (2.1 x 1.1 in)
• Heat:Hot; 2,500-8,000 SHU

History and seedkeeping context

Jaloro was developed by the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station at Weslaco and released in the early 1990s, with the cultivar record published in HortScience. The breeding work combined yellow-fruited Caloro material, jalapeño parents, and disease-resistance sources including AC2207 and USDA PI 264280. The result was a stable yellow jalapeño intended for fresh-market and processing uses.

The release describes an open-pollinated, pungent jalapeño with bright yellow fruit that turns bright red at full maturity. Fruit averages about 54 by 28 millimeters, with walls near 4.13 millimeters and three to four locules. Jaloro can set fruit at temperatures above 35°C and was selected for earlier, more uniform maturity than Caloro.

Documented resistance includes Texas isolates of tobacco mosaic virus, tobacco etch virus, potato virus Y, tobacco ringspot virus, cucumber mosaic virus, and pepper mottle virus in the release literature. Resistance reduces risk under relevant conditions; it does not make plants immune or replace sanitation and vector control. The available sources do not establish a named person’s tribal identity.

Fruit, flavor, and kitchen use

Harvest bright yellow fruit for the cultivar's signature stage or leave it to ripen red. Jaloro was developed for fresh salads and processing, including whole pickles, sliced nacho rings, diced picante sauce, salsa, relishes, and other jalapeño uses. Its thick walls and distinct yellow color are especially useful in mixed-color pickles and fresh displays. The formal release focuses on pungency, fruit quality, color, processing uses, and resistance rather than one dependable SHU number. Market it as a hot yellow jalapeño without inventing a precise heat rating. Jaloro (Cal Oro) Jalapeño is especially useful for yellow jalapeño pickles, nacho rings, salsa, picante sauce, salads, processing, and hot-climate gardens. Flavor and eating quality are described as pungent yellow jalapeño profile; the breeder record does not establish a precise SHU or special fruity flavor. Heat classification: Hot; listed range: 2,500-8,000 SHU. Pungency can shift with genetics, weather, water stress, and ripeness.

How to grow Jaloro (Cal Oro) Jalapeño

Start Jaloro (Cal Oro) Jalapeño indoors about 8 to 10 weeks before the last expected frost. Sow 1/4 in deep in a warm, evenly moist seed-starting mix; expect 7–14 Days near 75–90 °F. Provide strong light as soon as seedlings emerge, pot up before roots become crowded, and harden plants gradually before transplanting after nights are reliably warm.

Plant in full sun with loamy soil near pH 6.0–6.5. Space plants 18 in apart and rows 24 in apart. Maintain moderate moisture, mulch after the soil warms, and avoid excessive nitrogen. Install stake early where the upright, erect plant or fruit load warrants it. Mature height is 25–30 in.

Season care

• Warmth matters most during germination; keep Jaloro (Cal Oro) Jalapeño seed warm without leaving the medium saturated. • Harden seedlings gradually and wait for warm nights before transplanting, because cold soil and wind can stall peppers for weeks. • Install stake before branches carry a heavy crop, and keep moisture even while fruit is setting. • Harvest at the color stage suited to the recipe, but leave fruit fully mature on selected plants when saving seed. • Use 70-79 Days as a planning range rather than a guaranteed calendar date; weather and transplant stress can shift first harvest.

Harvest and maturity

70-79 Days from transplant to first representative harvest; the same value is used in every description. Peppers can often be used at an immature green or transitional color, but fully ripe color is required for mature seed.

Saving seed

Peppers are largely self-pollinating but insect movement can produce crosses. To save Jaloro (Cal Oro) Jalapeño true to type, grow several healthy representative plants, isolate them from compatible pepper varieties or use blossom bags or cages, and remove clear off-types before flowering. Allow selected fruit to reach full biological color, handle hot fruit with gloves, remove the seed, dry it in a thin labeled layer until fully hard and dry, then store it cool, dark, and dry. Keep the harvest year, source, isolation method, and selection notes with the lot.

Common questions