Variety field guide
What to expect from Lemon Spice Jalapeño Pepper Seeds
Lemon Spice Jalapeño pepper seeds produce yellow hot chile pepper fruit about 3 in long, jalapeño-shaped fruit on upright, erect plants reaching 25–30 in; maturity is 70-79 Days.
Read the complete product descriptionTraits, flavor, garden use, variety notes, and the full catalog record
Lemon Spice Jalapeño pepper seeds grow into upright, erect plants reaching 25–30 in, bearing yellow fruit about 3 in long, jalapeño-shaped fruit. Heat category: Hot. It is especially suited to yellow salsa, pickled jalapeño rings, grilling, poppers, relish, and bright yellow hot sauce. Maturity is 70-79 Days.
About Lemon Spice Jalapeño
Lemon Spice 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 3 in long, jalapeño-shaped fruit. Reproductive classification: Open-Pollinated (OP). Maturity: 70-79 Days. Names associated with this variety include Yellow Jalapeño (Spice Series), Pepper Seeds - Hot Pepper - Lemon Spice 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 3 in long, jalapeño-shaped fruit
- Heat:Hot; About 25,000 SHU
History and seedkeeping context
NuMex Lemon Spice is a modern Capsicum annuum cultivar from the New Mexico State University chile breeding program. It belongs to the same three-color jalapeño series as NuMex Orange Spice and NuMex Pumpkin Spice. The series began with a 1995 cross between Permagreen bell pepper and Early Jalapeño and was released in 2015 after selection for stable mature color and jalapeño form.
NMSU describes Lemon Spice as the bright-yellow member of the trio. Compared with Early Jalapeño, its pod is smaller, while its wall thickness and width are not significantly different. Unlike Orange Spice, Lemon Spice lacks the cork-like epidermal reticulation documented in the release record.
Lemon in the cultivar name refers to the ripe yellow color. The institutional release does not establish lemon flavor, citrus flavor, or unusual sweetness. Accurate copy should keep the useful yellow-jalapeño search terms while separating appearance from flavor.
The available sources do not establish a named person’s tribal identity. New Mexico State University reports that NuMex Lemon Spice was developed from a 1995 cross between Permagreen bell pepper and Early Jalapeño. The cultivar was released as part of a trio of colored jalapeños and ripens bright yellow while retaining the thick-walled jalapeño form.
Fruit, flavor, and kitchen use
Pick pods green for standard jalapeño use or leave them to ripen clear yellow. The thick-walled jalapeño form suits fresh salsa, pico de gallo, pickled rings, grilled peppers, poppers, relish, and yellow hot sauce. Fully colored fruit can be dried for a golden chile powder, although drying time depends on wall thickness and local humidity. The 25,000-SHU figure is an NMSU average. Handle ripe fruit and seed with gloves, and expect some variation among seasons and growing conditions. Lemon Spice Jalapeño is especially useful for yellow salsa, pickled jalapeño rings, grilling, poppers, relish, and bright yellow hot sauce. Flavor and eating quality are described as hot jalapeño flavor; Lemon describes mature yellow color, not a documented lemon or citrus flavor. Heat classification: Hot; listed range: About 25,000 SHU. Pungency can shift with genetics, weather, water stress, and ripeness.
How to grow Lemon Spice Jalapeño
Start Lemon Spice 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 Lemon Spice 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 Lemon Spice 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
When is Lemon Spice Jalapeño ready?
Plan around 70-79 Days. The listed range is a planning guide, and weather, transplant stress, and harvest stage can shift the actual date.
How long does germination take?
Expect 7–14 Days near 75–90 °F. Cooler media, excess water, old seed, or uneven moisture can delay emergence.
How large does it grow?
Expect about 25–30 in. Growth habit: Upright/Erect. Support: Stake.
How is it used?
Yellow salsa, pickled jalapeño rings, grilling, poppers, relish, and bright yellow hot sauce
Can I save seed?
Peppers are largely self-pollinating but insect movement can produce crosses.





