Variety field guide
What to expect from Serrano Tampiqueño Pepper Seeds
Serrano Tampiqueño pepper seeds produce green hot chile pepper fruit about 2.5-4 in long, slender 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
Serrano Tampiqueño pepper seeds grow into upright, erect plants reaching 25–30 in, bearing green fruit about 2.5-4 in long, slender fruit. Heat category: Hot. It is especially suited to fresh hot-pepper use, salsas, pickling, cooking, and seed saving from confirmed open-pollinated stock. Maturity is 70-79 Days.
About Serrano Tampiqueño
Serrano Tampiqueño 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 Green, with fruit described as about 2.5-4 in long, slender fruit. Reproductive classification: Open-Pollinated (OP). Maturity: 70-79 Days. Names associated with this variety include Serrano Pepper, Pepper Seeds - Hot - Serrano Tampiqueño.
- 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:Green; About 2.5-4 in long, slender fruit
- Heat:Hot; 10,000-23,000 SHU
History and seedkeeping context
Cornell’s cultivar database records the name as Serrano Tampequino and describes a large plant bearing club-shaped hot fruit with a 75-day maturity reference. The name suggests an association with Tampico, but the Cornell record does not provide a breeder, farmer, or release narrative. The page therefore does not turn the cultivar name into a detailed geographic origin claim.
The available sources do not establish a named person’s tribal identity. Cornell lists Serrano Tampequino at 75 days. The source does not state the counting point, so the value is placed in 70–89 Days as a comparison rather than a guarantee.
Fruit, flavor, and kitchen use
Use green serrano fruit in salsa, pico de gallo, pickles, relishes, soups, sauces, and cooked dishes. Red-ripe fruit can be used in mature sauces or dried after splitting. Heat intensity can vary with growing conditions. Pungency varies with genetics, temperature, water stress, fruit position, and ripeness; any heat figure is a range, not a promise for every pod. Serrano Tampiqueño is especially useful for fresh hot-pepper use, salsas, pickling, cooking, and seed saving from confirmed open-pollinated stock. Flavor and eating quality are described as heat intensity can vary with growing conditions. Pungency varies with genetics, temperature, water stress, fruit position, and ripeness; any heat figure is a range, not a promise for every pod. Heat classification: Hot; listed range: 10,000-23,000 SHU. Pungency can shift with genetics, weather, water stress, and ripeness.
How to grow Serrano Tampiqueño
Start Serrano Tampiqueño 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 Serrano Tampiqueño 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 Serrano Tampiqueño 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 Serrano Tampiqueño 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?
Fresh hot-pepper use, salsas, pickling, cooking, and seed saving from confirmed open-pollinated stock
Can I save seed?
Peppers are largely self-pollinating but insect movement can produce crosses.






