Pepper ‘Hungarian Hot Wax’

* Common name: Hot pepper ‘Hungarian Hot Wax’

* Botanical name: Capsicum annuum ‘Hungarian Hot Wax’

* What it is: Probably the most common and widely available hot pepper… and for good reason. Yields reliably and heavily, producing 6-inch, elongated, medium-hot fruits that start out yellow and ripen red. Excellent for salsa.

* Size: 20-24 inches tall, plant 15-18 inches apart.

* Where to use: Sunny vegetable gardens, but the plants are compact enough and the fruits colorful enough that they’re nice additions in a flower garden. These also do well in sunny pots.

* Care: Water deeply once or twice a week if it doesn’t rain. Hot, dry weather makes them hottest. Work compost and a granular, balanced organic fertilizer into the soil at planting, then scratch in a booster dose when the plants flower.

* Great partner: Swiss chard, purple basil or burgundy-leafed ‘Bull’s Blood’ beets.

— George Weigel