Big Jim Chile

These chiles are HUGE averaging around 8-10" but have been known to grow to 14" in length! The beautiful & huge Legacy Big Jim Chile pods have great flavor and thick flesh. The record-holder peppers produces an abundant crop on 30” tall Big Jim chile plants.

When full size and green in color, this New Mexico chile is perfect for big stuffed rellenos. After roasting, the large fleshy pods peel easily – and they have the perfect amount of heat and flavor. 

The Legacy Big Jim Chile has incredible flavor and smells SO good when it is being roasted. Fairly fast growing, they start to harvest around 78 days with good conditions.

In early spring, start seeds indoors 8 weeks prior to warm nightly temperatures. Place the seeds in sterile media and cover 1/4” deep. Provide 85°F bottom heat, bright light, and keep moist at all times. Seeds will germinate in 7 - 21 days. Transplant seedlings into pots and grow until there are 6 true leaves on the plant. Plant them directly into rich soil, 30” apart or into large 5-gallon containers. Harvest peppers when they are green.

Grow your own Big Jim Chile Seeds »

View all of our green chile seeds, we have a few different varieties of Big Jim chile, with the Legacy Big Jim Chile being the biggest.

Also be sure to try our Hatch Doublecross Big Jim Chile, which is the perfect chile for those that love Big Jim but want a little more heat. Large and hot meaty pods can grow up to 9” long – it's a cross between Big Jim and Sandia Hot, giving it about 9,000 Scovilles compared to the Legacy which has 2,000-4,000  Scovilles. 

Find all of our favorite Big Jim and other pepper recipes. The exceptional flavor and thick flesh of the Big Jim chile makes it great chile rellenos. You can also use them in all sorts of dishes – everything from stews, pizza, burgers, sandwiches, tacos, enchiladas... you name it!


Big Jim Chile plants are easy to grow in your garden! Find our top green chile growing tips here, and check out how to grow chile plants faster here. 

Happy growing!