I would have a hard time limiting it to ten for growing experience but if I were only growing a few peppers:

1. Jalapeno--good all around pepper for salsa, stirfry
2. A nice sweet bell type like Orange Bell
3. A pimento type sweet pepper like Pequillo or Tangerine
for salads
4. Serrano--a little hotter than Jalapeno and more prolific
5. A cayenne or Thai type for pepper flakes
6. One of the citrus baccatums like lemon drop
7. One of the medium heat Hungarian peppers-sweet with a
little heat.
8. A chinense without overpowering heat and nice flavor
like Cool Peach
9. Rocotillo--another baccatum with a nice taste and
little or no heat.

10. One of the pubescens just to round things out and for
    the pretty flowers.

John

I'm not putting John down, but isn't this the "hot pepper forum"? =P All jokes aside John knows so much more than I do, it's embaressing.

I started with 4 types that I still grow today. All of them hot.

1. Orange Hab- so tasty, I dice (fresh) and mix into beef for burgers. Try it!
2. Super Cayenne- fresh, dried, crushed, powdered...yes
3. Jalapeno- all arounder, chop em, stuff em, fry em, it doesn't matter
4. Red Savina- for when I feel masochistic

I'm thinking of adding serranos (after reading John's post) and maybe tepins.

If you're looking for grow experience, listen to John not me. I'm a heat freak.

Are you looking for heat or flavor as main consideration?

Thanks for the comments.

While heat (not sweet) is a focus, identifying the 10 hottest is not. I had id'd ancho as one chile must-grow, for example. A range of heats/ flavours/usage/growth per what John wrote would be great.

Apologies, I should have been more specific about the request being for 10 _chiles_, not peppers in general. I'm helping a local brew pub with their annual charitable hot sauce contest by providing info and donating plants to the volunteer judges and winning contestants. It's not the hottest sauce that wins, but the one with the best combination of flavour with heat plus presentation and original name.

John, I like the idea of a Rocotillo, but I can't find a commercial source for either a baccutum or chinenese. How about another seasoning pepper?

Jennifer

HabBob some of us have been thru the 'Heat Cycle' and are now looking for flavors.

Jennifer

Chimayo, heat range about 3, is a very nice tasting chile.

I haven't had a bad tasting Ají.

Byron

Rocotillo goes by a lot of names--Bishops Hat, Campane, and Orchid are all similar if not the same in my growing experience.

Also I'll replace my two sweet peppers with:

1. A Poblano/Ancho--forgot about that standby
2. One of the seasoning peppers like-Amazon Chile Roma, Aji Dulce, Numex Suave Red

John

Here is a link that might be useful: Peppermania

Thanks so much, John. I have Bishops Hat (from several sources) and Amazon Chile Roma plus various Aji Dulces. Perfect.

Thanks for the Chimayo recommendation, Byron. I've been meaning to try that one for some time.

Jennifer

I'm going to shill for the Mexicans.....the longer I grow chiles, the more I favor poblanos from which I make shooters, moles and rellenos.

I have been purchasing chilaca\pasilla in local specialty mart and use them fresh for rellenos, shooters and moles. I have just started growing chilacas.

For picante, I use dried whole tepins because they are so easy to use and predictably picante.

I do like picante, just controlled picante.

I like fruity chinenses for taste but the heat in most varieties makes them too picante. I have been making ceviche with Tangerine Bells.

I also grow chiles because, in my opinion, there is not a more beautiful, tolerant and interesting plant to grow.

Thanks muchly for your input, Willard!

Jennifer