Pepper

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Choose from our extensive pepper seed offering that includes sweet bell peppers, hot peppers, specialty peppers and ornamental peppers. Sweet, mild, hot, crisp, spicy, tangy — all these adjectives describe the versatile pepper. Rich in vitamin C, peppers add color and flavor to any recipe. 

Growing Tips: Sweet peppers, particularly the familiar bell-shaped varieties, are the most widely grown. The fruit is usually harvested when green, but will ripen to red (or sometimes yellow) if allowed to stay on the plant, adding a splash of color to the garden. Sweet peppers are eaten raw or cooked, and are good for freezing, too. Hot Peppers come in all shapes and sizes. The presence of the substance capsaicin is what makes a hot pepper hot. This substance is found in all peppers, but in differing quantities, and the degree of hotness is directly related to how much capsaicin is present. Use hot peppers to add a spicy, hot flavor to sauces, dips, chilis, or any recipe. They can also be dried and crushed into a powder.

Growing Tips: Peppers are a warm weather crop, and grow well with moderate fertilization. Seeds should be started indoors and transplanted into the garden when night temperatures do not fall below 60° F. Black plastic mulch (see Supplies section) is beneficial for maintaining soil temperature and moisture.

Culture:
Definitely a warm weather, long season species that is usually transplanted to the field 2-3 weeks after the last threat of frost. Seed germinates best at 75° F. soil temp. in about 10-20 days. Plan on about six weeks to grow at that temperature in a greenhouse, followed by a few days at 60-65° F. for hardening before field setting. Peppers prefer a sandy loam soil of average fertility and pH of 6.0-6.8. Black plastic mulch and drip irrigation are beneficial in maintaining soil temperatures and moisture levels as well as controlling weeds.

Maturity dates listed are from transplanting and are only for variety comparison.

Avg. Seed Count: 4400/Oz., 70,000/Lb.