The information on this page applies to seedlings sold by LEAF Nursery during our 2021 Seedling Sale.
Capsicum annuum. This red, Italian type pepper is loved for its sweet flavor raw, roasted, or cooked, as well as its productivity and size (4-6″ long, 2″ wide at shoulders). The ripe red fruit hold quality for weeks, if not months, once picked and stored in a cool location. Bred by Frank Morton in Oregon. An Open Source Seed Initiative (OSSI) pledged variety.[1] When purchasing this variety, you are accepting the OSSI Pledge to free the seed.
Seed Type
| Organic | Heirloom | Non-GMO | Hybrid | Open-pollinated | Untreated |
Additional Information
| Container Friendly | Trellis Needed | Easy to Grow | Pollinator Friendly |
Planting Season
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
Growing Conditions
| Light | Temperature | Soil | Water |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Sun | 75º–90º F | Well-drained, rich soils with a pH ~6.5. Be sure to plant with plenty of compost and fertilizer. | As needed |
Planting Tips
| Plant Spacing | Plant Size | Days to Maturity |
|---|---|---|
| 18-24" | 80 |
- Additional instructions: Peppers are adventitious rooters. If one to three leaves are pruned off and the plants transplanted deeply, roots will arise from the buried nodes, fostering better anchorage and greater root mass for foraging. Peppers (especially sweet varieties) need high nitrogen levels to establish the plant size and leaf canopy needed to protect fruit from sunburn, so fertilize well. [3]
- Harvesting instructions: Harvesting should be done with clippers to leave a 1/4”–1/2” stem and to minimize physical damage to the plant. A stem serves as a physical buffer between the fruit and the environment which will retard the entry of fungi and bacteria, thus prolonging storage life.[3]
Common Diseases and Pests
- Pests: Aphids, Armyworms, Buffalo treehopper, Corn earworm, Cucumber beetles, Cutworms, Earwigs, Flea beetles, Hornworms, Leafminers, Lygus bugs, Nematodes, Omnivorous leafroller, Pepper weevil, Snails/slugs, Spider mites, Thrips, Whiteflies
- Disease: Curly top, Mosaic viruses, Phytophtora root and crown rot, Powdery mildew, Spotted wilt virus, Verticillium wilt
Useful Resources
- https://www.adaptiveseeds.com/product/vegetables/peppers/sweet-peppers/sweet-pepper-stocky-red-roaster/ (seed source)
- http://mgsantaclara.ucanr.edu/garden-help/vegetables/vegetable-planting-chart/
- https://casfs.ucsc.edu/documents/for-the-gardener/peppers.pdf
- http://ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/peppers/index.html
- https://osseeds.org/
If you bought this seedling and have any questions or feedback, let us know in the comment section below.