Sweet Peppers

Latin name: Capsicum annuum

🌱 Days to Sprout: 10-28

😋 Plant food: after true leaves 

✂️ Thin to: 1 plant per yCube

🍅 Days to Maturity: 75-85

💡 Light Zone: Maximum

📏 Plant Size: 1-2 ft

💚 Care Level: Advanced

Sweet peppers originated in Mexico, where seeds of a wild variety date back to 5,000 BC. Like many other foods native to this region, Sweet Peppers were carried throughout the world by the Spanish and Portuguese explorers who traveled through the continent. 

Sweet Peppers taste - you guessed it - sweet, while also bringing a crunchy freshness. They are an excellent source of vitamin C, antioxidants, dietary fiber, and vitamins A, K, and B6.

Beginning August 21, 2023, we upgraded our Sweet Pepper variety for a more compact plant with more and larger fruit and an even sweeter flavor. If you're growing Sweet Peppers purchased before August 4, 2023, when the transition began, you are growing our original variety. All other care for the two varieties is the same.

Sweet Peppers are irreplaceable in certain recipes like fajitas or stir-fries. The fruit are versatile and easy to work with, quickly enhancing salads, pastas, curries, and soups. Or, enjoy straight off your Gardyn as a snack!

💡Temperature: Prefers warmer temperatures (70-85°F).

🐝 Pollination: Peppers require pollination. Flowers develop 4-6 weeks after sprouting. Remove the first set of flower buds that grow to encourage root and foliage development. When the next flowers appear, hand-pollinate them by gently shaking the entire plant, or gently disturb the inside of blossoms with your finger or a small brush.

TIP: If you have different types of peppers growing on your Gardyn (Jalapeño, Banana, etc.) be careful not to use the same finger or brush to pollinate across varieties! Otherwise, your plants will crossbreed, resulting in mixed flavors and shapes.

🫶 Support: We suggest using our Plant Belt to support the plant and its fruit as it matures.

✂️ Pruning: These peppers require minimal pruning. Snip away yellow or brown leaves if they appear, and trim branches to ensure the plant stays within the Gardyn’s light. Check the roots monthly and trim any that are brown or extending past the yPod. 

🔎 Plant Health: Gardyn peppers are prolific producers, even if they show signs of Edema, a harmless disorder. Aphids are a common pest, but you can use our prevention and treatment tricks to keep pests at bay!

🌶️ Harvest: For our original variety, harvest when peppers are firm and around 1.5 x 1.5 inches size. These peppers look like mini bell peppers and usually have lobbed bottoms. Our new, optimized pepper can be harvested when peppers are firm and about 3 inches long and have a more pointed fruit shape. For both varieties, the longer they stay on the plant, they'll continue to ripen, change color, and turn sweeter! Harvest by cutting each pepper at its individual stem at the color preferred.

Recipe Source: The Pioneer Woman

• 1 lb. Mini Sweet Peppers

• 1/2 tbsp. Olive Oil

• Kosher Salt And Freshly

• Ground Black Pepper

• 1 Log (4 Oz. Size) Goat Cheese

• Minced Fresh Rosemary

• Minced Fresh Thyme

• Smoked Sea Salt Flakes

1. Heat grill to medium to medium-high heat. Make sure grates are scrubbed clean and then oiled.

2. Cut stems off peppers, then slice peppers in half lengthwise and remove inner ribs and seeds.

3. Place halved peppers on large rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, mixing to coat evenly. Sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

4. Place peppers cut-side down on hot grill grates. Once the peppers are charred to your liking, flip to grill the other side of the peppers. Each side should only take a minute or two.

5. When peppers are done, remove them to the rimmed baking pan, cut-side up – or to a platter for a nicer serving presentation.

6. Using a small knife or spoon, remove a bit of goat cheese from the log and add it to the center of a grilled pepper half. Repeat until all goat cheese is used.

7. Sprinkle peppers with fresh rosemary and thyme, plus a nice amount of smoked sea salt. Some of the salt flakes can be rather large, so lightly crunch them between your fingertips as you sprinkle, if desired. Serve warm.

Our Plant Health & Nutrition Team thoroughly tests each variety we offer to bring you the most flavorful and high-quality plants. We regularly rotate our plant portfolio, so please note, availability varies.