Candy Cane Pepper

Latin name: Capsicum annuum

Days to Sprout: 10-28

 Ready for Full Dose of plant food with true leaves or roots .5-inch long

✂ Thin to: 1 plant per yCube

Days to Maturity: 85-100

Light Zone: High

Plant Size: <1 ft

Care Level: Advanced

Candy Cane Peppers are a variety of sweet peppers, which 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.

Candy Cane Peppers are delightfully crispy and have a sweet flavor. They are an excellent source of vitamin C, antioxidants, dietary fiber, and vitamins A, K, and B6. Candy Cane Peppers stand out with their variegated green and white-to-cream-yellow leaves along with fruit that begin as green with white stripes. As the peppers mature, they turn red with chocolate brown stripes. The peppers are safe and tasty to eat at any stage of ripeness.

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 tricks to keep them at bay! Candy Cane Peppers naturally have variegated (mixed color) leaves, so rest assured that green and white-to-cream-yellow leaves are normal and healthy for this variety.

🌶️ Harvest:  Harvest Candy Cane Peppers when they are firm and about 3-4 inches long and 1-1.5 inches width. The longer you leave them on the plant, the sweeter they get, and their color will change from green with white stripes to unique chocolate and cherry red stripes. Harvest by cutting each pepper at its individual stem at your preferred color.

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.