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Heart-shaped peppers are 7-10cm (3-4") long with a mildly pungent and slightly sweet taste. In its fresh form (called "poblano") it is a very dark, glossy green and is used roasted and stuffed for rellenos (remove skin after roasting). When poblano peppers are dried and smoked, they're known as Mulato. When reddish-brown and dried (called ancho) it is used to make chili powder and mole sauce. Ancho pepper seeds produce plants with lots of high quality, dark-green peppers that ripen to red. 1,000 - 2,000 SHU's. As pepper plants go, Ancho can get fairly large, so provide ample root space in containers that are three to five gallons or bigger.
Matures in 80 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)
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Latin
Latin
Capsicum annuum, C. baccatum, and C. chinense
Family: Solanaceae
Difficulty
Difficulty
Moderately difficult
Season & Zone
Season & Zone
Season: Warm season.
Exposure: Full-sun
Timing
Timing
Peppers need plenty of time to mature before they will bloom and set fruit. Start indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost date, and grow under bright lights. Transplant only when weather has really warmed up. Night time low temperatures should be consistently above 12Β°C (55Β°F) before hardening off pepper plants and transplanting outdoors. Soil temperature for germination: 25-29Β°C (78-85Β°F). Seeds should sprout in 10 β 21 days.
Starting
Starting
Sow indoors 5mm-1cm (ΒΌ-Β½β) deep. Keep soil as warm as possible. Seedling heating mats speed germination. Try to keep seedlings at 18-24Β°C (64-75Β°F) in the day, and 16-18Β°C (61-64Β°F) at night. Before they become root-bound, transplant them into 8cm (3β³) pots. For greatest possible flower set, try to keep them for 4 weeks at night, about 12Β°C (55Β°F). Then transplant them into 15cm (6β³) pots, bringing them into a warm room at night, about 21Β°C (70Β°F).
Days to Maturity
Days to Maturity: From transplant date.
Growing
Growing
Soil should have abundant phosphorus and calcium, so add lime and compost to the bed at least three weeks prior to transplanting. Mix Β½ cup ofΒ balanced organic fertilizer beneath each plant. Though peppers will tolerate dry soil, they will only put on good growth if kept moist. Harden off before planting out 30-60cm (12-24β³) apart. Five gallon containers also work well, but require good drainage and regular irrigation. Using plastic mulch with a cloche can increase the temperature by a few degrees. Pinch back growing tips to encourage leaf production. This helps shadeΒ the developing fruits and prevents sun-scald in hot summers.
Harvest
Harvest
Fruit can be picked once it is firm and has reached desired size, however, sweetnessΒ can increaseΒ dramaticallyΒ as the fruit ripens. If you pickΒ the peppers when they are still young/green, the plant will keep producing more fruit. Fruit that sets after late August will not usually develop or ripen. Pull out the entire bush just before the first frost and hang it upside down in a warm, dry place to ripen hot peppers.Β
Seed Info
Seed Info
In optimal conditions at least 65% of seeds will germinate. Usual seed life: 2 years.
Diseases & Pests
Diseases & Pests
To prevent rot and wilt, plant in well-drained soils and follow a strict 4-year crop rotation.
If cutworms are a problem, use paper collars at the plant base. Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV): young growth is malformed and leaves are mottled with yellow. To prevent it: wash hands after handling tobacco (including Nicotiana), before touching peppers. Control aphids, which spread the disease.
Companion Planting
Companion Planting
Pepper plants make good neighbours for asparagus, basil, carrots, cucumbers, eggplant, endive, oregano, parsley, rosemary, squash, Swiss chard, and tomatoes. Avoid planting them next to beans, Brassicas, or fennel.
More on Companion Planting.
Read more About Peppers.
West Coast Seeds is a family-owned company that embraces an organic lifestyle. A group of imagination catalysts and passionate educators, dedicated to producing products and services that better the environment. As part of our mission to repair the earth, we aim to inspire and empower people to take responsibility for the state of the planet. For us, organic is about much more than saying no to chemicals, it is about saying yes to building a healthy soil for the future.
For over 35 years, we have upheld our strong reputation as a leading seed supplier, seeking out the highest quality untreated seeds for organic growing and putting them through rigorous independent testing. We built our company on the exchange of generational wisdom in a masterclass community of newbies and masters alike. Our world may have changed, but our commitment to our people, our customers, and our planet has not.
Weβre a values-based business that has blossomed into a lifestyle ethos, with products that support seeders, feeders, keepers, and the tiniest of creepers. Our mission? To mobilize the next generation of gardeners with products that nourish soil and grow vigorous, sustainable gardens. We believe all plants should be grown without the use of chemicals, and that the seeds we supply are an important component of regenerative gardening.
We donβt just offer seeds, we offer experience, insight, and understanding. From timeless garden wisdom to new tech know-how, this is learning on the job: knowledge gleaned not from the pages of a book but from burying our fingers in the soil. We test, experiment, observe and adapt, never happier than when we get to share what weβve learned with others.
Gardens donβt just grow seeds. They grow minds and imaginations, people and communities. Our vision encompasses both the micro and the macro. We eat locally, protect pollinators, teach people to grow from seed, and support regional biodiversity. We think big but act small and deliver unexpected impact β always with community and purpose.
At West Coast Seeds we believe in the power of small and that little can be large. Like the tiniest seed germinates to evoke incremental change with massive potential, so to can our community of gardeners and growers together. Gardeners are the earthβs stewards, planting seeds of creative declaration. The soil provides the canvas, we provide the seeds.
Peppers need plenty of time to mature before they will bloom and set fruit. Start indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost date, and grow under bright lights. Transplant only when weather has really warmed up. Night time low temperatures should be consistently above 12Β°C (55Β°F) before hardening off pepper plants and transplanting outdoors. Soil temperature for germination: 25-29Β°C (78-85Β°F). Seeds should sprout in 10 β 21 days.
Sow indoors 5mm-1cm (ΒΌ-Β½β) deep. Keep soil as warm as possible. Seedling heating mats speed germination. Try to keep seedlings at 18-24Β°C (64-75Β°F) in the day, and 16-18Β°C (61-64Β°F) at night. Before they become root-bound, transplant them into 8cm (3β³) pots. For greatest possible flower set, try to keep them for 4 weeks at night, about 12Β°C (55Β°F). Then transplant them into 15cm (6β³) pots, bringing them into a warm room at night, about 21Β°C (70Β°F).
Soil should have abundant phosphorus and calcium, so add lime and compost to the bed at least three weeks prior to transplanting. Mix Β½ cup ofΒ balanced organic fertilizer beneath each plant. Though peppers will tolerate dry soil, they will only put on good growth if kept moist. Harden off before planting out 30-60cm (12-24β³) apart. Five gallon containers also work well, but require good drainage and regular irrigation. Using plastic mulch with a cloche can increase the temperature by a few degrees. Pinch back growing tips to encourage leaf production. This helps shadeΒ the developing fruits and prevents sun-scald in hot summers.
Days to maturity: From transplant date.
In optimal conditions at least 65% of seeds will germinate. Usual seed life: 2 years.
When the fruit is large and firm it is ready to pick. Or wait for the fruit to ripen further turning red, yellow, brown, or purple. The sweetness and vitamin C content go up dramaticallyΒ as the fruit changes colour. If you pick green, the total numbers of peppers harvested will increase. Fruit that sets after late August will not usually develop or ripen. Pull out the entire bush just before the first frost and hang it upside down in a warm, dry place to ripen hot peppers.Β
