***
Visit Our Store **** Many Other Fruits & Veggies Available***Combined
Shipping ****
****To
Received Our Flat Rate Shipping Add All Items To Your Cart Then Complete Your
Purchase****
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.
How to Grow Peppers
Step 1: 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 12°C (55°F) before hardening off pepper plants and transplanting outdoors. Soil temperature for germination: 25-29°C (78-85°F). Seeds should sprout in 10 – 21 days.
Step 2: Starting
Sow indoors 5mm-1cm (¼-½”) deep. Keep soil as warm as possible. Seedling heating mats speed germination. Try to keep seedlings at 18-24°C (64-75°F) in the day, and 16-18°C (61-64°F) at night. Before they become root-bound, transplant them into 8cm (3″) pots. For greatest possible flower set, try to keep them for 4 weeks at night, about 12°C (55°F). Then transplant them into 15cm (6″) pots, bringing them into a warm room at night, about 21°C (70°F).
Step 3: Growing
Soil should have abundant phosphorus and calcium, so add lime and compost to the bed at least three weeks prior to transplanting. Mix ½ cup of 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 (12-24″) 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 shade the developing fruits and prevents sun-scald in hot summers.
Step 4: Germination
Days to maturity: From transplant date.
In optimal conditions at least 65% of seeds will germinate. Usual seed life: 2 years.
Step 5: Harvest
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 dramatically 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.