Height: 24 inches
Spacing: 18 inches
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: (annual)
Description:
A high yielding heirloom variety that is interesting and eye-catching; compact bushy plants produces 3" long conical hot peppers with deep wrinkling, lending to its humorous name; hot and crisp, a good choice for hot sauces and drying for seasoning
Edible Qualities
Peter Pepper is an annual vegetable plant that is typically grown for its edible qualities, although it does have ornamental merits as well. It produces green peppers (which are technically 'berries') which are usually ready for picking from mid summer to early fall. The fruit will often fade to red over time. The peppers have a hot taste and a crisp texture.
The peppers are most often used in the following ways:
- Fresh Eating
- Cooking
- Drying
- Seasoning
- Sauces
Planting & Growing
Peter Pepper will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 14 inches. When planted in rows, individual plants should be spaced approximately 18 inches apart. This vegetable plant is an annual, which means that it will grow for one season in your garden and then die after producing a crop.
This plant can be integrated into a landscape or flower garden by creative gardeners, but is usually grown in a designated vegetable garden. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. This plant is a heavy feeder that requires frequent fertilizing throughout the growing season to perform at its best. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America, and it is considered by many to be an heirloom variety. It can be propagated by cuttings; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.
Peter Pepper is a good choice for the vegetable garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.
