Yesterday we started our list with the first 3 peppers that made it into my Potager plan this year. Are you ready to continue with the rest of the peppers?

Let’s jump right in.

4. Lemon Drop 

Seed started:

February 4, 2021 was the earliest I started them. Their germination rate is pretty bad, sometimes only 1 out of 4 that I planted sprouted. They are also growing as slowly as the Brazilian Starfish, so if I grow them next year I will start them early too. 

Size:

36 inches tall by 12 inches wide

Location:

Full Sun

Matures in:

100 days from setting out in the garden

Native to:

The Lemon Drop pepper is native to Peru. These plants grow as a vine and can reach up to 3 feet in height.

Why did I Choose it?

Seed swap pepper

Uses?

Anywhere you would use a sweet pepper the heat is not very intense. 

Specifics:

Plant in containers and bring inside before frost. May survive the winter if given enough light and heat. Seasoning pepper from Peru ripens to a clear lemon yellow, sometimes with a dark purple blush. The flavor is a very clean, uncomplicated, slightly citrusy heat. 2-foot plants are covered with the thin-walled, conical fruit which reaches 2-3 inches in length, with very few seeds.

Personal Notes:

I’m excited about trying to keep these peppers through the winter. I’m going to plant them in large pots and put them on the deck for the summer and then bring them in before frost. Because they are a vining plant I’ll have to make some sort of trellis in the center of the pot for them to climb. I’m hoping that they are delicious and then we’ll have year round tasty peppers. We’ll see.

5. Amish Pimento Sweet Pepper

Seed started:

February 4, 2021 and that was definitely too early. But beginning of March peppers look to be a great size and I think that’s when I’ll start them next year. 

Size:

36 inches tall by 12 inches wide 

Location:

Full Sun

Matures in:

85 days red 

Native to:

Originally from Peru.

Why did I Choose it?

I tried these last year but started them too late and so they were just starting to make peppers right before the frost. I was able to use some of the green peppers in salsa but I really wanted to try them again this year, starting them earlier. 

Uses?

Fresh eating like an apple, they are supposed to be very sweet, also in salsa and anywhere you would use a sweet pepper. They make great roasted red pepper soup.

Specifics:

They have slightly larger fruits than Sweet Pimento, are thick-walled and crunchy. The plant is compact and productive. They are a very tender plant disliking wind and frost so plant in a more protected place in your garden. 

Personal Notes:

Hopefully this year will be better for these guys and we’ll get a good harvest. 

6. Spanish Padron Tapas 

Seed started:

February 4, 2021 - and 11, which are now so big that they are planted in a large pot and I’m allowing them to flower. They’ll go out on the deck once it warms up. The March peppers are a much more reasonable size for this time of year. 

Size:

24 inches tall by 24 inches wide

Location:

Full Sun

Matures in:

80-85 days 

Native to:

These peppers are specifically from the municipality of Padrón in the province of A Coruña, Galicia, northwestern Spain. European Union law has protected the name Pimiento de Herbón under the protected designation of origin since 2009.

Why did I Choose it?

They sounded delicious and the perfect summer pepper for frying in a cast iron pan over the fire outside with some crusty bread. 

Uses?

Most often fried in olive oil until the skin blisters and the pepper collapses then served hot with the oil and a dusting of coarse salt, sometimes accompanied by chunks of bread, as tapas. They are not always hot, some are quite mild, so it’s a bit of an adventure to see which one you will get as you eat through them. 

Specifics:

Harvest the tapered fruit when 1-1.5" long for sweet, 2-3" hot. The plants bear early and are productive over a long season. 

Personal Notes:

Can’t wait to try these fried over the campfire with garlic and cheese and crusty bread and olives and artichokes and sweet peppers from the garden and some of our cherry tomatoes and a nice bottle of wine. Oh, I’m getting so hungry!

7. Red Manzano 

Seed started:

March 11, 2021 

Size:

12 inches tall and 24 inches wide 

Location:

Full Sun

Matures in:

120-180 days 

Native to:

The Manzano Red is said to originate from Central and South America and is a unique pepper plant to grow.

Why did I Choose it?

Seed Swap 

Uses?

The Red Manzano Pepper has a sweet, tangy, and juicy taste mixed with some heat.  It is firm and thick in consistency and will take a while to build until the spice suddenly kicks in and burns you.  The Manzano ripens from green to a warm orange when mature, and is excellent for stuffing, making a sauce or paste, or sprinkled over your dinner. 

Specifics:

 Manzano means apple in Spanish, and it is very similar to the apple.  The chili plant looks like an apple tree, and the peppers look like apples in look and consistency when grown.  What is more unique is the peppers have furry leaves and black seeds. Grown to about one to two inches in length, this Manzano Pepper is a great pepper if you want something sweet with a kick!   

Personal Notes:

Fun Fact: The Manzano Pepper Plant is resistant to low temperatures, adapting well to 45-60 degrees Fahrenheit and performs well in partial shade.  If protected from frost, the Manzano Plant can grow up to ten to fifteen feet long. I don’t have 10-15 feet but I’m thinking I can try and grow them in large pots and see what happens. Our house is pretty cool in the winter time so this pepper may be best suited for our comfort level.