Beaver Dam Organic Hot Pepper

Nature & Nurture Seeds

Capsicum annuum

$4.99

Pkt (≈20 seeds)
VALUE SIZE: (≈100 seeds)
Certified Organic
90 days. This pepper was brought to the Great Lakes Region (Beaver Dam, Wisconsin) in 1912 by a Hungarian family. Listed in the Slow Food Ark of Taste, this gorgeous pepper is quite unique. Beaver Dam offers the complex, sugary flavor and eating qualities of a sweet pepper, but it pairs these qualities with the spice of a medium hot pepper (rated 3 on the heat scale). Its thick, juicy, crisp walls make this a pepper with substance! Large size, thick flesh, and few seeds make for easy processing. For years, Mike tried to find a pepper that offered a little kick but was mild enough for Erica. That search ended with Beaver Dam. Mike says, "this is an awesome pepper! It tastes great and can be used for anything." Can be eaten raw (without seeds) by heat-lovers. Cooking mellows out the heat but preserves the robust flavor. Great grilled or stir fried. Makes kickin' kimchi, hot sauce, sriracha, and chile rellenos. Can also be dried for a full-bodied paprika with a punch. Stores for an extended period of time at room temperature.

All peppers are warm-weather loving plants. These pepper plants have the capacity to grow big & produce lots of peppers if given proper care.  Sow seeds indoors 3/15-4/1 into good seed starting mix (we recommend Vermont Compost’s Fort Light). Ideal temperature for germination is 80-90° (use heating mat). Days to germination: 6-28. Once leaves appear, grow plants at 72°. Be sure seedlings have adequate light (a windowsill will not do for peppers) and keep plants from becoming pot-bound because this will permanently stunt plants.  If seedlings are getting too big for their pot but the weather is still too cold outside, transplant them into bigger pots. Plant seedlings outside late May into fertile garden soil with lots of compost or decomposed manure. If your soil pH is greater than 7 (which is typical of clay soils in Southeast Michigan) add sulfur to acidify soil before planting. Space plants 1 ½ - 2ft apart. If plants begin to flower when plants are less than 1ft tall, hand remove early flowers for 2 weeks until plants are bigger. Stake plants.