Sheepnose Pimento Sweet Pepper
Botanical Name: Capsicum annuum
Description
75 days. This is sweet pepper perfection! Peppers are 3 - 4" in diameter. Pimento peppers were widely grown before bell peppers came to dominate the sweet pepper scene. Pimento peppers are round and squat-shaped and are known for their sweet, fruity, aromatic flavor and early ripening. Erica has been eating sweet bell peppers directly from the garden for years, just like an apple. Then we grew Sheepnose Pimento—Its thick & juicy walls are so sweet and delicious that you’d think you were eating a piece of fruit! A family heirloom from Ohio. Listed on Slow Food USA's Ark of Taste. Keeps for a long time in the fridge. Not the most productive pepper but the unique flavor makes up for it! If you love sweet bell peppers, you will want to try Sheepnose Pimento. NN
Growing
Growing Instructions (for USDA Zone 5):
All peppers are warm-weather loving plants. 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 the 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 pepper plants if they begin to fall over.
Harvest:
For full flavor, harvest peppers when fully ripe (red). Peppers can also be harvested green but they won’t taste as good.
Seed Saving Instructions (for gardeners):
Peppers are primarily self-pollinating but insects will cause significant cross pollination between pepper varieties. To keep variety pure, cover plants with low tunnels (using thin row cover fabric) to exclude pollinators. Or, isolation distance: 300 ft. Always save seeds from the best plants. Save seeds from fully ripe peppers. Process hot pepper seeds outdoors wearing rubber gloves; rinse and dry seeds.
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