Tiny Chinese Hot Pepper
Botanical Name: Capsicum annuum
Description
85-95 days. This beautiful pepper is a compact bushy plant that produces hundreds of tiny red chili peppers pointing up towards the sky. Exquisitely small fruit are ½” long by ¼” wide, the smallest peppers that we have ever seen. The unusual leaves are tiny too. Plants are very ornamental and grow well in containers. These peppers are great for edible landscaping – so pretty you might want to grow them just for their looks! On a heat scale of 1-10 these are about a 7. Mike just loves these cute, little, spicy peppers and has been growing them since the 1990s. Dry plants whole and use as needed over the winter to warm up on a cold day. Great for seasoning Asian curries, hotpots, and stews. NN
Growing
Growing Instructions (for USDA Zone 5b):
All peppers are warm weather loving plants. Sow seeds indoors March 15th - April 1st 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. Space plants 1 ½ ft apart.
Harvest:
Harvest peppers when greenish red or completely red ripe. Eat fresh or dried.
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. Save seeds from the best plants. Save seeds from fully ripe peppers. Process either wet (fresh peppers) or dry (dried peppers). Process hot pepper seeds outdoors wearing rubber gloves and dust mask! Make sure seeds are fully dry before storing.
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