Banana Pepper

25 seeds

Matures in 65 days

Planting companions: Basil, Coriander, Beans, Onion, Parsley, Tomatoes

The Sweet Banana Pepper is sweet, light yellow to red in color, averaging 5 inches. Its sweet and thick flesh is smooth and waxy. Plants can reach 24 inches in height and are highly productive.

Eight weeks before the last expected soil frost, sow your seeds indoors at a depth of ¼ inch and maintain room temperature at 25 – 30 °C (60-65°F). Provide them with supplemental light to prevent plant elongation. When all risk of soil frost is eliminated, acclimate your plants for a few days and plant them in the garden at a distance of 12 to 16 inches apart. Pepper plants prefer rich, moist, and weed-free soil; provide them with mulch to help with better control.

Normally, peppers have a stronger flavor if allowed to ripen longer on the plant. However, ripe peppers signal the plant to stop production. Harvest them while still green to ensure a longer vegetable production.

During harvest, cut the stem with scissors to avoid breaking the plant's fragile stem. Protect your hands and eyes when handling peppers; they can cause irritation!