How to Grow Bell PeppersWondering How to Grow Bell Peppers?Here are our top tips for Growing Bell Peppers: Bell peppers are relatively easy to grow, but here are a few tips so you can have the best success! First, plant pepper seeds at least 8-10 weeks before your area's last frost date. Plant seeds in pre-moistened well-draining seedling starter mix and bury the seeds about 1/4" deep. Use a seedling heat mat to speed up germination – this will help keep the seeds warm, ideally 80-90˚ F is optimal for fast...
What type of peppers does Mezzetta use? Cascabellas!What type of peppers does Mezzetta use? Mezzetta™ Hot Chili Peppers (those jars of spicy yellow pickled peppers) are made from Cascabella peppers. The hot and delicious yellow peppers that they put into jars of Mezzetta Hot Chili Peppers are grown in Northern California, but did you know that you can grow them in your own backyard? They're easy to start from Cascabella seeds! The bonus to homegrown Cascabella peppers is that you can ensure that they are organic (Mezzetta also has a li...
Sweet Chocolate Bell Pepper - the earliest pepper!This Sweet Chocolate Bell Pepper is our earliest pepper! Ripening at just 57 days, this delicious pepper goes from green to dark brown on the outside with brick-red flesh on the inside. Very beautiful when chopped and put on salads, on sandwiches or in flash-fried for fajitas. If you like sweet peppers, you have to try this little delicious gem. These Sweet Chocolate Bell Peppers are about 3-4" in size, and the plants tolerate cool nights – making them good for earlier growing in the spr...
Christmas Bell - Bishop Crown PepperThe heirloom Bishop Crown: or "Christmas Bell" is originally from Brazil. This variety produces one of the most unusual pod shapes of any chile pepper. Bishop Crown is a unique thin-skinned red pepper with the unusual appearance of a tri-cornered hat like a Catholic Bishop’s Crown. The heat level has a very wide range from a medium 5,000 scoville heat units (SHU), all the way up to a very hot 15,000 SHU. Its small size is 1-1/2” long by 2”- 3“ wide with a sweet and fruity taste. B...
Purple Bell PeppersLooking for Purple Bell Peppers or other Purple Pepper seeds? If you love purple like we do, you always want to plant purple flowers... but did you know you can also plant purple vegetables like Purple Bell Peppers or Purple Tomatoes? Purple is one of the best colors in your garden, it compliments the green leaves and everyone who sees a purple pepper or fruit are delighted! View all our beautiful Ornamental Peppers » If you like hot peppers like us, check out the Bhut Jolokia Purple pe...
Top 15 questions about Bell PeppersWe receive many questions about peppers and have written the answers to the most common questions about Bell Peppers here. Answers will include Bell Pepper growth, color, storage and health benefits. View all of our bell pepper seeds » 1. What is the best Bell Pepper variety for my area? Peppers are a warm season crop and need temperatures above 75 degrees throughout their growing season. Higher latitudes and altitudes can extend the start of growing season, wet areas can use raised beds, and...
How to Transplant Pepper PlantsHow to Transplant Pepper Plants Whether you started your own pepper seeds, or if you're transplanting peppers from the garden center, here are our top tips for best success. Transplanting peppers is a simple process, though there are a few tricks to help your pepper transplants thrive. 1. Make sure to harden off your seedlings first! This simply means to bring indoor-started pepper plants outside and expose them to the sun gradually. This will help avoid transplant shock. 2. Create Labe...
How to grow hot peppers: The best advice from pepper growersWhat is the best hot pepper growing advice you have ever received? Just go for it! Some people just don't try. Grow some of the fastest growing peppers to start, as they are easier to germinate and you get to harvest them much sooner than some other varieties such as many of the super hot peppers. These fast growing peppers are also great for short season gardening – so you can get plenty of peppers before your first frost. Start Seeds Indoors: We recommend starting hot pepper seeds ...
What Seeds to Plant in AugustWondering what to plant in August? In the West, we start seeds for the following vegetables in August:Lettuces, spinach, beets, carrots, green onions, cilantro, basil, bok choy, mizuna, kale, peas, green beans, broccoli, sugar snap peas, radishes and cabbage. Now is a great time to fill in bare spots in your garden or to start seeds to plant into places where cucumbers, basil or other summer veggies are at the end of their production. Vegetables to Plant in August-SeptemberSome of the cool w...
Gardening ChallengesWhat are your biggest garden challenges? Every gardener has challenges, it's part of what makes gardening fun! Learning something new every year, gardeners accumulate lots of knowledge over time via experience. What are some of your top challenges in your garden? WeatherWeather can be harsh sometimes, especially with late spring storms, hurricanes and tropical storms, non-stop rain, freezing cold temperatures, super hot 90˚F+ temperatures, you name it. We like to start many vegetables suc...
Happy June Gardening!It's June 1st, but it's not too late to plant zucchini seeds! Our Summer Squash Black Beauty Zucchini produces a huge crop of tender zucchini squash during the summer - and they are super fast growing, they start to harvest in 55 days! We direct sow the seeds in mounds in the garden, zucchini plants grow fast and don't like to get root bound, so starting them indoors is unnecessary. It's June...Is it too late to plant seeds? There are plenty of other veggies that you can p...
Fastest Growing VegetablesDo you want to grow the Fastest Growing Vegetables? Here are our top suggestions for the fastest growing crops that you can start from seed: Radish – Harvest in 22+ Days!The classic Cherry Bell Radish is super easy to grow and it is one of the fastest growing vegetables you can plant!. Simply direct sow the seeds in fluffy soil, keep them moist and watch them sprout in just 5-7 days depending on soil and weather conditions. They grow quickly into pretty 1" cherry red globes that a...
When should I plant my seeds?When should I plant my seeds? This is a great question! The first thing to do is to determine your last average frost date, which you may determine here: almanac.com/gardening/frostdates. Afterward, count back six to eight weeks to start your seeds. Also, consider the first frost date in the fall because the period between your last frost date in the spring and the first frost date in the fall is your growing window. So, note each seed variety's maturity date to ensure you have enough t...
When to Plant Pepper SeedsWhen to Plant Pepper Seeds Many of our customers ask us "Is now a good time to start pepper seeds?" – and we always say it depends on where you are and what your seed starting setup is like. We typically recommend that pepper seeds be started indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last average frost date. Depending on where you live, the time to plant peppers and other warm-weather vegetables like tomatoes is usually late May or early June, but can be earlier for warmer regions. We don'...
Ornamental Hot PeppersOrnamental hot peppers are a great addition to any garden. They add beauty and spice and everything nice! As a vegetable gardener, you probably want to have a beautiful veggie garden! So why not grow some ornamental peppers to add pops of color and beauty! We have a whole selection of ornamental hot peppers that will look great in your landscape, plus you can harvest them for spicing up salsas, hot sauces, sandwiches, burgers, burritos, soups, stews, stir fries, you name it! The rainb...
Spots on Pepper LeavesDo you have spots on your pepper plant's leaves?Spots on peppers leaves could be from a few different things. Common ailments of peppers is called pepper leaf spot or bacterial spot. This ailment that creates spotted leaves on peppers occurs commonly in humid, wet weather. This purple bell pepper plant above has the common Bacterial leaf spot. Don't despair, you should still get plenty of peppers despite this issue! Bacterial leaf spot is a common ailment of peppers that is cause...
How to Grow Bell Peppers
Wondering How to Grow Bell Peppers?Here are our top tips for Growing Bell Peppers: Bell peppers are relatively easy to grow, but here are a few tips so you can have the best success! First, plant pepper seeds at least 8-10 weeks before your area's last frost date. Plant seeds in pre-moistened well-draining seedling starter mix and bury the seeds about 1/4" deep. Use a seedling heat mat to speed up germination – this will help keep the seeds warm, ideally 80-90˚ F is optimal for fast...
What type of peppers does Mezzetta use? Cascabellas!
What type of peppers does Mezzetta use? Mezzetta™ Hot Chili Peppers (those jars of spicy yellow pickled peppers) are made from Cascabella peppers. The hot and delicious yellow peppers that they put into jars of Mezzetta Hot Chili Peppers are grown in Northern California, but did you know that you can grow them in your own backyard? They're easy to start from Cascabella seeds! The bonus to homegrown Cascabella peppers is that you can ensure that they are organic (Mezzetta also has a li...
Sweet Chocolate Bell Pepper - the earliest pepper!
This Sweet Chocolate Bell Pepper is our earliest pepper! Ripening at just 57 days, this delicious pepper goes from green to dark brown on the outside with brick-red flesh on the inside. Very beautiful when chopped and put on salads, on sandwiches or in flash-fried for fajitas. If you like sweet peppers, you have to try this little delicious gem. These Sweet Chocolate Bell Peppers are about 3-4" in size, and the plants tolerate cool nights – making them good for earlier growing in the spr...
Purple Bell Peppers
Looking for Purple Bell Peppers or other Purple Pepper seeds? If you love purple like we do, you always want to plant purple flowers... but did you know you can also plant purple vegetables like Purple Bell Peppers or Purple Tomatoes? Purple is one of the best colors in your garden, it compliments the green leaves and everyone who sees a purple pepper or fruit are delighted! View all our beautiful Ornamental Peppers » If you like hot peppers like us, check out the Bhut Jolokia Purple pe...
Top 15 questions about Bell Peppers
We receive many questions about peppers and have written the answers to the most common questions about Bell Peppers here. Answers will include Bell Pepper growth, color, storage and health benefits. View all of our bell pepper seeds » 1. What is the best Bell Pepper variety for my area? Peppers are a warm season crop and need temperatures above 75 degrees throughout their growing season. Higher latitudes and altitudes can extend the start of growing season, wet areas can use raised beds, and...
How to Transplant Pepper Plants
How to Transplant Pepper Plants Whether you started your own pepper seeds, or if you're transplanting peppers from the garden center, here are our top tips for best success. Transplanting peppers is a simple process, though there are a few tricks to help your pepper transplants thrive. 1. Make sure to harden off your seedlings first! This simply means to bring indoor-started pepper plants outside and expose them to the sun gradually. This will help avoid transplant shock. 2. Create Labe...
How to grow hot peppers: The best advice from pepper growers
What is the best hot pepper growing advice you have ever received? Just go for it! Some people just don't try. Grow some of the fastest growing peppers to start, as they are easier to germinate and you get to harvest them much sooner than some other varieties such as many of the super hot peppers. These fast growing peppers are also great for short season gardening – so you can get plenty of peppers before your first frost. Start Seeds Indoors: We recommend starting hot pepper seeds ...
What Seeds to Plant in August
Wondering what to plant in August? In the West, we start seeds for the following vegetables in August:Lettuces, spinach, beets, carrots, green onions, cilantro, basil, bok choy, mizuna, kale, peas, green beans, broccoli, sugar snap peas, radishes and cabbage. Now is a great time to fill in bare spots in your garden or to start seeds to plant into places where cucumbers, basil or other summer veggies are at the end of their production. Vegetables to Plant in August-SeptemberSome of the cool w...
Gardening Challenges
What are your biggest garden challenges? Every gardener has challenges, it's part of what makes gardening fun! Learning something new every year, gardeners accumulate lots of knowledge over time via experience. What are some of your top challenges in your garden? WeatherWeather can be harsh sometimes, especially with late spring storms, hurricanes and tropical storms, non-stop rain, freezing cold temperatures, super hot 90˚F+ temperatures, you name it. We like to start many vegetables suc...
Happy June Gardening!
It's June 1st, but it's not too late to plant zucchini seeds! Our Summer Squash Black Beauty Zucchini produces a huge crop of tender zucchini squash during the summer - and they are super fast growing, they start to harvest in 55 days! We direct sow the seeds in mounds in the garden, zucchini plants grow fast and don't like to get root bound, so starting them indoors is unnecessary. It's June...Is it too late to plant seeds? There are plenty of other veggies that you can p...
Fastest Growing Vegetables
Do you want to grow the Fastest Growing Vegetables? Here are our top suggestions for the fastest growing crops that you can start from seed: Radish – Harvest in 22+ Days!The classic Cherry Bell Radish is super easy to grow and it is one of the fastest growing vegetables you can plant!. Simply direct sow the seeds in fluffy soil, keep them moist and watch them sprout in just 5-7 days depending on soil and weather conditions. They grow quickly into pretty 1" cherry red globes that a...
When should I plant my seeds?
When should I plant my seeds? This is a great question! The first thing to do is to determine your last average frost date, which you may determine here: almanac.com/gardening/frostdates. Afterward, count back six to eight weeks to start your seeds. Also, consider the first frost date in the fall because the period between your last frost date in the spring and the first frost date in the fall is your growing window. So, note each seed variety's maturity date to ensure you have enough t...
When to Plant Pepper Seeds
When to Plant Pepper Seeds Many of our customers ask us "Is now a good time to start pepper seeds?" – and we always say it depends on where you are and what your seed starting setup is like. We typically recommend that pepper seeds be started indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last average frost date. Depending on where you live, the time to plant peppers and other warm-weather vegetables like tomatoes is usually late May or early June, but can be earlier for warmer regions. We don'...
Ornamental Hot Peppers
Ornamental hot peppers are a great addition to any garden. They add beauty and spice and everything nice! As a vegetable gardener, you probably want to have a beautiful veggie garden! So why not grow some ornamental peppers to add pops of color and beauty! We have a whole selection of ornamental hot peppers that will look great in your landscape, plus you can harvest them for spicing up salsas, hot sauces, sandwiches, burgers, burritos, soups, stews, stir fries, you name it! The rainb...
Spots on Pepper Leaves
Do you have spots on your pepper plant's leaves?Spots on peppers leaves could be from a few different things. Common ailments of peppers is called pepper leaf spot or bacterial spot. This ailment that creates spotted leaves on peppers occurs commonly in humid, wet weather. This purple bell pepper plant above has the common Bacterial leaf spot. Don't despair, you should still get plenty of peppers despite this issue! Bacterial leaf spot is a common ailment of peppers that is cause...
