Sugar Rush Peach Pepper (90 Days)

Full of fruity and fiery flavor, starting pale yellow and ripening to a lovely peach. The flesh has a sweet, fruity flavor, with the heat arriving within the seed area. After taste testing, the heat seems to us to be between a jalapeño and cayenne. Plants are loaded with 3-4” peppers that we began harvesting in early September. They should be started early indoors, 8-10 weeks in the North, because of their long maturation time. We definitely plan on making pepper sauce with this one in the future. This Aji type pepper was bred by Chris Fowler of Wales and came about by accidental natural pollination.

20 seeds

PLANTING

Capsicum baccatum

Germination: 10-14 days

Germination Temperature: Optimum soil temperatures 75-85ºF. Cooler soil temperatures slow germination time.

Seed Sowing Depth: ¼” deep

Starting Indoors:  8-10 weeks before the last frost. Sow in flats/cells/pots. Provide 75-85ºF soil temperatures. Fertilize the seedlings every 7-10 days with a liquid or water-soluble fertilizer (diluted to ¼ of the suggested measurement). Transplant seedlings 18-24” apart after the last frost.

Sowing Outdoors: Not recommended, especially in northern areas

How much does a packet plant: 20-25 foot single row  

Harvest: Use a sharp instrument to cut the peppers from the plant. Pick the first fruits when they reach usable size; this helps accelerate the growth of the other peppers on the plant. Leave some peppers on the plant to mature so they can change color and sweeten up.

Tips: Pinch off early flowers or tiny fruit on any seedlings before placing them in the ground.  Arica Pepper should be planted in fertile soil and amended with compost if needed. It helps to use row cover early in the season, giving the plants extra warmth, especially in the north. Side dress when flowers begin to form.