Pepper List 2020 We carry an excellent selection of locally-grown sweet and hot peppers. Peppers are a fun challenge for Pacific Northwest gardeners, and can be very rewarding. With so many colors, shapes, and flavors to choose from, some gardeners like to try at least one new variety each year. Growing Peppers The key to success with peppers is maximizing sunlight and heat. Pepper plants should be kept indoors or in greenhouses until nighttime temperatures are above 50-60°F. Even then, they benefit from additional protection. Try building a high tunnel out of clear plastic, or plant them in containers near a south or west-facing wall that reflects heat. Peppers can thrive in raised beds or containers, provided that they are in a full-sun location and well-fertilized. For container planting, use potting soil with added organic fertilizer. In raised beds, use rich, well-drained soil and organic fertilizer. Whether growing in the ground or in containers, water thoroughly rather than often. Let the soil dry to about 1-2 inches down before watering. To produce the spiciest and most flavorful hot peppers, provide the warmest soil and air temperatures possible and withhold water once the fruit begins to ripen. Our Pepper Varieties Several of the listings below are popular categories rather than specific varieties. You’ll see the phrase, “rotating selection” beneath these lines. The particular varieties will depend on weekly availability from our local growers, but we’ll keep a selection of these classic favorites in stock. Other listings are diverse heirloom varieties, each with their own unique qualities. Many of these varieties come with deep traditions and stories, and we encourage interested gardeners to learn more about any heirlooms they decide to grow. We may temporarily run out of certain varieties. Rest assured that if it’s on the list, we’ll typically have it back in stock within a week. Please give us a call back midweek if you can’t find your favorite listed variety. If you’re looking for a variety that isn’t listed, let us know. Terminology Open-pollinated varieties will “come true” – saved seeds will be like their parents. Heirloom varieties are open-pollinated varieties that have been passed down through several generations. Hybrids are crosses between two or more varieties (not to be confused with GMOs), the seeds of which will produce unpredictable results if saved and replanted. Scoville units are an estimate of spiciness. Outcomes vary widely due to growing conditions. Up to 2,500 is considered mild, 2,500-30,000 is medium, and over 30,000 is hot to very hot. The numbers listed under “harvest” are an estimate of the number of days between transplanting a young plant and the first harvest. Outcomes can vary depending on growing conditions. Sky Nursery • 18528 Aurora Avenue North, Shoreline, WA 98133 skynursery.com (206)-546-4851 • Rev. 4/9/20 • 2019 peppers HOT PEPPERS NAME DESCRIPTION SCOVILLE UNITS HARVEST Anaheim Large, mild, and versatile. Delicious stuffed or used 500-2,500 75 (rotating selection) in chiles rellenos. (very mild-mild) Black Hungarian Like a large, glossy-black jalapeño, but both sweeter 5,000-10,000 70 (heirloom) and spicier. Purple flowers. Unique. (medium) Bulgarian Carrot Chili 18” plant. 2-3”, bright orange fruit. Sweet and fruity, 5,000-30,000 75 (heirloom) medium heat. Reliable in cool weather. Unique. (medium) Cayenne Long and thin. Typically harvested red and dried as 30,000-50,000 75 (rotating selection) a classic spice. (hot) Fatalii South-central African heirloom. 3”, wrinkled, bright 125,000-400,000 90 (heirloom) yellow fruit. Immediate heat with a citrus finish. (very hot) Ghost/Bhut Jolokia Possibly the world’s hottest pepper. Please wear 1,000,000+ 100 (heirloom) gloves and be careful! Use for infused oil, hot sauce. (extremely hot!) Habañero Distinctive fruity and very spicy pepper. Typically 100,000-350,000 90 (rotating selection) orange, but keep an eye out for specialty varieties. (very hot) Hot Cherry Cherry-sized red hot peppers with a balance of 2,500-5,000 75 (rotating selection) sweetness and mild to medium heat. (mild-medium) Hungarian Wax / Hot A classic favorite for pickling, frying, and fresh 5,000-10,000 75 Banana (heirloom) eating. 6” long, yellow-red. Reliable in cool weather. (medium) Jalapeño Classic small, versatile peppers with mild-medium 2,500-9,000 70 (rotating selection) heat. Often used green, but can ripen to red. (mild-medium) Lemon Drop Peruvian heirloom. Heat forward, citrus finish. 15,000-30,000 90 (heirloom) Lovely, 2-3” long, bright-yellow fruit. (medium) Numex Big Jim A “hatch type” (though the name “hatch” is 2,500-3,000 70 (hybrid) regional). Record size at up to 12”. Great stuffed. (mild-medium) Pimento de Padrone Spanish heirloom. Traditionally used when green. 500-2,500 65 (heirloom) Sauté in olive oil and serve with sea salt. (very mild-mild) Poblano / Ancho “Ancho” means dried chilies whereas fresh peppers 1,000-2,000 75 (rotating selection) are “poblano.” The classic choice for chiles rellenos. (mild) Pretty in Purple Beautiful 18” plant, purple leaves and flowers. 1” 4,000-8,000 80 (open pollinated) fruit ripens purple to red. Good flavor. (medium) Purira Edible ornamental. 2” fruit points upright, ripens 50,000-100,000 70 (open pollinated) through a rainbow of colors to red. Hot and fruity. (hot-very hot) Scotch Bonnet The classic hot pepper for Caribbean cooking. Looks 100,000-350,000 90 (heirloom) and tastes like a habañero, but slightly sweeter. (very hot) Serrano Similar to jalapeños, but a bit hotter. Excellent for 10,000-25,000 70 (rotating selection) medium heat salsa. Ripens green to red. (medium) Thai Chili Small, hot chilies on compact plants. Edible, 50,000-100,000 75 (rotating selection) beautiful, and great for containers. (hot-very hot) Sky Nursery • 18528 Aurora Avenue North, Shoreline, WA 98133 skynursery.com (206)-546-4851 • Rev. 4/9/20 • Page 2 2019 peppers BELL PEPPERS NAME DESCRIPTION HARVEST Candy Cane Variegated foliage and stripped fruit set this one apart. Solid red when 70 (hybrid) fully ripe, but can be harvested early for striped fruit. Thin walls. Chocolate Beauty Unique, beautiful, and exceptionally sweet. Ripens from green to a rich 70 (hybrid) mahogany unlike any standard grocery-store variety. Orange Bell All varieties ripen from green to bright orange, and are selected for 75 (rotating selection) productivity in northern climates. Purple Beauty Very unique! Ripens from green to yellow to deep purple, and finally 75 (hybrid) deep red. The interior remains a beautifully contrasting bright green. Red Bell All varieties ripen from green to bright red, and are selected for 75 (rotating selection) productivity in northern climates. Yellow Bell All varieties ripen from green to bright yellow, and are selected for (rotating selection) productivity in northern climates. Mini Bells 2” fruit ripens from green to mahogany, yellow, or red depending on 60 (rotating selection) the variety. Mini bells are faster and more prolific than full-sized bells. NON-BELL SWEET PEPPERS NAME DESCRIPTION HARVEST Cherry Small, round, and ripens green to red. Delicious and pretty fresh, or try 75 (open pollinated) pickling a combination of red and green fruits. Corbaci/ Sweet Turkish heirloom. Delicious and prolific. Thin, twisty fruit up to 12" 80 Cayenne (heirloom) long. Thin-walled, crunchy, excellent in stir-fries. Ripens green to red. Corno Di Toro “Horn of the bull” for their long, curved shape. 6-8” long. Classic Italian 75 (rotating selection) frying type. Choose from varieties that ripen to either yellow or red. Cubanelle Used when light green or yellow, ripens to red. 6-8”, thin-walled fruit. 70 (open pollinated) Rich flavor, occasional hint of heat. Try it fried in olive oil. Hungarian Paprika Allow tapered fruits to fully mature to red, remove seeds, air-dry or 70 (heirloom) use a dehydrator, and grind into homemade paprika powder. Italian Pepperoncini Italian heirloom. Unique, wrinkled, 5" long fruit. Excellent fresh or 65 (open pollinated) pickled. Sweetest when red. Just a touch of heat. Jimmy Nardello’s Italian heirloom. Exceptionally sweet, 6-10", thin-walled fruit ripens to 75 (heirloom) red. Productive, disease-resistant plants. Excellent fresh or fried. Melrose Italian-American heirloom, popularized in Chicago. 5-6", thin-skinned, 75 (heirloom) sweetest when red. Delicious in sauce, as cruschi, stuffed, or sautéed. Shishito Japanese heirloom. Complex flavor. Most have barely a hint of heat, 65 (heirloom) with an occasional mildly spicy surprise. Used green for tempura. Sweet Banana Heirloom and classic favorite. An excellent multi-use pepper, 75 (heirloom) especially popular for pickling. Occasional slight hint of heat. Sky Nursery • 18528 Aurora Avenue North, Shoreline, WA 98133 skynursery.com (206)-546-4851 • Rev. 4/9/20 • Page 3 .