Plant Encyclopedia

Group/Class:  Sweet Bell

Description:

This lovely heirloom variety produces 4" bell peppers that ripen to bright red; these sweet and crisp peppers are great stuffed, roasted, grilled or on vegetable trays; tall, strong plants are wonderful in patio containers or gardens

Edible Qualities

California Wonder Sweet Pepper is an annual vegetable plant that is typically grown for its edible qualities, although it does have ornamental merits as well. It produces green peppers (which are technically 'berries') with red flesh which are usually ready for picking from early summer to early fall. The fruit will often fade to red over time. The peppers have a sweet taste and a crisp texture.

The peppers are most often used in the following ways:

• Fresh Eating
• Eating When Cooked/Prepared
• Cooking
• Baking
• Freezing

Planting & Growing

California Wonder Sweet Pepper will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 12 inches. When planted in rows, individual plants should be spaced approximately 24 inches apart. This vegetable plant is an annual, which means that it will grow for one season in your garden and then die after producing a crop.

This plant can be integrated into a landscape or flower garden by creative gardeners, but is usually grown in a designated vegetable garden. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone over the growing season to conserve soil moisture. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America, and it is considered by many to be an heirloom variety.

California Wonder Sweet Pepper is a good choice for the vegetable garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.