Red Flame Organic (F1) Cayenne Pepper Seed

Scientific name

Capsicum annuum

Soil and culture

Peppers do best in fertile, well-drained soil at a pH of about 6.5, with plenty of phosphorus and calcium. Black plastic mulch, especially under light row cover on wire hoops, warms the soil, shields plants from cold snaps and brings the crop on earlier. Lift the cover on sunny days above 85°F (29°C) so the flowers do not drop and the plants do not overheat.

Days to maturity

Approximate days from setting transplants outdoors to the first harvest of full-size fruit.

Starting transplants

About 8 weeks before planting out (late March in many northern areas), sow 4 seeds per inch, 1/4" deep, in shallow flats. Keep the mix at 80–90°F (27–32°C) if you can; in cooler soil, pepper seed is very slow to sprout. When the first true leaves appear, move seedlings into 2" cells or 4" pots and grow them at about 70°F (21°C) by day and 60°F (16°C) at night.

Planting out

Wait until frost is past, the soil is warm and the weather has settled. The best transplants carry flower buds but no open flowers. Space plants 12–18" apart in rows 24–36" apart, or run two rows 18" apart on plastic or paper mulch, and water them in with a starter solution high in phosphorus.

Cold treatment (optional)

Holding young plants a little cool can increase the number of flowers and fruit. From the third true leaf, grow them in full light with nights no colder than 53–55°F (12–13°C) for 4 weeks, then return them to 70°F (21°C) day and night. Sow 1–2 weeks earlier than usual if you use this method.

Insect pests

Use paper collars or Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) against climbing cutworms, and pyrethrin against tarnished plant bugs, aphids and flea beetles.

Diseases and disorders

To avoid bacterial spot and Phytophthora, water with drip lines only, plant in well-drained ground, avoid compacting the soil and rotate on a 4-year cycle. Sunscald on fruit means the leaf canopy is too thin. Even moisture and enough soil calcium prevent blossom-end rot. Large, leafy plants with few peppers can be caused by too much nitrogen, very hot or cold weather during flowering, tarnished plant bug damage, or a late variety that is poorly suited to the area.

Seed-borne disease

Bacterial spot can be carried on seed, which is why pepper seed is commonly tested for it. Keep in mind that a clean test only means the disease was not found in the sample tested; no test can guarantee a seed lot is completely free of it.

Harvest

Pick the first fruits as soon as they reach full size; this encourages the plant to set more.

Storage

Wash and hold at 45°F (7°C) with 95% relative humidity.

Transplants

Roughly 750 plants from 1,000 seeds. At 12" between plants in rows 36" apart, an acre takes about 14,520 plants, or about 19,360 seeds.

Packet

25 seeds.

Seeds per oz.

About 4,700 on average.