Lemon Drop Pepper Seeds - Capsicum Baccatum - Fruity, Sweet, and Hot
Quantity: 10 Seeds
Species: Capsicum Baccatum
Scoville: 15,000 - 30,000
Aji Lemon Drop pepper is tried and true Peruvian favourite, and an excellent variety to grow in the garden. The plants are very productive, and the fruits are highly prized for their culinary value. The plants are really easy and forgiving to grow too. The fruits taste absolutely delicious; they're bright, tangy, sweet, and fruity while offering a medium heat that is roughly the same as cayenne or tabasco. Of all the baccatum cultivars, this may be the most used and reliable one.
Aji Lemon Drop plants can grow to be about 4 feet tall, and equally wide. Under ideal growing conditions, they can yield over a hundred pods in the first season. The fruits ripen throughout the summer and into the autumn. the peppers can be left on the plant to allow for a single late season harvest, or they may be picked for cooking throughout the growing season. The pods make the most delicious powder and sauces that taste nothing like the standard peppers we're used to eating here in the north.
All seeds are organic and open pollinated.
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Growing Instructions
It's best to start pepper seeds as early in the season as possible; we start them here on the farm in January. It's good to sow them in a sterile growing medium; most available seed starting soils should do the job nicely; we use sunshine mix (peat moss and perlite). The soil should be made moist, but not damp. Sow the seeds 1/4 inch below the soil surface. Store in a warm area until tiny sprouts emerge from the soil. A heat mat aids in this step, but is not necessary. Seeds can take between 4-8 weeks to germinate, but they can sometimes take less time too. Once germinated, and the first true leaf has formed, it's time to pot up to a larger container that contains a good quality potting soil. Transplant to their final location when the nighttime temperatures are consistently 8°C or higher. These peppers grow very well in pots or containers; I recommend 5 gallon pots or larger. Peppers do best when grown in full sun.