petit marseillais' PEPPER SEEDS Capsicum annuum

“Petit Marseillais” is an easy-to-grow sweet orange pepper from south France. I overwintered two plants in my garage and outside on sunny days. One plant was in a 1-gal nursery pot, and the other was in a 2-gal nursery pot. Both plants have set fruit again and again, all summer long. Productivity in this variety is spectacular. The peppers range from 3″ to maybe 5″ (at the most) long. The plants are about 24″ high in the 2-gal pot and 15” high in the 1-gal pot. The fruits are blocky, elongated, somewhat wrinkly bright orange yummies.

1 Mix equal parts potting soil, compost, perlite and sphagnum moss. Fill a 12-inch pot 3/4 full with the mixture. The pot should have adequate drainage. Start seeds two months before the planting season. Sow seeds on the surface and cover with a sprinkling of soil. Cover the seeds with plastic and keep them in a south-facing window. Mist the soil to keep it moist.

2 Plant seedlings in time to put them out after the last frost. When planting seedlings, place the plant in the center of the pot and cover the roots with soil. Water thoroughly and add more soil if necessary.

 3 Place the potted pepper in full sun. Set a small tomato cage -- 2 to 3 feet high -- over the pot to support the plant as it grows. Water the pepper daily if necessary to keep the soil moist.

4 Fertilize every two weeks with half-strength liquid tomato fertilizer beginning when blooms appear.

5 Harvest the peppers as soon as they ripen to keep the plant producing. Once the pepper turns dark orange or red it is ripe. Cut the pepper from the plant just above the fruit. Peppers left on the plant too long will develop a hotter flavor.

 6 Overwinter the plants for the next year. In the fall when the leaves begin to drop, cut the plant back to 3 or 4 inches above the soil line. Place the container in a cool, dark room and leave it until the spring, after frost danger has passed.