Golden Acre Home & Garden Centre's Plant Library

Group/Class:  Sweet Bell

Description:

A unique selection for patio containers and gardens; Chili Pie produces small bell shaped peppers that emerge green and are sweet, then turn spicy as they ripen to red; require staking; can be eaten either green or red; great on the bbq or fresh in salads

Edible Qualities

Chili Pie Pepper is an annual vegetable plant that is commonly grown for its edible qualities. It produces small red peppers (which are technically 'berries') with red flesh which are typically harvested when mature. The peppers have a hot taste.

The peppers are most often used in the following ways:

• Fresh Eating
• Eating When Cooked/Prepared
• Cooking

Planting & Growing

Chili Pie Pepper will grow to be about 32 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. When planted in rows, individual plants should be spaced approximately 24 inches apart. Because of its vigorous growth habit, it may require staking or supplemental support. 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 is typically 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. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Chili Pie 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. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.