Days to Maturity: 75 from transplant
All-America Selections (AAS) Winner 2022
Dragonfly, an F1 hybrid purple sweet pepper, is a fruit vegetable. The plant sets small, star-shaped "perfect" flowers, followed by 3 ½-inch, 4-lobed, blocky, bell-shaped peppers with thick, juicy walls and a robust, sweet flavor. The deep blackish purple exterior color contrasts beautifully with the bright lime green interior, but if left on the vine, fruits will turn bright red. Bell pepper is considered a superfood for its nutrient rich content, having a high (top 20) Aggregate Nutrient Density Index score (ANDI), or micronutrient-per-calorie density. Purple bell peppers contain vitamins C, A, B6, and E.
Typically grown as an annual, this herbaceous, frost-tender, short-lived evergreen perennial is a member of the nightshade family (Solanaceae), which typically grow in temperate to tropical regions. Dragonfly grows rapidly, forming an upright, clumping plant that holds the purple peppers high (off the soil), making harvest easy. The plant produces heavy yields all season, approximately 40 peppers per plant. The sweet peppers have a long shelf life. Dragonfly can also be grown in a container.
Easy to grow, bell pepper prefers full sun and fertile, organically rich, moist, well-drained soil but adapts to a wide range of soils. Although it is low maintenance, pinching back young plants encourages stronger root growth and a bigger, bushier plant. The plants are heat and drought tolerant and highly resistant to tobacco mosaic virus (0-2).
A warm-season vegetable, sensitive to cold temperatures and frost, sweet pepper seeds can be direct sown into warm spring soil after all danger of frost has passed. For an earlier harvest, seeds can be started indoors 6 to 8 weeks before transplanting. Flowers begin to set fruit with night temperatures between 55 and 75°F. Protect plants with row covers if temperatures are expected to dip below 50°F. Mulching helps to moderate soil temperature as well as to maintain soil moisture and control weeds.
If you plan to start your seeds indoors, be sure to check out our Bio Dome Seed Starter Kit. With the Bio Dome, you can control the temperature, light, and soil mix to ensure your seeds become strong for transplant.
