Sweet Sunset Hybrid Pepper Seeds

Days to Maturity: 85 to 90 from transplant

All-America Selections (AAS) Winner 2015

Banana pepper lovers know that homegrown peppers taste much better than those bland, waxy supermarket specimens, but even we didn't know that a banana pepper could be quite as sweet, crunchy, and all-around delicious as Sweet Sunset Hybrid. This All-America Selections Winner adds a whole new dimension in flavor to the family—and it grows on plants compact enough for containers (with no staking) on the patio. Can't ask for much more than all that.

Sweet Sunset sets long, tapered, slightly curved fruits that average about 7½ inches, with shoulders of 1½ inches. The fruit turns from pale green to a light yellow, at which point it is ready to harvest. Leave it on the plant a bit longer, however, and it will burnish a handsome shade of red, with extra nutrients to reward your patience.

And this sweet banana finishes fast: between 85 and 90 days from the time you transplant the seedlings into the garden or container. So you can count on beginning the harvest just about 3 months from putting out the tiny seedlings. And Sweet Sunset will continue all season, especially if you pick the fruit young. Of course, you may want to let one or two plants become laden with peppers in all stages of ripeness, so you get a green/yellow/red fiesta of color. (Just have to plan on growing a few extra plants, we suppose.) Sweet Sunset isn't billed as an ornamental, but once you put it in a nice pot on the patio or deck, we think you'll be delighted with its appearance. And no pesky stakes or trellis to worry about.

Part of the reason Sweet Sunset looks so good is that it is a heavy producer. You can expect 15 to 20 fruits from a single plant. And the plant itself stays attractive all season, in part thanks to improved resistance to leaf spot (xanthomonas campestris). If you have ever lost a pepper to this scourge, you'll really appreciate what a breakthrough Sweet Sunset is.

Sweet Sunset won a regional All-America Selection award, with the southeast, the heartland, the West, and the northwest called out as great places to grow this pepper. Does this mean that it won't fare well elsewhere? Not at all. We expect peppers to do well in hot, dry climates such as the southwest. Sweet Sunset just adds new areas to the "trouble free" zones.

Start the seeds indoors about 7 to 10 weeks before the last scheduled spring frost in your area. Peppers like warm soil and frost free nights, so wait to transplant the seedlings until they have at least 2 sets of true leaves and spring is well underway. Fertilize when the flowers begin to appear, and keep the moisture level even throughout the growing season if possible.