Seed Savers Exchange
Pepper, Shishito (Organic)
Capsicum annuum
- Organic
- Japanese heirloom is highly productive
- Fruits grow to 3.5 to 4 inches
- Very crunchy when green, slightly hotter when ripe
- Sweet with occasional hot pepper
- New for 2021
- From the Collection
- 80 days from transplant
- Packet of 25 Seeds
Compact, bushy plants produce an abundance of 3.5-4"" wrinkled fruits over an extended period. When eaten in the green stage, as is traditional in Japan, peppers are incredibly crunchy with just a hint of heat. When red, the fruits are sweet and slightly hotter but not as crunchy. Perfect for frying, this Japanese heirloom’s fruits are usually mild, but an occasional pepper (about one in 10) is hot. Kitazawa Seed Company played an instrumental role in introducing ‘Shishito’ to the United States seed trade; Seed Savers Exchange acquired the variety in the 1980s from the Urban Farmerseed company of Convent Station, N.J. 80 days from transplant. Sweet with an occasional hot pepper. Organic.
Learn To Grow It
You should start plants indoors 8-12 weeks before the last frost date for transplanting them into the garden. Plant them outdoors 2-4 weeks after your last expected frost.
Plant your seeds 1/4-1/2 in. deep in soil trays or pots. Transfer them to 3-4 in. pots when their true leaves appear. When transplanting, bury seedlings up the stems up to their leaves.
Make sure that your soil is well fertilized as this crop is a heavy feeder and takes a lot of nutrients from the soil. Consider adding compost to the soil the year before you plant.
These plants prefer warm weather and soil so they should be grown when temperatures are over 68 degrees F.
