Black Olive Pepper Seeds

Black Olive pepper seeds grow into bushy plants reaching 13–18 in, bearing purple fruit about 1 in long, small ornamental fruit. Heat category: Hot. It is especially suited to edible ornamental beds, containers, dark foliage and fruit displays, and seed saving from confirmed open-pollinated stock. Maturity is 90-99 Days.

About Black Olive

Black Olive is a hot chile pepper grown as Capsicum annuum L. Plants have a bushy habit and reach 13–18 in; support is listed as stake. The principal mature or market color is Purple, with fruit described as about 1 in long, small ornamental fruit. Reproductive classification: Open-Pollinated (OP). Maturity: 90-99 Days. Names associated with this variety include Black Olive Pepper, Pepper Seeds - Hot Pepper - Black Olive.

• Scientific name:Capsicum annuum L.
• Life cycle:Annual
• Planting season:Spring
• Growth habit:Bush
• Plant height:13–18 in
• Sunlight:Full sun
• Seed depth:1/4 in
• Germination:7–14 Days at 75–90 °F
• Spacing:18 in between plants; 24 in between rows
• Soil:Loamy; pH 6.0–6.5
• Water:Moderate
• Support:Stake
• Reproductive type:Open-Pollinated (OP)
• Fruit:Purple; About 1 in long, small ornamental fruit
• Heat:Hot; 10,000-30,000 SHU

History and seedkeeping context

University of Missouri documented Black Olive among new bedding plants for 2012, noting upright growth, dark purple-black fruit, purple foliage, and purple flowers. Penn State Extension independently identifies Black Olive as an edible ornamental hot pepper and describes fruit that eventually turn bright red. Those unsupported details are not repeated.

The cultivar record is presented at the level supported by the surviving evidence. Botanical identity, maintained seed-lot traits, documented breeding records, and regional food use are kept separate so that uncertainty is not turned into a stronger origin claim than the sources can support. The available sources do not establish a named person’s tribal identity.

University of Missouri and Penn State describe Black Olive’s ornamental traits and final red maturity but do not provide a consistent days-to-maturity figure. The listed value remains blank.

Fruit, flavor, and kitchen use

The small hot pods can be used in sauces, stir-fries, pickles, chile oils, flakes, and powders. The dark foliage, flowers, and upright fruit also make the plant useful in edible ornamental containers and borders. Very hot ornamental pepper according to Penn State Extension. Heat intensity can vary with growing conditions and individual fruit. Pungency varies with genetics, temperature, water stress, fruit position, and ripeness; any heat figure is a range, not a promise for every pod. Black Olive is especially useful for edible ornamental beds, containers, dark foliage and fruit displays, and seed saving from confirmed open-pollinated stock. Flavor and eating quality are described as very hot ornamental pepper according to Penn State Extension. Heat intensity can vary with growing conditions and individual fruit. Pungency varies with genetics, temperature, water stress, fruit position, and ripeness; any heat figure is a range, not. Heat classification: Hot; listed range: 10,000-30,000 SHU. Pungency can shift with genetics, weather, water stress, and ripeness.

How to grow Black Olive

Start Black Olive indoors about 8 to 10 weeks before the last expected frost. Sow 1/4 in deep in a warm, evenly moist seed-starting mix; expect 7–14 Days near 75–90 °F. Provide strong light as soon as seedlings emerge, pot up before roots become crowded, and harden plants gradually before transplanting after nights are reliably warm.

Plant in full sun with loamy soil near pH 6.0–6.5. Space plants 18 in apart and rows 24 in apart. Maintain moderate moisture, mulch after the soil warms, and avoid excessive nitrogen. Install stake early where the bushy plant or fruit load warrants it. Mature height is 13–18 in.

Season care

• Warmth matters most during germination; keep Black Olive seed warm without leaving the medium saturated. • Harden seedlings gradually and wait for warm nights before transplanting, because cold soil and wind can stall peppers for weeks. • Install stake before branches carry a heavy crop, and keep moisture even while fruit is setting. • Harvest at the color stage suited to the recipe, but leave fruit fully mature on selected plants when saving seed. • Use 90-99 Days as a planning range rather than a guaranteed calendar date; weather and transplant stress can shift first harvest.

Harvest and maturity

90-99 Days from transplant to first representative harvest; the same value is used in every description. Peppers can often be used at an immature green or transitional color, but fully ripe color is required for mature seed.

Saving seed

Peppers are largely self-pollinating but insect movement can produce crosses. To save Black Olive true to type, grow several healthy representative plants, isolate them from compatible pepper varieties or use blossom bags or cages, and remove clear off-types before flowering. Allow selected fruit to reach full biological color, handle hot fruit with gloves, remove the seed, dry it in a thin labeled layer until fully hard and dry, then store it cool, dark, and dry. Keep the harvest year, source, isolation method, and selection notes with the lot.

Common questions