Seeds: When properly stored, planted, and cared for, we guarantee reasonable germination and true-to-type growth for one year from purchase.
Non-seed products: Free from defects in materials and workmanship for 30 days from shipment.
Excludes factors outside our control (extreme weather, pests, gardener error). If something’s off, contact us—we’ll make it right with a replacement, repair, or refund.
USDA “bioengineered (BE)” foods are those with detectable genetic material that was modified using in vitro recombinant DNA (rDNA) techniques, in ways
not obtainable through conventional breeding or found in nature. The USDA’s National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard uses “bioengineered” as the nationwide labeling term.
Detectable modified genetic material in the final food
Created via in vitro rDNA techniques (e.g., gene transfer)
Modifications not achievable through conventional breeding or nature
—seeds / pkt
( ~ g )
Description
Old-world sweetness with a fry-pan pedigree. Jimmy Nardello is the beloved Italian-type frying pepper—zero heat (0 SHU)—that ripens to glossy, candy-red and tastes like sunshine when blistered in olive oil. Picked early it’s crisp and garden-sweet; fully red it develops a concentrated sugar and dried-fruit note that sets it apart from standard bells.
Plants are vigorous yet tidy, typically 20–28 inches tall with an open, branching habit that loads up early and often. Clusters of long, slender pods—usually 7–9 inches—hang in waves. Fruit are thin-walled and slightly curly/wrinkled, maturing from green to bright red with exceptional uniformity. The open canopy helps pods color evenly and reduces disease pressure.
In the kitchen, Jimmy Nardello is a star for quick frying and roasting—blister whole or cut into long strips, then finish with salt and vinegar or lemon. It grills beautifully, folds into panini and pastas, and makes a standout sweet paprika when dried and ground. Dice for pizzas and antipasti; the thin walls cook in seconds and hold a silky bite.
Selected by generations of seedkeepers for flavor first, Jimmy Nardello rewards steady moisture and full sun with continuous picking. Harvest green for volume or let pods finish red for peak sweetness. For drying, pick fully red, slice lengthwise, and hang or dehydrate until brittle—flavor intensifies without heat.
Add content in product metafield custom.planting_care_information.
How To Grow — Jimmy Nardello (Capsicum annuum)
Sowing and Germination
Start indoors: 8 to 10 weeks before your last expected spring frost.
Seed depth: 1/4 inch in a fine, sterile seed starting mix with good air space.
Warmth: Keep the medium at 80 to 85°F. A heat mat and humidity dome improve speed and uniformity.
Germination window: 7 to 21 days. Slow starts usually trace to cool media or overwatering. Verify core temperature, not just the surface.
Moisture: Evenly moist, never soggy. Bottom water to reduce damping off.
Light for seedlings: Provide strong light 14 to 16 hours daily. Keep lights 2 to 3 inches above the canopy and raise as plants grow.
First feeding: Begin half strength balanced fertilizer when true leaves appear. Repeat weekly until transplant.
Transplanting and Hardening Off
Pot up: At 3 to 4 true leaves, move to 3 to 4 inch pots filled with a fertile, well drained mix.
Harden off: 7 to 10 days before planting out. Gradually increase sun, wind, and outdoor time.
Transplant timing: After all frost risk has passed and nights stay above 55°F. Aim for soil at 65°F or warmer.
Spacing, Support and Training
In ground spacing: 18 to 24 inches between plants, 24 to 30 inches between rows.
Container size: 5 to 7 gallons per plant works well; 10 gallons extends harvest and improves pod size.
Support: Long, slender fruit load flexible branches. Use a low ring stake or compact cage to prevent lodging.
Training tip: Pinch the growing tip once at 8 to 10 inches tall to encourage branching and heavier cluster set.
Light, Temperature and Season
Sun: 6 to 8 hours of direct sun daily.
Ideal temperatures: Days 70 to 85°F. Nights 60 to 70°F.
Stress thresholds: Blossom shed is common above 95°F or when nights dip below 55°F.
Season helpers: Warm spring soil with black mulch. Use 30 to 40 percent shade cloth during heat spikes to preserve flower set and prevent sunscald on ripening pods.
Soil Preparation and Fertility
Soil type: Loose, fertile, well drained loam rich in organic matter.
Target pH: 6.2 to 6.8.
Base nutrition: Work 1 to 2 inches of finished compost into the top 6 to 8 inches before transplant.
Fertilizer plan:
Pre-plant: Apply a balanced organic fertilizer at label rates.
At first flower and fruit set: Shift toward higher potassium and calcium for glossy skins and clean tips.
Note: Avoid heavy nitrogen after transplant. Excess foliage delays bloom and reduces sweetness.
Watering and Mulch
Moisture goal: Even moisture in the root zone supports thin, tender skins and straight pods.
Frequency: Deep watering 1 to 2 times per week depending on heat, rainfall, and soil.
Mulch: Apply 2 to 3 inches of clean straw or shredded leaves to stabilize temperature and reduce moisture swings that toughen skins.
Pollination, Pruning and Airflow
Pollination: Flowers are self fertile, but bees and small pollinators improve set and uniformity.
Pruning: Remove damaged leaves and lightly thin dense interior foliage for airflow. Do not hard prune.
Airflow: Maintain the recommended spacing and water early so leaves dry before evening.
Containers — Care and Feeding
Potting mix: High quality soilless mix with added perlite or bark for drainage and air space.
Feeding: In containers, feed lightly every 10 to 14 days once flowering begins.
Watering: Container peppers dry faster. Check daily in hot weather and water until slight runoff.
Common Issues and Integrated Pest Management
Heat stress and blossom drop: Provide temporary shade during heat waves and keep moisture steady.
Blossom end issues: Usually linked to uneven moisture or low calcium availability. Maintain consistent watering and avoid heavy ammoniacal nitrogen.
Aphids, thrips, mites: Interplant basil, coriander, and alyssum to attract beneficials. Spot treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil in the evening.
Sunscald on long pods: Ripening fruit that hang outside the canopy can sunburn in extreme heat. Light afternoon shade preserves color and texture.
Harvest Guidance
When to pick:
Deep red for the classic frying pepper sweetness and silky texture.
Glossy green for crisper bite and lighter flavor in quick sautés and salsas.
How to pick: Use snips to leave a short stem and protect fruiting nodes.
Post harvest: Rest in shade 2 to 3 days to stabilize sugars before refrigeration or drying.
Seed Saving Notes
Purity: Isolate from other Capsicum annuum if you want true to type seed. Bag a few flower clusters for maximum purity in small gardens.
Selection: Save from plants that produce abundant, long, slender pods with uniform red finish and very sweet flavor.
Drying: Wash or ferment seeds free of pulp, then air dry 7 to 10 days until crisp. Store cool and dark with a desiccant.
Additional Tips - Jimmy Nardello (Capsicum annuum)
Harvesting
Stage options: Harvest at glossy green for brighter, grassy crunch or allow pods to turn deep red for classic frying-pepper sweetness with concentrated sugars and silky texture.
Clean cuts: Use fine-tip pruners to snip pods, leaving short stems. Annuum pedicels can tear if yanked, reducing subsequent flowering.
Batch strategy: For frying marathons and roasted-pepper jars, schedule one or two uniform red harvests late season; for sandwiches and quick sautés, keep a steady trickle of coloring pods earlier.
Shade cure: After picking red pods, air-cure 2 to 4 days in a single layer out of direct sun to finish sugars and stabilize skins before refrigeration, dehydration, or marinating.
Flavor & Nutrition
Profile: Ultra-sweet, delicate fruitiness with almost no bitterness at full red; green stage is crisp and lightly herbal.
Nutrient notes: Red fruit concentrate vitamin C, carotenoids, and phenolics that underpin color and antioxidant value.
Kitchen sweetness control: Leave ribs and seeds for maximum sweetness and juice in pan-fries; for tighter texture in raw salads, deseed and remove ribs to reduce moisture bleed.
Handling
Mild and gentle: Gloves are optional. If processing many pods, light gloves prevent oils from drying skin and irritating eyes.
Clean transitions: Rinse boards and knives in hot soapy water, then finish with a splash of vinegar to cut residual oils before switching to fruit or cheese.
Storage & Preservation
Fresh hold: Refrigerate unwashed in a paper-lined container with the lid slightly ajar. Quality holds 7 to 10 days at red if skins are unblemished.
Traditional frying: Sauté whole or split lengthwise in olive oil over medium heat until wrinkled and caramelized, then salt. Finish with vinegar or lemon for Calabrian-style brightness.
Roasting and peeling: Broil or grill until blistered, steam under a bowl 10 minutes, peel, and marinate with olive oil, garlic, and parsley for antipasto and sandwiches.
Quick pickles: Slice rings or pack whole slit pods with garlic, oregano, and a light vinegar brine. Excellent with charcuterie and hoagies.
Dehydrating: Dry whole or in strips at 115 to 120°F. Store intact to preserve aroma; grind just before use for a sweet pepper powder.
Freezing: Slice into strips, freeze flat on a tray, then bag. Great for weeknight pasta, eggs, pizza, and stir-fries.
Kitchen Use
Classic uses: Pan-fried with olive oil and sea salt; roasted and layered on crusty bread with fresh cheese; sweet pepper relishes and jams.
Modern crossovers: Red pepper bisque, pepper pesto with almonds, sheet-pan sausages and peppers, flatbreads, and grain bowls.
Flavor pairings: Garlic, olive oil, basil, oregano, parsley, balsamic or red wine vinegar, mozzarella, ricotta, sausage, chicken, and seafood amplify its sweetness.
Growing & Pruning Tips
Slender, high-set habit: Long pods form in clusters on flexible laterals. Support with a low ring stake or compact cage to prevent branch lodging under load.
Sun and airflow: Provide 6 to 8 hours of sun and good spacing; light tip pinching at 8 to 10 inches increases branching and total fruit count.
Set reliability: Annuum sets well, but extremes above 95°F or nights below 55°F drop blossoms. Add 30 to 40 percent shade cloth during heat spikes and maintain even moisture.
Nutrition balance: Moderate nitrogen early for growth, then emphasize potassium and calcium at fruit set for glossy skins, strong walls, and clean tips.
Containers & Watering
Container size: 5 to 7 gallons works well; larger pots extend harvest window and improve uniformity.
Moisture: Keep even moisture with deep regular watering. Erratic dry to soak cycles toughen skins and mute sweetness. Mulch to stabilize root zone temperature.
Fertilizer rhythm: In containers, feed lightly every 10 to 14 days once flowering begins. In beds, side-dress with compost midseason and supplement potassium as heavy clusters set.
Companion Planting & Pollinators
Beneficials: Interplant with basil, coriander, dill, and sweet alyssum to draw hoverflies and parasitic wasps that help manage aphids and thrips. Small flowers also encourage bee visitation for heavier set.
Row partners: Onions and scallions fit along edges without shading. Avoid fennel nearby, which competes for space and beneficials.
Seed Saving
True-to-type pods: Select from plants with uniform long, slender, slightly curved red pods and thin, sweet walls. Avoid off-type blocky or thick-walled fruit.
Isolation: Separate from other C. annuum peppers if you want to preserve the classic Jimmy Nardello shape and sweetness; or bag flower clusters to ensure purity.
Dry and store: Ferment or wash seeds free of pulp, then air-dry 7 to 10 days until snappy. Bottle with a desiccant in a cool, dark place. Test viability annually with a simple 10 seed germination check.
Common Pests & Problems — Sweet ‘Jimmy Nardello’ (Capsicum annuum)
Insects & Mites
Aphids (leaf curling, sticky honeydew/sooty mold)
Controls: Knock back with a strong water spray; follow with insecticidal soap or neem at 5–7 day intervals. Break ant trails (they protect aphids). Plant nectar strips (alyssum, dill, yarrow) to support lacewings and lady beetles.
Spider mites (fine stippling, bronzing, webbing in hot/dry spells—thin leaves are susceptible)
Controls: Raise humidity (mulch, wet paths), hose leaf undersides thoroughly, rotate horticultural oil and neem. Under cover, release Phytoseiulus/Neoseiulus predatory mites early.
Whiteflies (adults flutter when disturbed; honeydew/sooty mold)
Controls: Yellow sticky cards at canopy height; early-morning vacuuming of undersides; repeat soap/neem; weed sanitation around beds.
Thrips (silvery scarring, twisted new growth; virus vectors)
Controls: Blue or yellow sticky cards; remove spent blooms/weedy hosts; apply spinosad (outdoor label) or insecticidal soap. Avoid mowing flowering weeds nearby during bloom.
Flea beetles (shot-holes on young leaves—common early season)
Controls: Lightweight row cover until first flowers; diatomaceous earth rings at stems; radish trap crops. Keep borders tidy.
Cutworms (seedlings severed at soil line)
Controls: 2–3" stem collars; clear plant debris; handpick at dusk where pressure exists.
Caterpillars (fruitworms/armyworms/loopers) (chewed foliage, entry holes in long pods)
Controls: Scout daily; handpick; apply Bt kurstaki to small larvae. Mow tall grasses and manage margins to reduce moth habitat.
Pepper maggot (regional) (oviposition stings; larvae tunneling in pods—elongated fruits are attractive)
Controls: Time harvests to beat peak fly activity; promptly remove/destroy infested fruit; baited traps per local extension timing.
Pepper weevil / fruit borers (warm regions) (premature fruit drop; internal tunneling)
Controls: Tight sanitation; frequent harvest; destroy culls; consult extension for pheromone trap deployment.
Slugs & snails (seedlings and low-hanging pods)
Controls: Iron-phosphate baits; beer traps; copper barriers; pull mulch back 2–3" from stems.
Diseases
Bacterial leaf spot (water-soaked specks → brown lesions; defoliation)
Prevention: Certified/treated seed; rotate 3+ years from Solanaceae; avoid overhead irrigation; sanitize tools.
Management: Remove infected leaves; copper products can protect new growth (follow labels/intervals).
Anthracnose (ripe pods) (sunken lesions with orange spore masses—slender fruit can shrivel rapidly)
Prevention: Mulch to block splash; wide spacing; drip irrigation.
Management: Rogue infected fruit promptly; consider protectant fungicides during warm, wet periods.
Phytophthora blight / root rot (sudden wilt, dark crown lesions, fruit collapse in wet soils)
Prevention: Raised beds, excellent drainage; avoid low spots and over-irrigation.
Management: Pull and discard affected plants; do not replant peppers in that bed that season.
Powdery mildew (white coating on leaves, often late season/under cover)
Prevention: Airflow; avoid excess nitrogen.
Management: Remove worst leaves; Bacillus-based biofungicides or potassium bicarbonate can suppress spread.
Verticillium & Fusarium wilts (one-sided wilt/yellowing; vascular browning)
Management: Rotate out of Solanaceae; solarize where feasible; remove plants—no curative treatment.
Sunscald on long pods (white/tan leathery patches on exposed sides)
Fix: Maintain a leafy canopy; avoid heavy defoliation; provide 30–40% shade cloth during extreme heat; harvest promptly as color advances.
Blossom end rot (dry, sunken black tip)
Cause: Calcium delivery failure from irregular moisture/root stress.
Fix: Keep moisture even; mulch; avoid root disturbance; balanced feeding (skip heavy N).
Poor fruit set
Cause: Heat >95°F (35°C), nights <60°F (16°C), drought, excess nitrogen, low light.
Fix: Light afternoon shade in heat waves; steady irrigation; moderate fertility; good airflow.
Curved or twisted pods
Cause: Inconsistent moisture, mechanical damage while young, or thrips feeding.
Fix: Regularize irrigation; manage thrips; avoid crowding and wind rub.
Cracking/splitting (after heavy rain following drought)
Fix: Keep moisture consistent; pick promptly at full red or at glossy red-green if storms loom.
Flavor dilution
Note: Overwatering and high N mute signature sweetness. Steady, moderate fertility and irrigation deliver best frying flavor.
Monitoring & Prevention — Quick Checklist
Scout weekly, including leaf undersides and new shoots.
Prefer drip/soaker irrigation; if overhead, water mornings only.
Space plants well; prune only problem foliage to preserve a protective canopy over long pods.
Mulch after soils warm to stabilize moisture and block splash-borne disease.
Rotate 3+ years away from peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants.
Sanitize tools; harvest frequently; discard diseased/infested fruit rather than composting.
Q: How hot is Jimmy Nardello?
Typically 0–100 Scoville Heat Units (SHU)—perceived as sweet with no heat for most pods. Rare fruit may show a faint nip depending on weather and fertility.
Q: How long does it take to mature?
About 60–70 days from transplant to usable green frying stage; 75–90 days to full red for peak sweetness and aroma.
Q: How long does germination take?
Usually 7–21 days at 80–85°F (27–29°C) with steady moisture in a fine seed-starting mix. Cooler media slow and reduce germination.
Q: Does it need special soil conditions?
Rich, well-drained loam, pH 6.0–6.8. Keep the root zone warm (70–85°F / 21–29°C). Mulch after soils warm to stabilize moisture and keep fruit clean.
Q: What spacing should I use?
Plant 14–18 in (35–45 cm) apart in rows 24–30 in (60–75 cm). The lanky, heavily fruiting habit benefits from airflow and light support.
Q: Do I need more than one plant for pollination?
No. Flowers are self-pollinating. Airflow and pollinators can modestly improve set.
Q: Can I grow Jimmy Nardello in containers?
Yes. Use 7–10 gallon pots with excellent drainage. A light stake or small cage helps carry long fruit clusters.
Q: How many peppers will one plant produce?
Commonly 30–80+ pods per plant across a long warm season, especially if harvested frequently.
Q: How should I harvest them?
Snip with clean pruners, leaving a short stem. Pick glossy red for the sweetest, richest flavor; harvest some green to keep plants cycling and boost total yield.
Q: Best ways to store or preserve?
Refrigerate fresh pods in a breathable bag for 1–2 weeks. Outstanding blistered in olive oil, roasted and peeled, quick-pickled, or air-dried/oven-dried into sweet flakes. Red strips freeze well after roasting.
Q: Will cooking change the flavor?
Yes—quick blistering concentrates sugars and brings a fruity, almost candied quality. Char and peel for silky, sweet ribbons.
Q: Is it perennial?
Short-lived perennial in frost-free zones; elsewhere, grow as an annual or overwinter indoors after pruning by one-third (bright light, 60–70°F / 16–21°C).
Q: Why is my plant flowering but not setting fruit?
Nights below 60°F (16°C) or highs above 95°F (35°C), drought stress, or excess nitrogen can stall set. Maintain even moisture, moderate feeding, and provide light afternoon shade during heat spikes.
Q: Why are pods thin or curved?
This type is naturally long and slender; water stress and low calcium uptake can accentuate curling or thin walls. Keep irrigation steady, avoid heavy N, and maintain pH in range.
Q: Can Jimmy Nardello cross with other peppers?
Yes, with nearby Capsicum annuum. If saving seed true to type, isolate varieties by distance or bag blossoms and hand-pollinate.
Q: Kitchen tips?
Treat it as the quintessential sweet frying pepper: pan-blister whole with garlic and salt, roast for sandwiches and antipasti, slice raw for salads, or stuff and bake. Its low wateriness helps it sauté without steaming.
The ancestors of Jimmy Nardello’s pepper, like all chiles, first took root in the Americas, where Indigenous peoples domesticated wild Capsicum annuum into a wealth of landraces for food, medicine, ceremony, and trade. In Mesoamerican and Caribbean gardens, seedkeepers selected long, slender, thin-walled, sweet forms ideal for quick cooking on hot stones and for sun-drying into bright seasonings—traits that would later resonate in Mediterranean frying and drying traditions. Seed traveled by canoe and footpath, adapting to altitudes, soils, and local tastes; the genetic foundation for a sweet, tapering “frying” pepper was laid by centuries of Indigenous selection long before any ship crossed the Atlantic.
In the sixteenth century, Iberian traders ferried pepper seed to Europe, where it met the wood-fire cuisines of southern Italy, the Balkans, and Iberia—kitchens already fluent in pan-frying, roasting, and preserving. Market gardeners from Calabria to Basilicata favored long, thin, mild peppers that blistered in a breath of olive oil, turned sweet in the pan, and dried cleanly on strings hung under tile eaves. Over generations, families saved seed from pods that ripened reliably to red, kept very thin skins and walls for fast cooking, and had small seed cavities for easy slicing. Regional types—friggitelli (often green and picked immature in Campania), the Peperone di Senise IGP (Basilicata’s drying pepper, strung as cruschi and fried to a glassy sweetness), and a patchwork of local “frying peppers”—converged on a shared cultural role: everyday sweetness without heat, cooked quickly in olive oil with garlic and vinegar or dried into pantry color.
Jimmy Nardello’s pepper carries that Mediterranean thread through the great migration to North America. In 1887, the Nardiello (later “Nardello”) family emigrated from the hill town of Ruoti in Basilicata to Naugatuck, Connecticut, bringing garden seed and food memory across the ocean. In their backyard plot, the family continued the old work of saving seed from the best plants—those that yielded long, tapering, truly sweet red pods with the fragile skin and paper-thin walls that fry in moments and dry to a crackling snap. The pepper became a family constant—sautéed with onions and sausage, folded into egg sandwiches, dried for winter crumbs, and gifted to neighbors as seed and strings.
Decades later, their son Jimmy Nardello—a devoted gardener with a seedkeeper’s eye—shared the family pepper with the nascent heirloom movement. It was entered into Seed Savers Exchange and named in Jimmy’s honor, a gesture that tied one family’s stewardship to the wider seed commons. What gardeners discovered was a rare combination of traits that read like a wish list:
True sweetness, 0 SHU, with no harshness when eaten raw;
Ultra-thin skin and walls that blister instantly in olive oil and never turn leathery;
Slender, 6–10 inch pods that dry quickly for flakes or whole cruschi-style snacks;
Prodigious sets on compact, manageable plants, even in cooler summers;
Reliable ripening to a lipstick red that signals peak sugar.
Culturally, the pepper became a bridge food—the Mediterranean frying/drying tradition anchored to an American backyard and offered back to the broader public. In Italian American communities, it slotted seamlessly into the canon: peperoncini fritti with garlic and white wine vinegar; peppers and eggs on crisp rolls; sweet red strips folded into Sunday sauce; and brittle, fried shards as a last-minute garnish over beans, greens, and pasta. Chefs embraced it because it behaves perfectly in a hot pan: it blisters, slumps, and sweetens without shedding water or skin, finishing in minutes and taking on smoke and vinegar like a seasoned pan takes fond.
At farmers’ markets and in CSA shares, Jimmy Nardello carries a visible story: long red peppers braided into strings, a living echo of Basilicata’s nzerti drying ropes. In community gardens, it’s a teaching tool—an heirloom that demonstrates how a variety is made by people, not factories: a family saves seed, a cook chooses flavor, a community keeps it going. It also embodies the diaspora’s feedback loop: a New World crop travels to Europe, is reshaped by Mediterranean kitchens, then comes back across the ocean in immigrant pockets and settles—sweetly, productively—into North American soil.
For seed savers, the variety invites the same care that shaped it. Save from true-to-type red pods on plants that set early and often; cull any with thick, slow-frying walls; prefer fruit with minimal corking and clean, tapered tips. In cooler zones, choose the first plants to flush red; in hot valleys, those that keep sweetness without sunscald. Over seasons, a local Jimmy emerges—still Jimmy at heart, but tuned to your wind, your nights, your kitchen rhythms. Hang a few strings under the porch, as the Nardellos did; fry a pan for friends; pass a packet of seed at the end of the meal.
To grow Jimmy Nardello is to honor a throughline from Indigenous domestication to Basilicatan frying culture to one family’s Connecticut garden. It’s proof that a pepper can carry memory as surely as flavor: a bright, thin-skinned, utterly sweet thread stitching together oceans, eras, and tables—blistered in oil tonight, saved in seed tomorrow.
Saving seeds from Jimmy Nardello Peppers (Capsicum annuum):
1. Selecting Plants for Seed Saving:
Choose healthy plants with vigorous growth and abundant peppers.
Avoid plants showing signs of disease or poor growth.
2. Harvesting Seeds:
Timing: Allow the peppers to mature fully on the plant until they turn red and wrinkled.
Collection: Harvest the ripe peppers and cut them open to remove the seeds.
3. Cleaning Seeds:
Separation: Rinse the seeds to remove any remaining pepper flesh.
Inspection: Ensure seeds are clean and free from mold or pests.
4. Drying Seeds:
Place the seeds on a paper towel or screen in a well-ventilated, dry area. Allow them to dry completely for one to two weeks.
5. Storing Seeds:
Containers: Store seeds in labeled paper envelopes or airtight containers.
Storage Conditions: Keep in a cool, dry, and dark place.
Viability: Use seeds within two to three years for best results.
6. Testing Seed Viability:
Test by placing seeds on a damp paper towel in a plastic bag in a warm place and check for germination.
Tips for Successful Seed Saving:
Isolation: Maintain distance between different pepper varieties to prevent cross-pollination.
Pollinators: Encourage pollinators for better seed production.
Record Keeping: Keep detailed records of the process.
Uses and Benefits:
Jimmy Nardello Pepper (Capsicum annuum) is known for its sweet, rich flavor and thin walls. It is often used in frying, salads, and as a fresh snack.
Peppers provide vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, supporting overall health. Jimmy Nardello Peppers are versatile in culinary applications, adding a sweet flavor to dishes.
Shipped from U.S.A.
Our seeds are grown and sourced from the US. They're then packed and shipped from Colerain NC.
Triple tested
We regularly test the quality and germination rate of our seeds. We're so confident that our seeds are backed by a 1 year warranty!
Soil Readiness
for Pepper Plants (Capsicum spp.)
Where to get a soil test
Best option: your state’s Cooperative Extension soil testing lab.
Tip: Arid/alkaline regions (e.g., AZ, NM, UT, parts of CA) often use Olsen (bicarbonate) for phosphorus.
Interprets P by extractant; assumes ppm. Results are approximate.
Enter at least one value above, then Calculate.
Summary
Recommended Amendments (per 100 sq ft)
How to Use
Mix P & K sources into top 3–6″ a week or two before planting.
If pH is low, apply lime 3–4 weeks pre-plant (or fall/winter).
Side-dress peppers with ~0.1 lb N / 100 sq ft at first bloom & fruit set.
Add 1–2″ finished compost yearly to build organic matter.
Container mix? Use a peat/coco-based mix with compost and slow-release organic fertilizer; pH is usually already correct.
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Alliance Of Native Seedkeepers
Pepper Seeds - Sweet - Jimmy Nardello
$200 USD
$600
Unit price /
Unavailable
Description
Old-world sweetness with a fry-pan pedigree. Jimmy Nardello is the beloved Italian-type frying pepper—zero heat (0 SHU)—that ripens to glossy, candy-red and tastes like sunshine when blistered in olive oil. Picked early it’s crisp and garden-sweet; fully red it develops a concentrated sugar and dried-fruit note that sets it apart from standard bells.
Plants are vigorous yet tidy, typically 20–28 inches tall with an open, branching habit that loads up early and often. Clusters of long, slender pods—usually 7–9 inches—hang in waves. Fruit are thin-walled and slightly curly/wrinkled, maturing from green to bright red with exceptional uniformity. The open canopy helps pods color evenly and reduces disease pressure.
In the kitchen, Jimmy Nardello is a star for quick frying and roasting—blister whole or cut into long strips, then finish with salt and vinegar or lemon. It grills beautifully, folds into panini and pastas, and makes a standout sweet paprika when dried and ground. Dice for pizzas and antipasti; the thin walls cook in seconds and hold a silky bite.
Selected by generations of seedkeepers for flavor first, Jimmy Nardello rewards steady moisture and full sun with continuous picking. Harvest green for volume or let pods finish red for peak sweetness. For drying, pick fully red, slice lengthwise, and hang or dehydrate until brittle—flavor intensifies without heat.
Seeds look great and gorgeous colors. These glass gem seeds look healthy and a great value for the price. I will update you when I plant them on how many germinate.
The taste is great and the tomato is yellow in color 1-2 lb tomatoes.
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D.F.
Seeds look great and gorgeous colors. These glass gem seeds look healthy and a great value for the price. I will update you when I plant them on how many germinate.
Corn Seeds - Flint -Glass Gem Corn
D.F.
Wow, what a pretty blue these seeds are. i can't wait to plant them and watch them grow. I will update you on how many germinate. The seeds look healthy.
Corn Seeds - Flour -Hopi Blue Corn
D.F.
Seeds look great 👍 and i haven't had a chance to plant any of them yet, but I will update you when I put them in a seed tray and see how many germinate.
