Variety field guide
What to expect from Sweet Red Cherry Pepper Seeds
Sweet Red Cherry packs sweet pepper flavor into round, slightly flattened fruits just 1-1 1/2 in.
Read the complete product descriptionTraits, flavor, garden use, variety notes, and the full catalog record
Sweet Red Cherry packs sweet pepper flavor into round, slightly flattened fruits just 1-1 1/2 in. across. Pick them green or let them turn glossy red for full color and sweetness. Their bite-size shape is useful for stuffing, quick pickles, salads and colorful cooked dishes. Compact, bushy plants fit a sunny garden bed or a roomy container. Expect the first ripe red peppers about 85 days after transplanting; this is the sweet cherry type, with little to no heat.
Small, round red peppers made for stuffing and snacking.
Growing facts
- Botanical name: Capsicum annuum
- Maturity or display: About 85 days from transplanting to ripe red fruit
- Mature size: Bushy plants about 18-24 in tall; round fruit 1-1 1/2 in across
- Spacing: 18 in between plants; rows 30 in
About the variety
Cherry peppers are named for their rounded fruit, not for one uniform heat level. Sweet Red Cherry is the sweet form of this familiar pepper type, distinct from hot cherry peppers. Like other Capsicum annuum peppers, it descends from a crop domesticated in the Americas and selected into many kitchen forms.
Starting seed
Start 1/4 in. deep indoors 6-8 weeks early. Sprouts in 7-21 days at 80-90 F. Transplant after frost and warm nights; space 18 in., rows 30 in.
Care through the season
Choose full sun and fertile, well-drained soil. Keep moisture steady, mulch after soil warms and support heavily loaded branches if needed. Harden plants before transplanting. Container plants need adequate root room, drainage and regular watering. The sweet type can have a trace of warmth, so taste a fruit before serving it to someone avoiding heat.
Harvest and use
Clip green or red fruit; chill, pickle or freeze. For seed, isolate flowering peppers or bag blossoms, then dry seed from fully ripe red fruit.
Saving seed
Save seed from healthy, fully ripe red peppers. Isolate from other flowering Capsicum annuum peppers or bag selected unopened blossoms to reduce crossing. Remove mature seed, dry thoroughly without high heat, and store cool and dry. Pollination changes the next generation rather than turning this season's fruit hot.
Common problems
Check for aphids, mites and chewing insects. Avoid saturated soil, cold nights and extreme moisture swings. Hot weather can interrupt fruit set. No specific disease-resistance package is claimed.
Frequently asked questions
When can I harvest?
About 85 days from transplanting to ripe red fruit.
How should I grow it?
Choose full sun and fertile, well-drained soil. Keep moisture steady, mulch after soil warms and support heavily loaded branches if needed. Harden plants before transplanting. Container plants need adequate root room, drainage and regular watering. The sweet type can have a trace of warmth, so taste a fruit before serving it to someone avoiding heat.
Can I save seed?
Save seed from healthy, fully ripe red peppers. Isolate from other flowering Capsicum annuum peppers or bag selected unopened blossoms to reduce crossing. Remove mature seed, dry thoroughly without high heat, and store cool and dry. Pollination changes the next generation rather than turning this season's fruit hot.
