Description
Grow a garden filled with Santa Fe Grande Peppers, from freshly harvested Capsicum annuum seeds. Santa Fe Grande will produce mildly hot peppers, with a range of 700 to 800 units on the Scoville heat scale. The plants produce high yields of colorful fruits through the summer months. Each pepper will ripen from yellow to red, and can be picked at any stage of growth. Each plant will stand roughly 24 to 30 inches tall. Their shorter, compact growth habit makes them perfect for large pots and containers, and even makes them a candidate for balcony and patio planting as well.
Santa Fe Grande is considered to be an annual vegetable. Annuals will grow quickly within a single season, producing flowers within a few short weeks, and then fruits soon after. Santa Fe Grande usually yields its hot pepper fruits within the hot months of Summer, and will later wilt with the cooler temperatures of the Autumn and Winter seasons. Santa Fe Grande seeds can be collected from the fruits if you would like to grow again the following year.
Sowing The Seed
Peppers are best started indoors, in a controlled environment, 6 to 8 weeks prior to the last frost. Sow them in peat pots, at a depth of 1/4” under topsoil. Peat pots will allow you to transplant the entire pot directly into the garden when the weather is warm and will also prevent root shock. Check below for additional info on spacing & growth habits.
Growing Conditions
Pepper plants will thrive in the heat of summer, so they should receive full sunlight for the majority of the day, with temperatures of at least 75F or more. A soil that is rich in organic matter is best, with a pH level of at least 6.2 and 7.0. Also make sure that your sowing medium is well drained, or your plants can wilt due to being waterlogged. Water your pepper seeds daily to provide them with ample amounts of moisture until germination has occurred.
Germination & Growth
Pepper seeds typically take anywhere between 14 to 28 days to germinate. After your seedlings start to grow, they will mature to an estimated height of roughly 24 to 30 inches tall and spread at least 24 inches wide. On average, Pepper plants can be spaced 18 to 24 inches apart from one another, in rows spaced 18 inches apart. These plants do very well when grown directly in the garden, or in large pots and containers as well.
Harvesting Santa Fe Grande Peppers
Once your Santa Fe Grande Pepper plants have flowered, they will soon begin producing small, 3 to 4 inch fruits. The peppers can be harvested successfully at any stage in growth, from yellow, orange and red. Simply pick the peppers, leaving the stem attached.