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Ornamental peppers, (Capsicum annuum) are annual plants which are excellent for border plantings as well a for growing as a potted house plant.
In the garden, they should be grown in full sun or light shade, planted 9-12 inches apart. If they are grown in pots, you can bring them indoors prior to the first frost, and continue enjoying the fruits through the Winter months. As a house plant they should be placed in full sun. Keep their soil evenly moist.
Ornamental peppers are grown from seed. Sow the seeds into pots around the first of May so that the plant is fruiting at Christmas time. Do not cover the seeds because they require light for germination. Keep the rooting medium at a temperature of 70-75 degrees and the seeds will germinate in about 3 weeks. Once the plants reach about 8 inches, begin monthly feeding with an all-purpose fertilizer.
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From: Cedar Hill Washington | Registered: Aug 2002
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Are they strickly ornamental or can you eat them?
Like the unusual purple...never seen that before....it doesn't look appealing to eat though. Now the others look good enough to eat. I LOVE chilies...right off the plant! Okay I rub them first to get the bird and ? off! The heat kills all the bacteria Catlover
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From: California | Registered: Mar 2003
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Oh I love them....I put it on everything!!!!! Okay almost everything.
When I first get a hint of a cold I eat like 5-6 chilies in a row several times a day. Hey, burn it out...one way or the other! Sometimes in the morning it will be COME ON ICE CREAM!!! But you know what I rarely get sick! Knock on wood!! Catlover
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From: California | Registered: Mar 2003
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I had to answer. The ornamentals that we grow around here are edible. Even the purple ones. My Gramma used to make a hot pepper relish that would cause your eyes to water just from taking off the lid of the jar! We had to wear gloves and glasses to feed the peppers into the grinder. But the family members that liked hot stuff sure did like her relish!!
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From: Effingham County, GA USA Z 8b | Registered: Aug 2002
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Ah, I have a purple pepper in a pot in my garden. They're edible and VERY hot! The purple is really striking and unexpected in the garden. Your plant looks a heckava lot better than mine, tho...
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From: Los Angeles - Hollywood Hills | Registered: Oct 2003
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I decided I have to move out of Texas to somewhere I can see all these pretty flowers and peppers.... Where is the best place to live and see all this stuff...
Tam
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From: TX | Registered: Jun 2003
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<Dave>
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posted
Best place I think to live is the east coast like delaware or pennsylvania -- you have every season here and very noticeable climate changes so you get to see everything out there......good luck in your move and if you do move up here look me up...
bbbbbbbbb Buckle up! It makes it harder for the aliens to suck you out of your car!
Registered: Mar 2004
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<salsasister>
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posted
I am having a problem with my ornamental peppers, they grew great in Sunny CA but here in Maryland where the weather is hotter and definitely much more humid, the leaves are wilting and turning brown on me. I am watering when the soil starts to feel dry (every two days or so) and I keep them in partial shade. Any thoughts on this one would be greatly appreciated.
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Hi i m stella I also have a problem with my ornemental pepper. It lost all his leaves but it's not dry ! He was full of leaves last week but now he has only a few! What can I do is he dying? ?If someone can help me!! Thank you! stella
From: france | Registered: Oct 2004
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Unfortunately, ornamental peppers are annual plants so it is possible that yours has reached the end of its life cycle (especially if it has already lost its foliage). Were there any changes in the growing conditions lately (firing up the furnace/heaters for the winter)? Ornamental peppers prefer night temperatures around 60-65 degrees F. and shouldn't be kept near furnace registers or periodic heat sources.
As a last resort you could try snipping the plant way back and hope for it to start regrowing, or grab some seeds and start a second generation (see plant profile)...
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From: Cedar Hill Washington | Registered: Aug 2002
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Yes we sell these at work and they are edible, ive seen one guys eat a few of them. Personally I wouldnt even come close to eating a pepper.
From: New Jersey | Registered: Oct 2004
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A tidbit of info for those with arthritis--members of the nightshade family CAN (not always) cause joint pain to worsen. Before I dropped most peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplant from my diet I could tell by my knee pain if I had slipped and eaten one of the forbidden veggies. Today I can eat one occasionally, but not too much nor too often.
Ann1
From: South Carolina | Registered: Nov 2004
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I decided I have to move out of Texas to somewhere I can see all these pretty flowers and peppers.... Where is the best place to live and see all this stuff...
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Bill's back yard?
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From: triangle, virginia | Registered: Mar 2005
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It is my experience that these peppers are tender perennials. I set them out in the garden in the spring and dig them up in the autumn.
If your pepper plants are losing leaves and you haven't allowed the soil to dry out between watering, You've killed with kindness. Peppers need the soil to dry out from time to time.
The little peppers are about the only hot peppers that I need to grow. the extra peppers that I don't have room for, I hang upside down in the pantry to dry and provide seasoning for my cooking.
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From: TN USA | Registered: Nov 2005
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Hey I just got into gardining these peppers and I was just wondering if any 1 has any salsa or hot sauce resipes. thx
From: kingston | Registered: Sep 2006
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Celebrating 10 years of helping your gardens grow!
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Catlover 
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to water just from taking off the lid of the jar! We had to wear gloves and glasses to feed the peppers into the grinder. ![[muggs]](graemlins/mugggggs.gif)
But the family members that liked hot stuff sure did like her relish!! ![[clappy]](graemlins/clappy.gif)
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Look on the bright side....Maybe older but a heck of a lot WISER !!!!!!!!
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