• To not miss anything and get all the information to succeed in your chili planting, check out our Ultimate Chili Growing Guide

The Marconi Purple Pepper is a pepper originally from Italy that isn't spicy! Used in salads, grilled on the barbecue, or stuffed, the culinary possibilities are vast. It has a rather horn-like appearance with a smooth texture to the touch despite its somewhat irregular surface. Rated at 0 on the Scoville scale, it's a sweet pepper that won't hurt anyone. The plant can reach 90cm in height and its fruit is harvested once it turns Purple.

• heat level: 0 on the Scoville scale.
• plant height approximately 90 cm.
• large fruit, approximately 15cm long.
• fruit color: Green during growth, Purple at maturity.
• genus: Capsicum Annuum.
• ideal germination: between January and April.
• harvest: between September and November.

What Equipment Do I Need for Growing My Peppers?

To optimize your results, we recommend equipping yourself with:

Marconi Purple Pepper Seeds.
An enclosed growing space like a mini greenhouse.
Coco pellets, peat, or cotton (to germinate the seeds).
Labels (to avoid mixing up your seedlings).
Potting soil (ideally a mixture of 50% black peat and 50% blonde peat) or flowering potting soil, which will also work.
Fertilizer for Peppers or Tomatoes, or 5 5 10 fertilizer for those in the know.
A water sprayer or watering can.
Gloves (if you don't like the feel of soil).
Pots with a diameter of 7 or 8 cm at first, before using 10-liter or larger pots depending on the pepper for repotting

To make your life easier, we offer our mini greenhouse for growing your peppers.

How Do I Germinate My Chili Seeds?

Planting Chili Peppers is a process that requires patience and some knowledge, but don't panic, we'll explain everything you need to know to germinate your chili seeds!

Chili seedlings are typically started at the beginning of the year, generally between January at the earliest and March for early spring. To do this, you'll need the equipment listed above.

You then have 2 options:
Plant your seed directly in a pot full of potting soil at half a centimeter depth
Place a seed on a coco pellet or on a piece of cotton.

In both cases, once the seed is in place, you'll need to spray enough water to moisten the soil or cotton without soaking it, then place your coco pellet or cotton in a container like a mini greenhouse that will retain heat and humidity, thus providing oxygen. If you're using a flower pot, you can simply stretch plastic wrap over it and make small holes with a toothpick to oxygenate the plant.

The ideal is to maintain a constant temperature of 28 degrees. You can store your container behind a sunny window, on or near a radiator, or on a heating mat or heating pad designed for this purpose.

OUR TIP:

Place your mini greenhouse on your internet router!

Remember to ventilate your growing area from time to time to prevent the appearance of fungi while keeping the soil moist. Once the first leaves appear, you'll need to make sure to give your seedlings enough sunlight for 12 to 14 hours per day. Once the second set of leaves is well developed, you can then repot them.

Once potted, keep your plant near a heat source and exposed to sunlight (ideally try to filter the light to avoid heat stress)

After the Ice Saints around mid-May, you can move your plant outdoors and plant your chili in the ground if you wish, or leave it in a pot and place it on a balcony, a windowsill, or even along a wall, preferably on the south side.

How Do I Water My Marconi Purple Pepper?

When watering your Marconi Purple pepper, be careful not to overwater. Too much water can drown the plant and lead to its demise. You simply need to let the soil dry between each watering to prevent insect proliferation and drowning of the plant.

Once the plant is well developed (once your plant reaches about thirty centimeters), you can cause water stress by stopping watering the plant for several days before resuming watering (be careful not to abuse this technique though, it would be a shame to let your chili plant die).

How Do I Properly Prepare My Harvest?

Once your chili plant is in place, here are our tips to optimize your future harvest:

When your chili plant reaches 15 to 20 cm in height, you can pinch the top of the stem (without breaking it), which should allow the plant to grow bushier and produce a bit more.

If flowering is early for one of your plants, remove the first flowers to prevent them from demanding too much energy from the plant.

If your chili plant is outdoors, insects will take care of pollinating the plant, which will then produce peppers. If your plant is indoors, you'll need to do this manually: take your clean finger and rub it lightly against each flower, from one to another.

Don't hesitate to use a bamboo stake or rod to support your plant.

When Should I Harvest My Marconi Purple Pepper?

For harvesting your Marconi Purple pepper, as with others, you'll need to watch its color! This pepper is harvested once it turns Purple.