Marconi Red is a stunning Italian heirloom pepper that produces enormous, crisp-fleshed fruits up to 12 inches long on compact plants. Ready to harvest in 73 days from transplant, this open-pollinated variety delivers the kind of sweet, complex pepper flavor that makes fresh eating or pan-frying an event. Growing 18 to 24 inches tall and thriving in zones 4 through 13, Marconi Red adapts to gardens, containers, raised beds, and greenhouses with equal enthusiasm and drought tolerance that keeps it producing even when water runs short.
18
Full Sun
Moderate
4-13
24in H x ?in W
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Moderate
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These enormous, three-lobed peppers have crisp flesh and genuine depth of flavor that jumps past the generic sweet pepper category. The plants are prolific, yielding heavily throughout the season, and the variety's drought tolerance means you're not fussing with constant watering. It's an heirloom that has earned its place in gardens for generations because it simply performs, producing those glorious 10 to 12 inch fruits that beg to be sliced and eaten raw or fried whole.
Marconi Red shines eaten fresh, where its crisp texture and sweetness make it a standout sliced into salads or served raw with dip. It's exceptional fried whole or halved, a preparation that caramelizes the flesh and deepens its natural sweetness. The large, blocky shape also makes it ideal for stuffing with grains or cheese and roasting, and its thick walls hold up well to any cooking method.
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Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your anticipated last spring frost. Peppers germinate best in warm soil around 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit. Sow seeds 1/4 inch deep in seed-starting mix and keep consistently moist but not waterlogged. Germination takes 10 to 14 days.
Transplant seedlings outdoors after all danger of frost has passed and soil has warmed to at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit, ideally 65-70 degrees. Harden off seedlings by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions over 7 to 10 days. Space transplants 18 inches apart in rows 36 inches apart.
Marconi Red peppers are ready to harvest 73 days from transplant when they reach full size (10 to 12 inches long) and turn a deep red color. Pick peppers when fully red for maximum sweetness and flavor; they can also be harvested at the mature green stage if needed. Cut peppers from the plant with a knife or pruners rather than twisting them, which can damage the stems. Continuous harvesting encourages the plant to produce more fruit throughout the season.
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“Marconi Red hails from Italy, where it has been cultivated and treasured for generations as a foundational pepper in Mediterranean kitchens. The variety represents the kind of open-pollinated heirloom that families saved seed from year after year, refining it through careful selection until the plants bred true. This peppered its way into seed catalogs as gardeners recognized what made it special: not just the size of the fruit, but the actual flavor and the plant's reliable productivity even in less-than-ideal conditions.”