VegetablePepper
Cal Rose Red Pepper
Cal Rose Red Pepper is a sweet, thick-walled pimento-type pepper that delivers reliable harvests in 70 to 85 days from transplant. This open-pollinated heirloom produces bulky, four-lobed fruits with tender flesh and absolutely no heat (0 Scoville Heat Units), making it a standout choice for gardeners seeking pure, unadulterated pepper flavor. Hardy from zones 4 to 13 and reaching 18 to 30 inches tall, it grows as a compact upright plant that adapts well to garden beds, raised beds, and even greenhouse cultivation.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
4-13
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Soil
Well-drained, Fertile Loam With Organic Matter
Growth Stats
30 in
Height
TypeUpright
Spacing
18
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
4-13
Size
30in H x ?in W
Growth
—
Care
Moderate
Hover over chart points for details
Highlights
The four-lobed structure and impressively thick walls of these peppers make them exceptional for roasting, stuffing, and pureeing. Each plant generates substantial harvests of blocky red fruits with tender, sweet flesh that lacks any spicy bite whatsoever. Open-pollinated genetics mean you can save seeds from your best-performing plants year after year, embedding this variety deeper into your garden's story with each season.
Common Uses
Cal Rose Red Pepper excels in the kitchen where its thick walls, tender flesh, and sweet flavor make it a premier choice for roasting and charring over open flame. The substantial size and chunky four-lobed shape suit stuffing applications beautifully, whether roasted whole or halved and filled with grains, cheeses, or vegetables. This pepper also purees exceptionally well for sauces, soups, and spreads where its natural sweetness shines without any spicy undertone to mask other flavors.
Growing Timeline
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Care Instructions
Start Indoors
Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last spring frost date. Sow seeds at a depth of 1/4 inch in seed-starting mix kept consistently warm and moist. Pepper seeds germinate best at soil temperatures between 70 and 80°F Fahrenheit. Once seedlings emerge, provide bright light to prevent them from becoming leggy.
Transplant Outdoors
Transplant seedlings outdoors only after all danger of frost has passed and nighttime temperatures consistently stay above 60°F. Harden off seedlings by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions over 7 to 10 days before planting in the garden. Space transplants 18 inches apart with 36 inches between rows. Plant at the same depth they were growing in their containers.
Harvesting
Cal Rose Red Pepper reaches harvest readiness in 70 to 79 days from transplant, when fruits have developed their full red color and feel firm with a slight give when gently squeezed. The peppers are ready to pick once they've transitioned from green to deep red, signaling peak sweetness and optimal maturation. Harvest by cutting fruits from the stem with a sharp knife or pruners rather than pulling, which can damage the plant. Peppers continue ripening and producing through the growing season, so regular harvesting encourages additional fruit development.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Pests & Diseases
Ecology & Traits
Edible
Scientific Classification
Capsicum annuum
Family
Solanaceae
Genus
Capsicum
Growth Habit
Upright
Native Status
L48 (NI)HI (I)PR (I)VI (I)
History & Origin
“Cal Rose Red Pepper carries the lineage of an open-pollinated heirloom variety, preserving the genetic integrity that seed savers and home gardeners have valued for generations. By remaining non-GMO and true-to-type, this cultivar represents a living connection to agricultural traditions where gardeners could reliably save seeds and replant them with confidence that the next generation would perform identically. Its heirloom status reflects a commitment to diversity and self-sufficiency in vegetable gardening.”