Sweet Pepper
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The Cubanelle pepper carries the legacy of the Columbian exchange in every thin-walled, uniquely shaped pod. Known equally as the Cuban pepper and Italian frying pepper, this sweet variety delivers 100-500 Scoville units of gentle heat while maturing to brilliant red or orange in just 65 days. Thriving in zones 4-13, these drought-tolerant plants reach 18-24 inches tall and produce 4.5-6 inch peppers perfect for grilling, frying, and adding to soups.
Full Sun
Moderate
4-13
24in H x ?in W
Annual
High
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What sets Cubanelle apart is its incredible versatility and forgiving nature. Each pepper develops its own beautiful, irregular shape thanks to those characteristic thin walls, making every harvest unique. The gentle heat level sits perfectly between sweet and spicy, offering more complexity than a bell pepper without overwhelming heat. This drought-tolerant variety excels in containers and adapts to various growing conditions while producing consistently flavorful peppers that shine in both fresh applications and cooked dishes.
Cubanelle peppers truly shine when fried, developing a tender texture and concentrated sweet flavor that makes them famous in Italian-American kitchens. They excel in grilling applications where their thin walls char beautifully, and their mild heat makes them perfect for fresh salads and soups where you want pepper flavor without overwhelming spice. The versatile heat level also makes them ideal for stuffing and roasting.
Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before the last spring frost in seed starting trays with well-draining soil or seed starting mix. Keep soil moist but not waterlogged, maintaining temperatures between 80-90°F for germination in 7-10 days. Move seedlings to cooler conditions for hardening off once they reach a few inches tall.
Transplant hardened seedlings to sunny locations with well-draining soil, ideally where nightshades haven't been grown recently to ensure adequate soil nutrients. Space plants 12-18 inches apart with rows 1-1.5 feet apart, avoiding planting near hot pepper varieties to prevent cross-pollination.
Harvest Cubanelle peppers when they reach 4.5-6 inches long and display bright red or orange color with a glossy sheen, typically around 65 days after transplanting. Cut peppers with garden shears or a knife, leaving a small stem and handling plants gently to encourage continued production. Avoid harvesting too early as sweet varieties need full ripeness for best flavor, but don't leave them too long as overripe peppers may develop bitterness.
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“Cubanelle peppers are living artifacts of the Columbian exchange, introduced to Europe by Spanish and Portuguese explorers in the 1400s and 1500s after originating in South and Central America. This variety represents centuries of cultivation and selection, traveling from the New World to become beloved in both Cuban and Italian cuisines, earning its dual identity as both the Cuban pepper and Italian frying pepper.”