Sweet Pepper
Where to buy seeds
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Marconi Red Pepper is a prolific Italian heirloom that produces stunning 10-12 inch long peppers with a distinctive three-lobed shape and crisp, sweet flesh. These heat-free peppers (0 Scoville Heat Units) mature in 70-79 days and grow on compact upright plants reaching just 18-24 inches tall, making them surprisingly efficient producers for both garden beds and containers. Hardy across zones 4-13, this open-pollinated variety rewards full sun and moderate water with a harvest of gorgeous red fruits that are equally delicious eaten fresh or fried in the Italian tradition.
Full Sun
Moderate
4-13
24in H x ?in W
Annual
Moderate
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These massive, candy-sweet peppers are nothing like the dense bell peppers most gardeners know. The flesh is remarkably crisp and thin-walled, making them ideal for roasting whole or frying, and their size and three-lobed form are unmistakably elegant on the plate. Marconi Red is a high-yielding heirloom that handles drought well and thrives in containers, giving you restaurant-quality Italian peppers from a plant that stays under two feet tall.
These peppers shine when fried whole in olive oil, a classic Italian preparation where their thin walls soften quickly and their natural sweetness intensifies. They're equally wonderful roasted, grilled, or eaten raw as a sweet snack straight from the garden. Their large size and thin flesh make them ideal for stuffing, though many gardeners simply slice them and sauté them as a side dish or add them to pasta, risotto, and Mediterranean salads.
Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before your last frost date. Soak seeds and maintain soil temperature between 70-85°F for reliable germination. Keep soil consistently moist but not soggy until seedlings emerge.
Transplant seedlings outdoors after your last frost date when soil has warmed and nighttime temperatures consistently stay above 55°F. Harden off plants gradually over 7-10 days by exposing them to increasing amounts of outdoor light and wind. Space plants 18 inches apart with 36 inches between rows.
Peppers reach full maturity and develop their deep red color 70-79 days after transplant. Harvest when peppers are fully red and feel firm; at this stage they'll have maximum sweetness. Peppers can be picked slightly earlier at the mature green or orange stage if you need space on the plant for more fruit to develop. Use a sharp knife or pruners to cut peppers cleanly from the stem rather than tugging, which can damage branches.
Marconi Red grows as a compact upright plant that typically requires minimal pruning. Remove any lower leaves that touch the soil to improve air circulation and reduce disease pressure. You may pinch the growing tip early in the season to encourage bushier growth and more flowering sites, though this variety's naturally proliferative habit usually produces abundant fruit without intervention.
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“Marconi Red carries the heritage of Italian pepper growing traditions, prized for generations in Mediterranean kitchens for its thin-walled, sweet fruits and prolific harvests. This open-pollinated heirloom has been preserved and shared through seed-saving networks, representing a direct line to traditional Italian vegetable gardening where these peppers were grown for both home use and local markets.”