VegetablePepper
Carmen Pepper
Carmen Pepper is a 2006 AAS Award-winning Italian-style sweet pepper hybrid that brings Mediterranean flavors and grilling prowess to your garden. These upright plants reach 18 to 24 inches tall and produce peppers ready to harvest in 70 to 79 days, making them refreshingly quick compared to many pepper varieties. With zero heat (0 Scoville Heat Units) and a distinctly fruity sweetness, Carmen thrives in zones 4 through 13 and adapts well to garden beds, raised beds, and even greenhouse growing. The medium-thick skin makes these peppers exceptional for grilling while remaining delicious eaten raw, giving you flexibility in the kitchen.
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
24 in
Height
TypeUpright
Spacing
18
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
4-13
Size
24in H x ?in W
Growth
—
Care
Moderate
Hover over chart points for details
Highlights
Carmen Peppers earned their AAS recognition for good reason: they combine Italian heritage with hybrid vigor, delivering a sweet and fruity flavor that works equally well raw or cooked. Their medium-thick skin holds up beautifully to high heat, making them a griller's dream, yet they're tender enough to eat fresh off the vine. The 70 to 79 day timeline from transplant to harvest keeps you harvesting through the season without the long wait some pepper varieties demand.
Common Uses
Carmen Peppers shine equally in raw preparations and cooked applications. Their sweet, fruity character makes them excellent candidates for fresh slicing in salads or serving as crudités, while their medium-thick skin and flavor intensity make them exceptional when grilled whole or in strips, roasted, or incorporated into cooked Mediterranean dishes. The absence of heat means they appeal to heat-sensitive palates while their robust flavor ensures they don't disappear when combined with other ingredients.
Growing Timeline
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Care Instructions
Start Indoors
Start Carmen Pepper seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last spring frost date, maintaining soil temperatures between 70 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit for reliable germination. Peppers germinate slowly compared to other vegetables, often taking 10 to 14 days, so patience is essential during this stage.
Transplant Outdoors
Transplant seedlings outdoors after the last frost date has passed and nighttime temperatures consistently exceed 60 degrees Fahrenheit, as peppers resent cold soil and air. Harden off seedlings by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions over 7 to 10 days. Plant at 18 inch spacing with rows 36 inches apart in full sun, setting transplants at the same depth they were growing indoors.
Harvesting
Begin harvesting Carmen Peppers 70 to 79 days after transplanting outdoors, once peppers have reached mature size and developed their characteristic sweet flavor. Harvest peppers at any stage from green through full maturity; they can be eaten when immature for a slightly lighter flavor or left on the plant longer for deeper sweetness. Cut peppers from the stem rather than pulling to avoid damaging the plant, and continue harvesting regularly to encourage continued fruit production throughout the season.
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
“Carmen Peppers represent a deliberate crossing of pepper genetics to create an Italian-style sweet pepper that could thrive in diverse growing conditions while maintaining the fruity, delicate character prized in Mediterranean cuisine. The variety earned the 2006 All-America Selections (AAS) Award, a honor given to plants that have demonstrated superior garden performance and clear advantages over existing varieties. This award recognition validated what breeders set out to achieve: a reliable, flavorful pepper that performs consistently for home gardeners across multiple growing zones and environments.”