Aji Rico Hybrid Pepper Seeds

Ready in Under 2 Months!
Perfect for northern gardens, it sets multiple crops in warmer areas!
Genus: Capsicum
Species: baccatum
Variety: Aji Rico F1 Hybrid
Item Form: (P) Pkt of 10 seeds
Days to Maturity: 55
Fruit Color: Green
Habit: Upright
Seeds Per Pack: 10
Plant Height: 3 ft – 3 ft 6 in
Plant Width: 3 ft – 4 ft
Additional Characteristics: Award Winner, Edible, Fragrance, Pest Fighter
Foliage Color: Dark Green
Harvest Season: Early Fall, Early Summer, Late Summer, Mid Summer
Light Requirements: Full Sun
Moisture Requirements: Moist,  well-drained
Resistance: Deer Resistance, Disease Resistant, Heat Tolerant, Pest Resistant
Soil Tolerance: Normal,  loamy
Uses: Beds, Containers, Cuisine, Outdoor

55 days for green fruits; 75 for red. These times are from setting out transplants.

Now even gardeners in the far north can enjoy a big harvest of peppers! Aji Rico Hybrid is a South American (C. baccatum) variety with masses of conical fruits that can be harvested green at just 55 days after transplanting! If you can wait another 20 days or so, they’ll reach full red maturity, but they are delicious even when green. Go ahead, sow these seeds now — they will repeat their harvests as long as the warm weather holds!

Aji Rico walked off with a 2017 All-America Selection, not only for its early maturity but for its big yields and flavor. Pick the fruit promptly and new flowers will arise, leading to even more peppers! This pepper also gets high marks for versatility: if you remove the seeds from the fruits, they are only mildly hot. For a spicier bite, include seeds in your salsas and sauces! Or dry the whole pepper and then grind it up for a nicely pungent, fragrant paprika from your own garden. (Good holiday gift idea!)

The flavor of these peppers is really unusual. It’s got the chile notes you’d expect, with a juicy fresh bite, but it also has hints of citrus. This makes it great for salsa, especially fruit salsas that need just a touch of heat without losing their sweet fruit taste!

Aji Rico reaches about 30 to 36 inches high and at least as wide, unless you train the stems upward to keep them from “bushing out.” You can easily grow this pepper in a big tub on the porch. The peppers reach about 3 to 4 inches long, with an average diameter of 1½ inches and a weight of 1.5 ounces. Expect 50 to 75 in a single harvest!

You will find Aji Rico to be widely adapted, vigorous, and trouble-free. As with all hot peppers, it boasts a spicy aroma that helps keep pests off the plants, so you may want to plant a few Aji Ricos among your favorite flowering plants as well as in the vegetable patch. It’s a great natural pest repellent!

Start seeds indoors or, in climate with short growing seasons, outdoors at least one week after last frost. If starting indoors, allow 7 to 10 weeks for the seeds to mature into seedlings large enough to transplant safely. Set seedlings (or thin direct-sown seedlings) 2 feet apart in full sun. If planting many seedlings, space rows about 3 feet apart. Fertilize when the blooms appear, and water well. Pkt is 10 seeds.