"Melrose" Sweet Red Pepper

Capsicum annuum

Melrose Peppers are a treasured classic of Italian-American cuisine in the Chicago area. Joseph and Lucia Napolitano emigrated from Nocera Inferiore, 12 miles south of Naples in 1903 carrying with them few precious items, including the seeds of peppers plants that grew abundantly in their hometown. Once settled on the rich soils of Chicago’s Melrose Park, the Napolitanos built a thriving family farm business and named their peppers for their new home. The popularity of this pepper grew becoming a local sensation. Melrose’s exact parentage is not clear, but it most resembles in appearance and taste the Friariello di Napoli, the renown frying pepper of Naples.

Delicious in both the green and red stages. The plants are very early to bear, high yielding and last very well into the cold and wet autumn conditions, a trait very important to us here at Bhoomi Devi Seeds. Enjoy simply pan fried with a healthy dose of olive oil or baked and stuffed with your favorite ingredients! Melrose Peppers have a knack for gathering folks around the table! Yum!

Growing Instructions:

Sow indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost.

Transplant as soon as the last chance of frost has passed being sure to add plenty of rich compost at time of planting. We also recommend to do a fall or spring cover crop of of peas or other annual legumes to fix nitrogen in the growing space.

Plant spacing: 12-18 “ apart

Row spacing: 18-24 “ apart

Mulching Peppers is a good idea, however mulching in mid spring will keep soil temperature cooler and may slow growth. Mulching can be done once soil has warmed.

Make sure soil pH is between 5.8 and 7.0. If plant needs a growing boost, water with nitrogen tea or compost tea a few times. If trace minerals are inadequate, sprinkle a small amount of woodash or azomite in each planting hole.

Harvest:

“Melrose” peppers will begin ripening in 70 days from transplant. Sweetest when fully red. With a frost advisory, pick all you can off of the plant, maturing peppers will ripen off of the vine. Some lesser mature ones may not ripen— but green Melrose peppers are so delicious!