Bishop’s Crown, Pepper Seeds ,Capsicum Baccatum. Bishop’s Crown

Bishop’s Crown,Or Bishop’s Hat,Hot Chili Pepper Aka Chapeau de Frades~ Heirloom From South Africa !

Late, but beautiful true bell-shaped hot pepper.
The species is Capsicum Baccatum. The peppers are shaped like miniature bells (and I mean like a true bell shape, not the pseudo bell shape of most sweet peppers) with lobes that hang down at the lower edge of the ripe fruit. Plants can get 6 to 7 feet tall and are loaded with red bell peppers. Very hot. You can cut off the lobes and they are sweet and fruity or cut down to the seed and the pepper is nicely hot with a heat range similar to Cayenne peppers. These peppers are excellent made into hot sauce and provide flavor in cooked foods that is comparable to the perfume/seasoning peppers. Very drought tolerant.
Sow seeds indoors ¼” deep. Peppers germinate best in warm soil, so gentle bottom heat may be helpful until seedlings emerge. Wait to transplant outdoors until soil is warm.

Pepper varieties come from tropical humid regions. The temperature, moisture, and air circulation all play a role in growing plants from seeds. Too little heat, too much moisture, and lack of air circulation will cause poor results. Do not use jiffy peat pots, plugs, or potting soil as the soil becomes too dry or too wet, which can lead to disease and fungus. We have experienced disease and low germination when using these types of products. Use Organic Seed Starting Material for best germination results.
Peppers often like to take their sweet time germinating. They can be up in a week, and some will take almost a month. Even with paper towel germination testing, they can take long. I am not sure why, but it is a normal occurrence. So plan and make sure you start them early enough! Also, remember they like heat to germinate so make sure you have a heating mat or something to keep the soil warm. Placing them up on top of the fridge often works too since it is normally warmer up there.
Growing Peppers:
Peppers, like tomatoes, grow in well-drained fertile soil. Almost all peppers have the same requirements for successful growth. Plant them in good, well-drained, fertile soil – and make sure they get lots of sunlight and a good inch of water per week. In many ways, they mimic the same requirements needed for growing great tomatoes.
At Planting Time:
We plant all of our peppers with a good shovel full of compost in the planting hole, and then give them a good dose of compost tea every few weeks for the first 6 weeks of growth. We also mulch around each of our pepper plants with a good 1 to 2″ thick layer of compost.