Saving pepper seeds should be a slam dunk, right? Just save the biggest, best pepper from your harvest and remove the seeds for next year. But wait…there is something you need to know.
Pepper plants are easily cross-pollinated by insects and you won’t realize your seeds are not “true” until next summer when it’s too late to do anything about it. Let me show you what I mean (as in: let’s learn from my mistakes!)
Leave those ribs and seeds alone! Shishitos can be eaten whole, so all you have to do is cut off the stem—unless you serve them as finger food, where the stem can act as a nifty handle. Each pepper contains a lot of seeds (more than you might expect), but they’re totally edible and don’t need to be removed.
Look closely at this picture. These are my current favorite peppers: shishitos.
I first experienced shishito peppers in a swanky restaurant in down-town Philadelphia and my mind was blown. They were so very delicious, just roasted for a few minutes in a hot skillet and then dashed with sea salt and pepper. I couldn’t stop eating them and I thought, “I need to GROW these!”
So I ordered some shishito seeds and grew dozens of shishito pepper plants in the summer of 2019. They were incredible. They produced hundreds and hundreds of little green peppers and I roasted and ate so many I actually got tired of them and begged them to stop. I also decided they had been such a success I would definitely be planting them again.
Saving Seeds Growing Peppers *MISTAKES when Collecting SEEDS to Harvest Grow GREEN Red Purple Yellow
FAQ
What is the best way to eat shishito peppers?
Can you eat shishito peppers with brown seeds?
Do shishito peppers have seeds?
Can you grow Shishito peppers from seeds?
You can grow shishito peppers from seeds or seedlings. Make sure the seeds are started for about two weeks in the home before planting them in the garden. They will germinate within about a week or two. Make sure that the peppers are kept warm and moist, as this will increase their rate of germination.
How do you care for a Shishito pepper plant?
Use a quality potting mix with drainage-enhancing ingredients such as vermiculite and perlite. This will ensure the pepper plants’ roots don’t sit in water. Water your indoor shishito pepper plants deeply once a week or when the surface inch (2.54cm) of soil is dry.
Can Shishito peppers be planted outside?
Peppers are a heat-loving vegetable and can’t be planted outdoors until the risk of frost has passed in spring and the weather has warmed. I sow shishito pepper seeds indoors under grow lights 8 to 10 weeks before I intend to move the plants to the garden.
How do you grow Shishito pepper seeds indoors?
I sow shishito pepper seeds indoors under grow lights 8 to 10 weeks before I intend to move the plants to the garden. If you don’t have a grow light, place the pots in a sunny window but turn them every couple of days to encourage the seedlings to grow straight. Start the seeds in pots or cell packs filled with pre-moistened seed-starting mix.