GUAM BOONIE ,HOT PEPPER Seeds (Capsicum frutescens)

Excellent for flavoring a variety of dishes. Great for adding a zesty kick to homemade salsa or chili. Preserve by canning, drying, or freezing. Wash fruits, vegetables and herbs thoroughly before eating.

Sometimes called bird's eye chili, the boonie pepper (Capsicum frutescens) is a strain of hot pepper widely grown on the island of Guam. The nearly 6-foot-tall plants take up to four months to produce a crop of slender, 1-inch-long fruit, so they perform best in warmer areas with long, hot summers and mild winters. Boonie peppers reproduce best from seed, which must be sown indoors. The seeds germinate quickly if kept under warm, moderately moist conditions.

This pepper is so attractive it can stand on it’s own as an ornamental potted plant or garden accent. As the fruit develops it may turn a range of colors from green to gold and orange until finally maturing to a deep red. The peppers are spicy hot and are often used to flavor sauces or salsa.

Plant Details

Green Thumb Tip!

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.

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.

 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.

 Peppers do very well grown in pots.