Chinese 5 Color Peppers

We try to plant something new every year. In January, while we were looking through the Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds catalog, we found these Chinese 5 Color Peppers.

The catalog describes them like this:

Screaming hot little peppers turn a rainbow of vibrant colors; from purple, cream, yellow, orange to red as they ripen. Need I say ornamental? The plants are great for containers inside. Just pick a few any time to liven up your salsa.

We ordered the seed and planted them inside in early March. All the seeds germinated, apparently, and we had enough plants to make a border around the flower bed in the front yard.

They are so pretty. Sometimes, visitors think the little purple peppers are flowers until they look closely. Can you see the more mature ones at the bottom that are changing color? The plants are about eighteen inches high, and this one has fallen over on the walk.

I am not brave enough to taste them. Hub cut one open and the fumes made our eyes water and our throats itch. I picked enough to make two pints of pepper sauce. I don't know if we will use it all, but it was worth the effort just to display in the kitchen.

I plan to save some mature peppers for seed in the fall. Let me know if you would like some seed to try next year.

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