All-America Selections
Family
Solanaceae
Botanical Name
Capsicum annuum 'Mariachi'( Grossum Group)
Plant Common Name
Bell Pepper, Mariachi Bell Pepper, Mariachi Hot Pepper
General Description
A 2006 All American Selection, 'Mariachi' is a disease-resistant F1 hybrid that bears blocky, spicy, large, pointed fruits that ripen to red about 85 days after planting. The flavorful peppers are large and quite mild for a "hot pepper" but pack a good bit of spice along with the sweetness one would expect from a fleshy bell. Plants are vigorous and prolific!
Native to tropical America, bell peppers are annuals or short-lived perennials that were grown and selected for millenia by Native Americans. Their specific region of origin is still unknown due to distribution by man. Peppers became available to Europeans when the New and Old worlds connected. Since then, many unique selections have been developed in the Americas and Europe.
Peppers are bushy plants with rigid, brittle stems and thin, broad, dark green leaves. Their flowers are inconspicuous, five-petaled and white. This cultivar bears firm, fleshy, cylindrical, slightly tapering fruits that mature from green to rich orange, becoming sweeter as they ripen. Their hollow, chambered interior is lined with spongy ribbing which supports many small, flattened, rounded seeds. Bell peppers are all members of the Grossum group, distinguished by their large, distinctively shaped fruits.
Bell peppers are warm season vegetables that are easy to grow, if you can provide them with the correct conditions. Full sun, warmth, fertile, perfectly drained soil and regular feeding are required for good growth and fruit production. In frost free zones winter planting may work best. Proper spacing will keep diseases at bay and help with fruit production. Mulch peppers well to reduce weeds and maintain an evenly moist soil.
Peppers can be ornamental as well as tasty, so enjoy them as bedding or container plants as well as vegetable garden standbys.
