- Variety Info
- Sowing Info
- Growing Info
- Learn More
Variety Info
Days to Maturity: 70–75 days from transplanting
Family: Solanaceae
Type: Sweet Pepper (Learn more)
Native: Americas
Hardiness: Perennial grown as an annual; very frost sensitive.
Exposure: Full sun
Plant Dimensions: 18"–24" tall, 12"–18" wide
Variety Info: 3½"–3 ¾" long, 2½"–2 ¾" wide, thin-walled peppers start out green with cream striping, ripening to shades of yellow and red, then finally chocolate and crimson.
Attributes: Frost Sensitive, Good for Containers
Sowing Info
When to Sow Outside: For Mild Climates only: 2 to 4 weeks after average last frost, when soil temperature is at least 70°F.
When to Start Inside: RECOMMENDED. 8 to 10 weeks before transplanting. Ideal soil temperature for germination is 70°–90°F. Transplant seedlings outside 2 to 4 weeks after your average last frost date, and when daytime temperatures are at least 70°F, and nighttime temperatures are at least 55°F. Mild Climates: May be sown in late summer for fall/winter crop.
Days to Emerge: 10–25 days
Seed Depth: 1/4"
Seed Spacing: Start indoors
Row Spacing: 24"–36"
Thinning: Start indoors, plant seedlings 18" – 24" apart outside
Your hardiness zone is
Growing Info
Harvesting: Peppers can be harvested green or left on the plant to mature to brownish-red with brown, cream, and green striping.
Learn More
Pepper: Sow and Grow Guide- RoxanneRated 5 out of 5 stars11/30/25Very Prolific
I planted 3 Candy Cane Chocolate pepper seeds, 1 in a GreenStalk, 1 in a Grow Tower II, and 1 in a raised bed in the upper garden. All 3 plants grew large and produced delicious peppers prolifically. Each of the plants produced 3 full flushes of more than a dozen peppers. All 3 plants are being overwintered in our mud room which is not "under air," meaning no a/c or heat. They are all alive and well. With this head start, I can't wait to see how many peppers these 3 plants produce in 2026.
BIBotanical Interests12/1/25Hey Roxanne,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your incredible experience with our Candy Cane Chocolate Cherry Sweet Pepper Seeds! We love hearing you had multiple flushes of more than a dozen peppers each! We love that you tested them in different growing setups too - the GreenStalk, Grow Tower II, and raised bed - and they all performed beautifully! That's such great feedback for us and other growers. Your overwintering strategy sounds brilliant, and we're so excited for you that all three plants are thriving in your mud room! With that kind of head start, 2026 is going to be an incredible pepper year for you! Please let us know how it goes! Thanks for sharing this wonderful growing success with us. Keep on growing 🌻️
- Diane P.Verified ReviewerRated 5 out of 5 stars11/28/25Amazing productivity.
I planted four of these beautiful plants in a large pot in a sunny area with my oregano (good companion plant). It is now the end of November. These plants are still thriving, and, still producing! (FYI, I’m in coastal California.)
BIBotanical Interests11/28/25Hey Diane,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience with our Candy Cane Chocolate Cherry Sweet Pepper Seeds! We love hearing that your four plants are still thriving and producing at the end of November - what amazing productivity! It sounds like you've got the perfect setup with that sunny spot and oregano companion planting. Coastal California's climate is definitely ideal for extending that pepper season, and it's so exciting that you're still getting harvests this late in the year. Thanks for sharing your incredible growing success with us. Keep on growing 🌻️
- WendyVerified ReviewerRated 5 out of 5 stars11/10/25Beautiful plant, tasty pepper
I love the varigated leaf on this plant, it was a real standout in the garden. The peppers were prolific and really tasty at any stage, but we really loved them at the red mature stage. So sweet!
Which best describes you as a gardener? ExpertBIBotanical Interests11/20/25Hey Wendy,
Thank you so much for this fantastic 5-star review! We absolutely love that your Candy Cane Chocolate Cherry Sweet Pepper plant was such a real standout in your garden with those gorgeous variegated leaves, and that you discovered just how prolific and deliciously sweet these amazing peppers can be at every stage - especially at that perfect red mature stage!
Your "beautiful plant, tasty pepper" experience with those standout variegated leaves and prolific, super-sweet harvests will be so inspiring for other gardeners who want to discover just how rewarding Candy Cane Chocolate Cherry Sweet Pepper Seeds can be for creating that perfect combination of stunning ornamental beauty and incredible sweet pepper flavor that makes these such special garden treasures!
Keep on growing 🌻️
- Jen G.Verified ReviewerRated 5 out of 5 stars10/23/25Vigorous, prolific, and very tasty
I grew three different kinds of sweet peppers this year and hands down, these were my favorites. The plants themselves were sturdy and produced peppers all season long. I only had two of these plants and was absolutely flush with peppers. The peppers are bigger than I was expecting from photos--maybe half the size of a bell pepper--and of course stunning. And the taste. Oh! Sweet but complex, and when roasted and put in a grilled cheese sandwich, they reminded me of sliced ham. That being said, my favorite way to eat them was raw. The taste was too good to mix with other flavors. Will grow these every year.
Which best describes you as a gardener? IntermediateBIBotanical Interests10/24/25Hey Jen,
Thank you so much for this fantastic 5-star review! "Vigorous, prolific, and very tasty" is exactly what we love to hear about Candy Cane Chocolate Cherry Sweet Pepper Seeds - and we absolutely love that these became your hands-down favorites out of all your sweet pepper varieties this year!
"Absolutely flush with peppers" from just two plants and "bigger than expected" - that's the kind of abundant harvest success that makes gardening so rewarding! And wow, your flavor descriptions have us drooling - "sweet but complex" and that amazing roasted pepper grilled cheese that reminded you of sliced ham sounds incredible! But we totally get why you loved them best eaten raw - sometimes those perfect flavors are just too good to mask with anything else!
Your prolific harvest success and incredible flavor experience will be so inspiring for other gardeners who want to discover just how rewarding and delicious Candy Cane Chocolate Cherry Sweet Pepper Seeds can be for creating those stunning, abundant crops that deliver both beauty and amazing taste all season long!
Keep on growing 🌻️
- Diane P.Verified ReviewerRated 5 out of 5 stars9/30/25Gorgeous and Very Tasty
These grow beautifully in containers and don’t mind being a little crowded. Grown as a group, both foliage and peppers are a real showstopper. Children especially love them.
Tasty in salads and scrambled eggs.
Which best describes you as a gardener? ExpertBIBotanical Interests10/1/25Hey Diane P.,
Thank you so much for the wonderful 5-star review! Your Candy Cane Chocolate Cherry Sweet Peppers are gorgeous! It's awesome that you discovered they don't mind being a little crowded - that's such valuable information for gardeners working with limited space who want maximum impact.
Your creative uses in salads and scrambled eggs sound absolutely delicious. The sweet, mild flavor of these peppers makes them so versatile in the kitchen, and those beautiful colors must make every dish look amazing. It's great to hear the kids are loving them as well!
Your success with container growing and crowd-pleasing results will be so inspiring for other gardeners who want to grow something both beautiful and delicious in their own spaces!
Keep on growing 🌻️