Plant Library

Other Names:  Aji Limo

Group/Class:  Hot Chili

Description:

Upright and well branched, this high yielding selection produces an abundance of small, 3" long , thin-walled lemon yellow peppers; bright citrusy flavor with loads of heat; excellent for seafood dishes, salsas, pickling or making delicious hot sauce

Edible Qualities

Lemon Drop Hot Pepper is an annual vegetable plant that is commonly grown for its edible qualities, although it does have ornamental merits as well. It produces small green narrow peppers (which are technically 'berries') which are typically harvested when mature. The fruit will often fade to yellow over time. The peppers have a hot taste and a crisp texture.

The peppers are most often used in the following ways:

• Eating When Cooked/Prepared
• Cooking
• Drying
• Seasoning
• Sauces

Planting & Growing

Lemon Drop Hot Pepper will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 14 inches. When planted in rows, individual plants should be spaced approximately 14 inches apart. Because of its vigorous growth habit, it may require staking or supplemental support. This vegetable plant is an annual, which means that it will grow for one season in your garden and then die after producing a crop.

This plant can be integrated into a landscape or flower garden by creative gardeners, but is usually grown in a designated vegetable garden. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. This plant is a heavy feeder that requires frequent fertilizing throughout the growing season to perform at its best. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Lemon Drop Hot Pepper is a good choice for the vegetable garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.