Little River Cooperative
DATIL PEPPER (CAPSICUM CHINENSE) 30 SEEDS
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The Datil pepper is Floridas most famous heirloom pepper and for good reason. This thumb shaped bright orange pepper is perfectly flavored and spiced for making world class hot sauce. The true origin of the Datil pepper is still a mystery although experts in its hometown of St. Augustine say it might have been brought to the new world by immigrants from Minorca. Its "scoville scale" score is 100,000-300,000 which is around the same kick as a habanero, but with a sweet and tangy flesh too. Most of the heat is concentrated in the seeds so you can control it a bit while cooking if you remove some seed & pith (the white stuff the seeds are adhered to inside of the pepper).
The residents of St. Augustine are so proud of their little heirloom beauty that they even have an annual Datil Pepper Festival where local vendors sell jellies, jams and hot sauces and they even crown a local maiden as the "Datil Queen".
We love the Datil pepper not just for its local roots and its flavor but also because the plant is very easy to grow and prolific. Here in the tropics hot peppers can be grown as a summer tolerant perennial and we've seen Datil plants that are 2-3 years old and resemble small shrubby trees instead of average pepper plants.
Plant and growing tips: Peppers are pretty easy to germinate from seed. Plant seeds 1/4 inch deep in premoistened potting mix in a small pot or seedling tray. Keep cells moist in partial shade until germination, when they can be moved to full sun exposure. Seeds take 7 days to germinate. We recommend starting peppers in a controlled environment instead of direct seeding right into your garden. In the tropics hot peppers are perennial, so plants can become small shrubs up to 3 feet in diameter if left to mature. Otherwise annual peppers should be spaced 18 inches in the garden. Plant in full sun or partial shade (no less than 6 hours of direct sun).
All seeds were harvested from our urban farm and plant nursery in 2020. Seed packages are hand silkscreened by Gold Teeth Brooklyn, a handmade stationery company based in Los Angeles.
Seeds have been tested for reliable germination in our nursery at 80 degree daytime temperatures. We recommend using them within 1 year of date of purchase.
Please note: because we are a working farm we only ship seed orders once weekly so please be patient with your package. If you need a rush shipment please email us and we will do our best to accommodate.
Materials
Materials
Shipping & Returns
Shipping & Returns
We ship plant orders every Monday. Due to the nature of shipping plants we only offer expedited shipping for our live plant orders. Our returns & exchanges policy is also quite strict since its hard to control the quality of a plant once it leaves our facility, however we do our very best to make sure that each and every customer is satisfied with their plants. Read more about our policies here.
Size
Size
Care Instructions
Care Instructions
When you receive your plant its critical to get it out of its box and into the light the day it arrives. It will also want to be removed from its compostable plastic wrapping and given fresh water to drink. Keep in mind, this plant was grown in the tropical humid climate of South Florida, so if it's terribly cold or dry where you are it'll need to be hardened off before planting outdoors. Visit our care instructions page for more thorough info about caring for your new plant friend.




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What Our Customers Have to Say:
This is a great, local organization with really knowledgeable & friendly staff. They make gardening easy and accessible, and I've purchased many high quality plants and equipment from them.
-Kate Black (5 star google review) -
And Another One:
How lucky we are to have a resource like Little River Cooperative here in Miami, not only for the access they offer to a great selection of plants and produce, but also for the knowledge they provide and the sense of community they foster!
-Nick Vagnoni (5 star google review)