Shishito pepper
Capsicum annuum 'Shishito'
Small, slender, bright green fruits with wrinkled, glossy skin and a slender stem, typically harvested while still green before full botanical maturity.
- Light
- Full sun, requiring 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight per day.
- Water
- Moderate and regular watering. Keep the soil consistently moist, allowing the top inch to dry out between waterings. Avoid drought stress to prevent blossom drop and poor fruit set.
- Growth
- Upright, branching herbaceous annual (or short-lived tender perennial) growing 1 to 2 feet tall with a similar spread, exhibiting a moderate growth rate.
Care instructions
Provide full sun with at least 6 to 8 hours of direct light daily. Water consistently to keep the soil evenly moist but never waterlogged. Plant in well-draining, fertile soil enriched with organic matter. Apply a balanced, slow-release fertilizer during the active growing season to support continuous fruit development.
Growing details
Sunlight
Full sun, requiring 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight per day.
Watering
Moderate and regular watering. Keep the soil consistently moist, allowing the top inch to dry out between waterings. Avoid drought stress to prevent blossom drop and poor fruit set.
Soil
Well-draining, loamy soil rich in organic matter with a slightly acidic to neutral pH range of 6.0 to 6.8.
Hardiness zone
Typically grown as an annual in USDA hardiness zones 2 through 11, or perennial in frost-free tropical zones 10-11.
Growth habit
Upright, branching herbaceous annual (or short-lived tender perennial) growing 1 to 2 feet tall with a similar spread, exhibiting a moderate growth rate.
Bloom season
Summer to early autumn, producing small, star-shaped white flowers followed by the characteristic green fruit development.
Propagation
Propagated primarily from seeds sown indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost, or directly in warm soil where conditions permit.
Common pests & issues
Prone to aphids, spider mites, and whiteflies. Diseases include powdery mildew, bacterial leaf spot, and blossom end rot caused by irregular watering and calcium deficiency.
Similar species
Padrón pepper, which has a similar small, wrinkled green appearance but can be distinguished by subtle variations in fruit shape, pungency distribution, and specific regional cultivar characteristics.