(Capsicum anuum) 'Buena Mulata' is a stunner of a cayenne-type that bears prolifically on tall plants. Fruits start deep purple and morph through a rainbow of creamy yellow, salmon, and orange before fully maturing to red. Plants are quite ornamental, hanging with fruits of all maturity stages simultaneously. Depending on how they are to be used and what flavors you prefer to highlight, they can be eaten at any stage (more savory and vegetal towards the purple side of maturity, more sweet and fruity towards the red end), but they pack plenty of heat at any stage.

Happily, the story of these peppers is beginning to be well-known and widespread. They trace back through Horace Pippin, one of the most influential American artists of the first half of the 20th century, a self-taught painter whose work spans subjects of war, racial segregation, landscape, and portraiture. Fortunately for us, his legacy is also a window into the culinary and agricultural tradition of the Black community of the Philadelphia and Baltimore area during that time period, as he was an avid seed collector. These along with several other varieties (some like the "Fish" pepper are now widely available) were discovered in the basement freezer of William Woys Weaver's grandfather after his death. Pippin had traded seeds with Weaver's grandfather in exchange for "bee sting therapy" for a war injury to his arm. William Woys Weaver, a well-known seedsman and food historian, grew out the seeds and made them, and importantly, their stories, available through his Roughwood Seed Collection, from which their popularity has spread. These seeds and their stories are an important living agricultural legacy.
100 days. UO

Packet: approx. 30 seeds

[split]

Growing Info

SOWING:

Indoors, 6-8 weeks before your last frost date.

Transplant out after danger of frost (50+ nighttime temps).

Note: Protect well from the cold!

PLANTING DEPTH:

1/4"

SPACING:

12-24" spacing in rows 24-36" apart.

EMERGENCE:

7-14 days @ soil temp 70-85F

LIGHT:

Full sun

FERTILITY:

Moderate-Heavy. Prefer well-drained, fertile soil with ample phosphorous and calcium (too little calcium can cause blossom end rot) and a pH between 6.5-6.8.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

Pepper seeds germinate very slowly and poorly in cold soil. Keep soil temperatures at 80-90F while germinating, and grow plants at 70F.

After transplanting, use a floating row cover to keep plants warmer during the day and protect them from cold nights. Remove as temperatures increase. Too much heat can cause blossom drop.

Taller varieties benefit from staking.

Harvesting ripe fruit consistently encourages fruit production.

Hot Pepper, 'Buena Mulata'