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Shishito pepper

nightshade

Growing reference
Spacing
12 in(1 / sqft)
Trellis
no
Seed indoor
Mar 4(-6 w)
Transplant
Apr 29(+2 w)
Harvest
~14–16 weeks from sowing
Last fall harvest
Oct 15(at frost)
Water
weekly
Seed shelf life
4–5 y
Lifecycle
annual
Seed source
Suzuki Farm

Faster to harvest than bells (~60 days from transplant). Pick green for the classic mild flavor — they redden and grow hotter on the plant. Steady producer once warmed up.

The plant requested by my wife. Reliable from late June through frost.

I picked up two Suzuki Farm seedlings from Mitsuwa Marketplace in 2024 with no specific variety on the tag — just “shishito.” They were star producers: low-effort, near-constant production. I tried to overwinter them indoors after 2024 (didn’t survive — probably watering) and bought fresh seedlings again in 2025.

  1. Sep 19, 2024
    Still going strong (late Sep 2024)
    Still going strong (late Sep 2024)

    By late September the shishitos were still putting out fruit in the deck bed. Picked until first frost.

  2. Jun 17, 2024
    Sharing the bed with cucumber (Jun 2024)
    Sharing the bed with cucumber (Jun 2024)

    Early summer in the deck bed — shishitos filling the middle while cucumber vines started climbing the arch on the side.