Crop type: Peppers
Capsicum annuum ‘Topepo Rosso’
Common name: Sweet pepper ‘Topepo Rosso’
Crop slug: peppers
This Allotment Pro editorial draft summarises the cited RHS cultivar profile and its linked crop guidance. Check the sources and adjust cultivation decisions for local conditions.RHS cultivar profile
1 - Overview
‘Topepo Rosso’ is an AGM Italian heirloom sweet pepper growing about 60cm tall. It bears large yields of round, blood-red, pimento-type fruits 7–8cm in diameter. Their flesh is exceptionally thick, crisp and sweet. In Italian cooking the squat hollow fruits are traditionally suited to stuffing with meat or cheese.
The rounded shape is very different from a pointed pepper: fruits are broad and slightly flattened, ripening from green to a deep glossy red.
2 - Size
- Ultimate height
- 0.5–1 metre; about 60cm typical
- Ultimate spread
- 0.1–0.5 metre
- Time to maturity
- one year
- Fruit size
- round pimento fruits about 7–8cm across
Plant one specimen in a container at least 30cm wide, or space ground-grown plants 38–45cm apart. Support the bush as its heavy yield develops.
3 - Growing conditions
- Suitable soils
- Loam or sand
- Moisture
- Moist but well drained, or well drained
- Preferred pH
- Acid, neutral or alkaline
Use fertile moisture-retentive soil or peat-free compost, watering evenly so thick fruits develop without blossom end rot. Feed weekly with high-potassium liquid feed from flowering in containers.
4 - Position and hardiness
- Light
- Full sun
- Aspect
- South- or west-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- Hardiness
- H1c
Grow most reliably on a sunny windowsill, in a greenhouse or similar shelter. Move outdoors only after frost risk has passed and nights stay above 12°C.
5 - Colour and seasonal interest
Bushy green stems carry simple ovate leaves and small white flowers. Fruits start green, become fully rounded and glossy, then mature to a rich blood red. Their squat pimento form and thick walls give a solid, substantial appearance.
6 - Botanical details
- Family
- Solanaceae
- Native to Great Britain and Ireland
- No
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Habit
- Bushy
- Name status
- Accepted
Genus
Capsicum contains annual and perennial plants with simple alternate leaves and white tubular or bell-shaped flowers. Their glossy, many-seeded edible fruits include sweet and chilli peppers.
Safety
Ripe fruit is edible. Do not eat foliage, stems or treated sowing seed.
7 - How to grow
Cultivation
Sow indoors at 18–21°C from mid-February to early March for protected cropping, or late March to early April for outdoor plants. Pot seedlings individually at two true leaves and maintain 16–18°C with strong light.
Plant under cover from late April or outside after hardening off when nights exceed 12°C. Water steadily, feed weekly from flowering and cane the bush. Pick round fruits green or wait until glossy blood red for full sweetness and stuffing quality.
Propagation
Propagate by seed sown indoors in warmth.
Suggested locations
- Greenhouse or conservatory
- Sunny windowsill
- Sheltered patio container
- Polytunnel
- Warm vegetable bed
Pruning
No pruning is required. The tip may be pinched at about 20–30cm to encourage bushiness, although this can delay fruiting.
Pests
May be susceptible to glasshouse red spider mite, whitefly, aphids, slugs and snails. Inspect leaf undersides regularly.
Diseases
May be susceptible to grey mould and blossom end rot. Ventilate and maintain even root moisture.