Until a few years ago, famous hot pepper of Emcelli Village of Manisa (Turkey), was a popular variety in the region. Then, Turkish Government changed the agriculture zoning law, and farm land in the region has significantly shrunk since then, putting Emcelli and other traditionally grown seeds in the region and across the country in danger.
Emcelli has excellent flavor with a healthy amount of heat. Flesh is thin and crunchy. Fruits have conical shape with wide shoulders and can grow as long as 5 inches. Deep green color ripens to bright red at seed maturity. This pepper is great for dolma (stuffed pepper) recipes. Plants are productive.
Packet has min. 20 seeds
Commercially introduced by us in the U.S.
Phonetically introduced: em-gel-lee (‘g’ as in giant)
- Capsicum annuum
- Full sun
- Planting depth: 1/4″
- Sprouts in 10-14 days
- Ideal growing temperature: 75-95F
- Plant spacing: 18″
- Frost hardy: No
- Growth habit: Upright growth with short or long branches that grow away from the stem
- Growing tips: Start pepper seeds indoors in seedling trays or small seedling pots with seed starting soil that has essential nutrients in it, 6-8 weeks prior to last frost. Keep the soil moist for quick germination. Make sure to keep the young pepper seedlings under good light to have strong plants with sturdy, healthy stems and leaves. Transplant after last frost in well-drained, fertile soil enrichened with compost and other amendments. Feed your pepper plants with liquid fertilizer once every two weeks. Water regularly especially in flower stage. Mulch and always water at plant base to minimize disease. Some pepper varieties are taller than others and may need to be tied to a stake so that fruits don’t touch soil and rot.
Grew well in the Seattle area, very productive.