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'Carmen' Peppers

Sub-Category:	Sweet

Sub-Category 2:
Description:	Early, sweet, Italian-type hybrid pepper. Upright, 28-inch by 16-inch plants bear wide-shouldered, horn-shaped fruit that mature from green to red. 2006 All America Selection. See Cornito Rosso for a smaller version of Carmen and Corno di Toro Red.
	AAS Winner in the year 2006
Days To Maturity:	75
Seed Sources:	Totally Tomato - updated in 2018

Rating Summary

Overall: (4.4 Stars) Taste: (4.4 Stars) Yield: (4.3 Stars) Ease/Reliability: (4.2 Stars)

Reviews

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Number of Reviews: 22

Posted Pictures by Reviewers:

KEY: O=Overall Rating, T=Taste, Y=Yield, E=Ease

Reviewed on 01/28/2023 by oldVermonter - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Rutland, Vermont, United States Frost Free Season: 123 - 143 days Soil Texture: Sand Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
I have been growing Carmen for around 12 years now...we froze ~80 lbs of cut up fruit last year (no other prep required). Oven-roasted, they are like candy, and the skins are not at all bitter. In my area, Carmen requires an early start, under row covers. If you wait for warm weather to transplant, the fruits may not have time to ripen (though they are very good green). Be prepared to stake the plants as they start setting fruit, otherwise the weight of the fruit will cause them to fall over.

Reviewed on 09/25/2022 by Linda J - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Broome, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days Soil Texture: Loam Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20') Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
Can\'t grow a decent bell pepper but Carmen, a bull\'s horn type is very reliable and really sweet. Great for fresh snacking. Also did well in containers.

Reviewed on 06/20/2020 by Pekin Gardener - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Tazewell, Illinois, United States Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
Carmen is a winner! Here in central Illinois the plants grow to nearly 3 feet tall and produce large crops of uniformly large brilliantly red peppers. Fruits are thick-walled, ideal for roasting on the grill. Once roasted, the blackened skin slips off easily. Just 5 or 6 plants in our garden gave enough peppers to enjoy freshly roasted on brats, in stir fries, in salads. And the surplus we canned & froze so we had roasted peppers all winter. As an experiment I tossed several just-picked peppers into the freezer and then tried roasting the frozen pepper without thawing. The result was not quite as good in texture as when starting with fresh fruit, but just as tasty.

Reviewed on 02/04/2018 by Irv - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Rensselaer, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
High yielding. Great for in sauces & saute. Planting it for 3rd year.

Reviewed on 05/18/2017 by Irv - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Rensselaer, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
Started indoors under lights and heat pad April 1. Set out May 16 at soil temp 75F. Past years set out around June 1. High yield, great taste.

Reviewed on 01/23/2015 by Debbie L - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Orange, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days Soil Texture: Loam Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
Very tasty and prolific.

Reviewed on 12/05/2012 by ClaudiaH. - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Cortland, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
Carmen is a very prolific producer. Many fruits with sweet flavor.

Reviewed on 11/16/2012 by Roger1963 - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Schuyler, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 103 - 123 days Soil Texture: Loam Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40') Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
I liked the pepper but we did get some brown spots on the fruit. Nice size and drought tolerant.

Reviewed on 10/30/2012 by Chautauqua CCE - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Chautauqua, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days Soil Texture: Loam Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
Nice large fruit and high yield but none of ours matured to red by the end of our growing season. Tasty variety though.

Reviewed on 10/28/2012 by CCE Oneida County - An intermediate gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Oneida, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days Soil Texture: Loam Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
Not all plants produced equally. Those that did had long horn shaped fruit. Some fruit turned a nice red color.

Reviewed on 10/22/2012 by nmeohen1 - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Cortland, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 103 - 123 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day

Reviewed on 10/19/2012 by CCE Seneca County - An intermediate gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Seneca, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20') Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
Interesting long, horn-shaped fruit that was quite large, but none ripened to red as of end of September.

Reviewed on 10/05/2012 by Murphytwo - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Wayne, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40') Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
Fast growing: 6 1/2 inch long green at 47 days. Red at 60 days. Not suitable for stuffing.

1 of 1 gardener found this review helpful.

Reviewed on 09/25/2012 by Debbie L - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Orange, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days Soil Texture: Loam Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
Nice tasting pepper. Easy to grow with a pretty high yield. Excellent for frying.

Reviewed on 01/02/2011 by Henbogle - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Sagadahoc, Maine, United States Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
Carmen proved tasty and prolific in my Maine garden this past summer. The plants were productive, producing an average of almost three pounds of red-ripe peppers per plant, which they did beautifully, not always the case in Maine. They were delicious roasted, with nice thick walls and fewer seeds/membranes than previous peppers I have tried. I grew them on IRT mulch in an intensively planted space and they did beautifully. We did have one early hot spell which might have impeded pollination or increased blossom drop, but it affected all my peppers so can't really complain. I will grow them again next year, also on IRT mulch. They were delicious roasted and marinated.

Reviewed on 01/29/2010 by WeedyWagner - An intermediate gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Wake, North Carolina, United States Frost Free Season: More than 203 days Soil Texture: Loam Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20') Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
These work nicely as a sweet pepper when picked red. They do have a bit of bite when eaten raw, however, so work best in cooked dishes. Too long and narrow for stuffing, IMO. 3-foot plants are pest-free and productive all summer.

Reviewed on 05/14/2009 by VT gardener - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Chittenden, Vermont, United States Frost Free Season: 103 - 123 days Soil Texture: Loam Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
My Carmen peppers were more of a bell shape that horn. I found the walls very thick and excellent for roasting. They ripened much earlier that the Carnival mix. Better producers. Great sweet pepper flavor. They were in all the nurseries a few years ago....now I can't find the plants anywhere. Luckily I saved seeds.

Reviewed on 03/25/2009 by rolarase - An intermediate gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	St. Lawrence, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 123 - 143 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
While I'm more a hot-pepper gal than a sweetie, I deem Carmen to be an exceptional sweet pepper: Heavy yield, wonderful taste (especially roasted), reliable even in less-than-optimal conditions. And zone 3 growing is ALWAYS less than optimal! In '08 I grew some from saved seed - even tho it's a hybrid- and they were funny-looking, skinny and long, but still tasty.

Reviewed on 02/06/2009 by mrmcgregor - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Cortland, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 123 - 143 days Soil Texture: Loam Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
2008 was a difficult year with a beautiful early Summer turning cold and wet through Aug. and Sept. Carmen did best of all the sweet peppers. All my sweet peppers suffered from rot, and insects getting into the fruit. Carmen produced 5 or 6 red per plant, and many more green. Godfather produced 2 or 3 red per plant, and Ace Hybrid produced no red. So, it was a bad year, but Carmen passed.

Reviewed on 10/21/2008 by Caroline - An intermediate gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Tompkins, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days Soil Texture: Loam Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
I grew these in large pots, in a medium of half soilless mix and half compost. Yield was good (~12 ripe peppers per plant, during a cool summer) and taste was terrific, especially when red.

Reviewed on 08/15/2008 by smurfette0424 -
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Montgomery, Maryland, United States Frost Free Season: Soil Texture: Garden Size: Sun Exposure:
Not productive. My one plant has given me just a couple peppers. It may be my location and soil, though-- I've only been able to grow Banana Supreme, Salsa, and small bell peppers with any success.

Reviewed on 12/11/2007 by BPippin - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Ontario, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days Soil Texture: Loam Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40') Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
Tried this Johnny's pepper and was very happy with the crop. They are bright red and prolific. Much like a bell type except with the long shape that is characteristic of the Italian "bull horn" peppers. Easier to turn red and more prolific than the bell types.

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