- Heirloom
- No heat
- 77 days to maturity (from transplant)
- 0 SHU
- Green
Emerald Giant
Heirloom no heat pepper from United States, 1963. Thick-walled bell usually picked green; True Leaf Market calls it very sweet. Ready in about 77 days from transplant.
Single source · Updated Sep 27, 2026 · Values marked like this (estimated) are estimates.
At a glance
- Heat
- No heat 0 SHU
- Pod
- Ribbed 5–8 oz (150–230 g) (estimated)
Blocky, mostly four-lobed bell about 115 mm long and 90 mm wide, thick-walled, glossy dark green ripening to red.
- Species
- Capsicum annuum
- Days to harvest
- 77 days from transplant · Midseason
- Plant height
- 1½–2 ft (46–61 cm) Compact
- Spacing
- 15 × 30 in (38 × 76 cm)
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Position
- Handles open positions
- Growing sites
- Greenhouse · Open ground · Container
- Container growing
- Balcony friendly min. 5 gal (20 L) pot (estimated)
- Difficulty
- Easy-moderate (estimated) 2/5
- Skin
-
- Green
- Red
Heat
Scoville heat units
No heat
Emerald Giant Scoville heat units: 0 SHU
No heat at all, the band California Wonder and Jimmy Nardello sit in. Sweet enough to eat raw by the handful, and it includes Habanada, a habanero with the heat bred out.
Flavor
“Thick-walled bell usually picked green; True Leaf Market calls it very sweet.”
Growing calendar
77 days from transplant Midseason
Timing shown for temperate climates; sow indoors 7–9 (estimated) weeks before your last frost date. Look up your last frost date by ZIP code →
Disease resistance
- T Tobacco mosaic virus
Uses & tags
- Stuffing
- Fresh & salads
- Roasting
- Heirloom classic
- High yield
Origin
Emerald Giant is a large green bell pepper released in 1963, and both sources agree on the date: True Leaf Market says it was developed that year, and the Vegetable Cultivar Descriptions compendium credits it to Northrup, King and Co., also 1963, describing mostly four-lobed fruit with thick flesh, dark green turning red at maturity. True Leaf Market lists it as open-pollinated Capsicum annuum with no heat, 77 days from transplant, fruit 4 1/2 inches long by 3 1/2 inches wide, a plant selected to carry heavy loads, and resistance to tobacco mosaic virus.
Sources
Where to buy seeds
Prices rechecked dailyLinks may earn us a commission at no cost to you. Prices checked Oct 16, 2026.
All photos
Questions
How do you grow a Emerald Giant plant?
A Emerald Giant plant grows 1½–2 ft (46–61 cm) tall. Space plants 15 in (38 cm) apart in rows 30 in (76 cm) apart. Start seed indoors 7–9 weeks before your last frost (estimated); it germinates in 7–10 days. It needs full sun.
How long does Emerald Giant take to mature?
Emerald Giant is ready in about 77 days from transplant.
How hot is Emerald Giant?
Emerald Giant sits in the no heat range, about 0–0 Scoville heat units. Figures vary between seed sellers, so treat them as a band rather than a measurement.
Can Emerald Giant be grown in a container?
Yes — Emerald Giant grows well in a container of at least 20 L (5 gal).
Is Emerald Giant resistant to disease?
Emerald Giant carries documented resistance to Tobacco mosaic virus.
