- Heirloom
- No heat
- 90 (estimated) days to maturity (from transplant)
- 0–100 SHU
- Red
Jimmy Nardello
Jimmy Nardello's · Nardello
Heirloom no heat pepper from Italy. Long, thin-walled, slightly curved red fruit grown for frying and for eating raw, with no perceptible heat. Ready in about 90 days from transplant.
Single source · Updated Sep 19, 2026 · Values marked like this (estimated) are estimates.
At a glance
- Heat
- No heat 0–100 SHU
- Pod
- Elongated ~1 oz (20–35 g) (estimated)
Long tapering pods 15 to 23 cm long and only about 2.5 cm across at the shoulder, thin-walled and slightly curved.
- Species
- Capsicum annuum
- Days to harvest
- 90 days (estimated) from transplant · Mid-late
- Plant height
- 2 ft (61 cm) Medium height
- Spacing
- 18 × 24 in (46 × 61 cm) (estimated)
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Position
- Handles open positions
- Growing sites
- Greenhouse · Open ground
- Container growing
- Not suited to pots
- Difficulty
- Easy-moderate (estimated) 2/5
- Skin
-
- Red
Heat
Scoville heat units
No heat
Jimmy Nardello Scoville heat units: 0–100 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
“Long, thin-walled, slightly curved red fruit grown for frying and for eating raw, with no perceptible heat.”
Growing calendar
90 (estimated) days from transplant Mid-late
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
No documented disease resistances — protect this variety with good airflow and crop rotation.
Uses & tags
- Fresh & salads
- Snacking
- Roasting
- Heirloom classic
- High flavor
- Kid friendly
Origin
Jimmy Nardello is an Italian frying pepper that reached the United States with the Nardello family, who carried seed from Italy in 1887 and named the variety for their son. Seed Savers Exchange lists it as an open-pollinated Italian cultivar and has kept it in circulation; the Vegetable Cultivar Descriptions compendium records the same origin and describes plants around 610 mm tall. It is grown for frying and for eating raw rather than for heat: seed suppliers place it at the bottom of the Scoville range, below 100 units.
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 Jimmy Nardello plant?
A Jimmy Nardello plant grows 2 ft (61 cm) tall. Space plants 18 in (46 cm) apart in rows 24 in (61 cm) apart (estimated). Start seed indoors 7–9 weeks before your last frost (estimated); it germinates in 7–21 days. It needs full sun.
How long does Jimmy Nardello take to mature?
Jimmy Nardello is ready in about 90 days from transplant.
How hot is Jimmy Nardello?
Jimmy Nardello sits in the no heat range, about 0–100 Scoville heat units. Figures vary between seed sellers, so treat them as a band rather than a measurement.
Can Jimmy Nardello be grown in a container?
Jimmy Nardello is better suited to open ground or a greenhouse bed than a container.
Is Jimmy Nardello resistant to disease?
No disease resistance is documented for Jimmy Nardello.
