Bishop's crown

Quick facts

Category

fruiting

Difficulty

intermediate

Days to harvest

100 to 130 days

Harvest type

continuous production over weeks or months

Spacing

75 cm between plants

Environment

Temperature

18–30°C

pH

5.8 to 6.8

EC (hydroponic)

1.8 to 2.6 mS/cm

Daily light

22 to 32 mol/m²/day (strict, will fail outside this range)

Climate and zones

USDA zones

9 to 13 (winter low around -7°C or warmer)

Frost tolerance

frost sensitive (dies at first frost)

Season

warm (summer crops, frost-sensitive)

Viable growing environments:

• outdoor in growing season (annual)
• unheated greenhouse / hoop house
• heated greenhouse
• indoor (heated home)
• indoor hydroponics under grow lights

USDA zone bounds reflect outdoor year-round survival. Anywhere outside the bounded zone range, this crop still grows as an annual in the warm months (outdoor_seasonal), under cover (greenhouse), or indoors under lights.

Growing systems

Bishop's crown works in:

• drip / Dutch buckets
• media bed (ebb and flow)
• soil bed

Growing media

The substrate the roots sit in. Choice depends on the system (clay pebbles don't fit NFT channels; rockwool isn't used in media beds) and the crop (bishop's crown works in the media listed below).

Bacterial surface area matters for aquaponics: clay pebbles, lava rock, and pumice double as biofilter substrate. Low-surface media (rockwool, perlite, pea gravel) work in hydroponics but need a separate biofilter in aquaponics.

Nutrient demand by stage

NPK ratios are relative weights at each growth stage; the nutrient mix calculator scales them to absolute grams or ml. EC targets shift through the plant's life: seedlings need a much lighter solution than fruiting adults.

Companion-growing notes

• Heavy uptake of potassium, calcium. Co-grown crops with the same demand will end up deficient even at "correct" EC. Plan around this in shared reservoirs.

Aquaponics suitability

Compatible with typical aquaponics nutrient profiles. Fish waste provides enough nitrogen for healthy growth; supplemental potassium, calcium, and iron may still be needed depending on fish stocking density.

Care notes

A specialty pepper for hobbyist hydroponic growers who want unusual varieties. EC 2.0-3.0 mS/cm. pH 5.8-6.5. Temperature: 22–30°C (C. baccatum species prefer warm conditions). High light (DLI 18-25 mol/m2/day). Plants are large and benefit from staking or caging. The long growing season (100-120 days to ripe fruit) means this variety is best suited to greenhouse or indoor growing where the season can extend beyond outdoor limits. Fruiting is moderate: 15-30 fruits per plant over a season. The unusual shape makes individual fruits larger than they appear; each fruit weighs 15–30 g. For culinary use, separate the sweet wing lobes (for salads, salsas, or raw eating) from the hot central core (for sauces or as a heat element). The fruits are visually striking and make excellent gifts or farmers' market conversation pieces. Calcium supplementation during fruiting prevents blossom end rot. A fun specialty crop, though not as productive per square meter as more conventional pepper varieties. The unusual fruit shape dries well and makes attractive kitchen decorations or holiday ornaments.

Further reading

• Getting started with hydroponics: which system to build first
• Understanding nutrient solutions: N-P-K, micronutrients, and why your lettuce turned yellow