Yes, I did very well with Red Rocoto here in Wisconsin. I grew it in pots and it produced abundantly. I would suggest growing these in pots as most peppers do much better this way. I have seriously cut them back (tops and roots) and moved them inside on a windowsill now as they should produce for many years. It is a great pepper with well-rounded heat. I tried it for the first time this year and it is definitely one of my favorites.

Lyle

About the only C. Pubescens readily available are the several versions of Rocoto also called Manzano. They have a long growing season (120 days), so you would probably need a green house or substitute. The red seems to be the most popular.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rocoto pepper

I used to think a rocoto was a manzano until I was corrected on another forum. They are both cultivars of c pubescens but a rocoto is not a manzano.

Here is a link that might be useful: other forum

If you plant a pepper plant in a pot it will cause the plant to mature earlier. I've found that when a plant gets root bound in a pot it hastens its maturity. I've grown Rocoto and Manzano peppers both in 5 gallon buckets and they did quite well.

Alan

We grew a rocoto in a grow tub and found out the rocoto takes over, drapes over the side. It is a beautiful pepper but wants plenty of space to grow. Definitely this is one worth growing again. We live in zone 4, rocotos did great.

Jackie

So is everyone in cooler zones growing them indoors? If I planted them out in the middle of May (after growing them indoors for 3 months after sprouting) and my first frost is the middle of October would I get any ripe fruit??

It sounds like your growing season is similar to mine. No, I do not grow mine indoors. I started the seeds indoors in late February, but moved them out as soon as the weather allows. I brought them inside a month ago so that I they can survive the winter and then I will bring them out again in spring.

I've grown Manzanos (yellow ones)for several years with mixed results. The best results have been with potted ones. They are different from other peppers in that they like partial sun. If they are potted you can move them around to the ideal sun conditions. I also bring some of them in for the winter but have found that they don't produce as well the 2nd year.
John A

Note from the taxonomy police:

All manzanos are capsicum pubescens
All rocotos are capsicum pubescens
Not all capsicum pubescens are not manzanos/rocotos

Mister Al/Alan said, "If you plant a pepper plant in a pot it will cause the plant to mature earlier. I've found that when a plant gets root bound in a pot it hastens its maturity."

I'll second that! Or... my jalapenos will second that, actually. :)

-Megan

So being root bound hastens the maturity of pubescens varieties- does it make sense then to plant them more tightly together if you have a short season to hasten fruit production??

Being root bound will hasten the maturity of any pepper plant, not just the C. Pubescen varieties. This may work on tomatoes and other plants as well, but I only noticed it with my pepper plants.

If you plant them in the ground, but more tightly together, you probably won't notice any difference other than they will grow taller with less branching. The roots have to be in a confined space to make a difference.

Alan

Is there a particular variety of pubescens that mature more rapidly than the others?