The sweet bell pepper was grown as early as 1681 by enslaved Africans in Panama. It was introduced to North America most likely from the West Indies by the early 1700s. Bernard McMahon included “Bell” peppers in The American Gardener’s Calendar (1806), and Thomas Jefferson recorded Bull Nose Pepper in his 1812 garden calendar. Jefferson’s Bull Nose likely resembled the heavily lobed, 3-4”, sweet pepper we know today.
For more information & the possible availability for purchase
Contact The Tho Jefferson Center for Historic Plants or The Shop at Monticello
