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Sweet pepper has long been firmly established in the backyards of gardeners, despite its southern origin. It was once believed that in the middle lane, and even more so in the Urals and Siberia, bell pepper can be grown exclusively in greenhouse conditions, and pepper in open-air beds is exclusively the prerogative of the southern regions of Our Country. But the emergence of new varieties and the experiments of tireless gardeners made it possible for many to realize that not everything is as complicated as it seemed at first glance. Nevertheless, beginners usually approach the choice of a suitable variety with great responsibility and caution – I really want to get a good and tasty harvest of such an attractive southern crop as sweet pepper the first time.
Pepper California miracle can, without any doubt, be advised to both beginners and professionals. After all, it is not for nothing that this variety has been enjoying such popularity for many decades both in our country and around the world. It seems that he has absorbed all the advantages of most varieties of sweet peppers, and he has practically no disadvantages. The characteristics of the fruits and the description of the California miracle pepper variety, discussed in this article, will help those who doubt to finally make their choice, and beginners to grow a decent harvest.
Variety description
Among professionals, and even among many summer residents, it is widely believed that the fruits of bell pepper that are really high in size and taste characteristics can only be obtained by growing hybrids. Varieties can also be used for harvesting, but in terms of basic characteristics they are significantly inferior to hybrids. An exception can only be certain new varieties, the properties of which are close to the characteristics of hybrids.
It looks like the California Miracle pepper variety is an exception here. After all, this variety has been known in the world and in Our Country for a very long time. It is believed that it was bred in America about a hundred years ago and came to our country through amateur gardeners who began to grow it on their plots and distribute it throughout the country. Today, almost every self-respecting seed company offers California Miracle pepper seeds with their own variations. Even the cultivar names may vary slightly. It is sometimes called the Miracle of California or even in the English manner – California Wonder.
Be that as it may, this variety of pepper, even in Our Country, has been grown for many decades, and you can’t call it new. Nevertheless, in many of its characteristics, it may well compete with most hybrids, and in terms of unpretentiousness in cultivation, even surpass them.
Judge for yourself – the bushes of this pepper grow powerful, with thick trunks, with good foliage and elastic shoots that can hold up to one and a half dozen large full-fledged fruits at the same time. Despite the fact that bushes can reach a height of 100 cm, they do not need a garter.
The experience of cultivating California miracle pepper in many regions of Our Country and reviews about it indicate that almost everywhere, except for the most northern regions, it may well be grown in open ground. Although, of course, in greenhouses and hotbeds, its yield will be slightly higher.
The ripening period that characterizes the California miracle pepper is average. That is, it takes about 115-120 days for the fruit to ripen from the moment of the appearance of full shoots. True, it should be noted that by this time the peppers become quite edible and even tasty, but their color is still green. In order for them to turn into a rich red, yellow or orange color, it is necessary that another 15-25 days pass. This is where one of the features and possible disadvantages of this variety lies – in order for it to reach full biological ripeness, it needs a little more time than many other varieties.
But in order to obtain seeds from their peppers for sowing next year, it is necessary to wait for the biological maturity of the fruit. For these purposes, as a rule, the most powerful and productive bush is chosen and several of the largest fruits are left to ripen on it.
However, you can do it differently. Just harvest at the stage of technical maturity and put on ripening. In a few weeks, all peppers will acquire the color shade assigned to them by their biological properties, and the seeds from them will be suitable for sowing.
Plants of the California miracle are particularly resistant to stress and endure many weather adversities – lack of sun and lighting, low temperatures and others. This, of course, will affect the harvest, but the fruits will still be tied up and will still be juicy and sweet.
The variety is also resistant to many diseases, such as verticillium wilt and tobacco mosaic virus. It is resistance to disease, apparently, that allowed this variety to exist for so many years, changing little and traveling around the globe.
Colorful family of peppers
Traditionally, California Miracle peppers turn red when biologically ripe. But time does not stand still, and along with the fashion for multi-colored peppers, varieties of the California miracle of other colors appeared: yellow, golden, orange and even black.
Pepper California miracle yellow has been grown for quite a long time, and differs from the red counterpart only in even thicker fruit walls (up to 12 mm), while other colored varieties appeared later.
All these multi-colored representatives of the California miracle pepper do not differ from each other in anything other than color. All the most significant characteristics, including ripening time and yield, are identical.
Fruit Characteristics
The fruits of the California miracle peppers fully justify the name of the variety with their appearance.
- Peppers have a fairly common cuboid shape with well-defined four ribs.
- The fruit surface is shiny and smooth.
- The color of peppers, as already mentioned, at the stage of biological maturity can be red, yellow, gold, orange or black, depending on the variety variety.
- The wall thickness also increases with the maturity of the pepper. And if at the stage of technical maturity it is about 5-6 mm, then after full staining it can reach 10, and even 12 mm.
- The size of the peppers is quite average, the fruits do not pull on record sizes. The weight of one fruit is on average from 90 to 140 grams.
- But the taste qualities of the fruits remain almost unsurpassed: sweet and juicy peppers are already at the stage of technical maturity, to say nothing of the time when they fully ripen. In terms of sugar content, according to laboratory studies, they exceed most known varieties and hybrids of sweet pepper. They are characterized by a specific peppery aroma and freshness, thanks to which it is ideal to eat them fresh. However, California miracle peppers will decorate any preparations, and will be good in a variety of culinary dishes.
- The preservation of fruits is also at a high level, which allows them to be used for agricultural production. Peppers of this variety also tolerate transportation well.
Peculiarities of growing
Pepper seeds California miracle germinate quite amicably even without the use of additional treatments in growth stimulants. The germination rate of fresh seeds is quite high, reaching 96-98%. It is only necessary to take into account one feature – the seeds of peppers of this particular variety can quickly lose their germination, so it is advisable to sow them within one to two years after harvest in order to get the best result.
If you are interested in collecting your own seeds, then it is better to sow seeds for seedlings in advance, no later than February, so that the fruits have time to fully ripen in any summer.
You can sow in common containers and in separate peat tablets and pots.
Pepper, in general, is not very favorable to picking and transplanting, but if you rarely sow and carefully transfer plants with a small clod of earth, then this procedure can be carried out even several times during the growth of seedlings without much damage to it.
You should be careful with watering in the first month of development, especially if you keep the seedlings in relative coolness. But the light in the first weeks of development must be provided to the pepper plants to the maximum. Additional lighting must be turned on so that the daylight hours are at least 12 hours. After the seedlings have developed 2-4 true leaves, they can be fed for the first time.
Approximately 2 weeks before the expected date of planting seedlings of peppers in a permanent place, it is necessary to start hardening it. To do this, on warm sunny days, seedlings are taken out to the balcony or outside and stay there, starting from 15-20 minutes to several hours.
On the ridges, California miracle pepper plants are planted according to a 40×40 cm scheme. Since, as pepper grows and develops, it needs uniform watering most of all, it is possible to build a drip irrigation system for it. It is especially important not to forget about watering on hot days.
Variety California Miracle responds equally well to both organic fertilization and the use of mineral fertilizers. So you can use whichever you prefer. It is necessary to feed for the entire growing season at least three times.
Subject to the basic rules of agricultural technology, additional treatments against pests and diseases are usually not required.
Testimonials from truck drivers
There are not just a lot of reviews about the California miracle variety of sweet pepper, but a lot, and every gardener is in a hurry to show his admiration for this variety. Rarely are dissatisfied. And this happens either from the size of the fruit that does not meet expectations, or from insufficient yields when grown in conditions that are not quite suitable.
Conclusion
Here is such a wonderful variety of sweet pepper – California miracle. It is an infrequent case when the name of a variety fully justifies its meaning. After all, growing a tasty, productive and beautiful pepper without much hassle in open ground in risky farming areas is really a real miracle. No wonder this variety is one of the three most popular sweet pepper varieties in the world.
