Contents
Today, breeders have obtained an abundance of sweet pepper varieties. To get a bountiful harvest of this vegetable in your garden, it is important not to make a mistake with the choice of variety. The gardener will need to take into account the characteristics of the crop and follow the recommendations for growing fruits.
Common varieties of peppers
In specialized stores you can find seeds of various varieties. They bear fruit in the form of a cube, cone or ball. The colors of peppers also differ: they are red, orange, green and yellow. White and purple vegetables are not so common.
Varieties also differ in maturity. They can be divided into three groups:
- early ripe. They ripen quickly and bring a bountiful harvest after 80 days from the moment of sowing the seeds. They are planted in the northern regions of the country, where summers are often short and cool.
- The middle-ripening. Such varieties are suitable for the middle lane, where they can be successfully grown in a greenhouse. It takes about 120 days from sowing seeds to the first fruits. In the south, they are planted directly in open ground.
- late ripening. It takes about 140 days for peppers to ripen. These varieties are suitable for growing in greenhouse conditions or in the southern regions.
When choosing, pay attention to the form. Here it is worth considering how the fruits will be used. For salads, the shape of the pepper by and large does not matter. But for stuffing, varieties with the correct outlines are often taken.
The purpose of round peppers and common varieties
For canning in jars, small round peppers are ideal, the variety is called and where you need to grow it – you can read on. Among the spherical vegetables, there are not so few large varieties.
Gingerbread Man
This is one of the most popular varieties among gardeners. By weight, one pepper turns out to be more than 150 g. It is distinguished by thick walls and pericarp. He is so loved by gardeners because of his resistance to rot, mold and wilt.
“Koloboks” ripen quickly and bear fruit abundantly. Peppers are rounded, the skin is smooth. The pulp is juicy, vegetables have a pleasant aroma. They are consumed fresh, and also used for harvesting for the winter.
Helios
One of the early varieties, characterized by rounded fruits. It takes 110-120 days from seed germination to technical ripeness. Biological ripeness is reached after 140-150 days. The plant is of small height – about 35 cm. The fruit by weight is from 100 to 150 g, the walls are 6-8 mm, the skin is smooth. As it matures, it becomes yellow in color.
It is recommended to first sow the seeds for seedlings. High-yielding variety, resists wilt. Peppers keep a trade dress, are suitable both for the direct use, and for preservation.
Skif
Also applies to early peppers. Before the onset of technical ripeness, 108-120 days pass, the biological one comes later – after 140-155 days. The plant is compact and low – about 35 cm. The fruits are round, weight varies from 150 to 220 g. First they have a light green color, then they become bright red. They have smooth skin and soft flesh. The walls reach 8-9 mm in thickness.
The Golden Fleece
This variety produces rounded, slightly flattened peppers. Refers to mid-season, 115-125 days pass before reaching technical ripeness. Biological ripeness occurs within 150 days. The height of the bush is about 50 cm, the foliage is dense. The weight of one vegetable reaches 180-220 g, fruits with thick walls are 8,5-10 mm.
Upon reaching biological ripeness, Golden Fleece pepper has a yellow-orange color. First, it is advised to sow seeds for seedlings. Has excellent taste. Resists verticillium wilt.
Sultan
This mid-season sweet pepper forms a tall shrub 45-60 cm with dense foliage. The fruits are round, with slight ribbing, large in size, weight in the range of 100-150 g. Upon reaching biological ripeness, which occurs in 158-165 days, they acquire a dark red color. Walls 8-10 mm.
The fruits have excellent taste. Seeds are planted through seedlings, sowing in cassettes is common. The variety resists wilting. Peppers can be used fresh in the kitchen or canned for the winter.
Maria F1
A mid-season hybrid (as the name suggests) that produces bountiful harvests. The bush is quite high, the stem grows up to 85 cm. Peppers are round, slightly flattened in shape with a ribbed surface. Upon reaching biological ripeness, they acquire a rich red color. The weight of one fruit is 100 g, the walls are 6-7 mm.
Novogoshary
The variety forms a standard bush up to 60 cm high. The fruits grow with thick walls (from 8 to 11 mm), the pulp is juicy. Red skin. If you follow the recommendations for growing this variety, you can get peppers weighing up to 140 g. Fruiting in these plants continues for one and a half months.
Interesting varieties of Dutch selection
Varieties and hybrids obtained by Dutch breeders have excellent characteristics. Some of them will be named below.
Topepo
In its appearance in the photo, this pepper strongly resembles a tomato. It has a bright red color, round shape and very thick walls – up to one and a half centimeters. The pulp is juicy and very tasty. The mass of one fruit reaches 100-150 g. At the stage of technical ripeness of green color, it is possible to harvest at this stage of growth.
The fruits are used for stuffing, cut into rings in salads or main dishes. Thick-walled peppers retain their shape well, so they can be stored for a long time. Also suitable for canning. Differs in high productivity.
Kick
A variety of hot peppers of rounded shape and miniature size. It has a pronounced sharpness, which quickly fades away.
Alma paprika
After planting in the soil, the fruits ripen within 70 days. The origin of the variety comes from Hungary. One of the sweet peppers, has a slight pungency (the name of the variety includes the word “paprika”). Suitable for drying and subsequent grinding for the preparation of spices. Can be eaten directly.
The diameter of the average round fruit is 5 cm, the bush grows up to 45 cm. In the middle of summer, flowering occurs. Peppers are thick-walled, as they ripen from cream to orange or red.
Acquaintance with the variety Gogoshary
Gogoshary is one of the varieties of sweet pepper that produces round fruits. When it reaches technical ripeness, it is green, and later turns yellow or red.
This variety belongs to the early ripening, seedlings overtake other varieties of sweet pepper. Fruits grow large, juicy, with thick walls. They are very convenient to use for stuffing.
Growing these vegetables consists of the following steps.
- Seed preparation. For disinfection, they are treated with a solution of potassium permanganate.
- Soil preparation. The soil can be poured into a box and treated with steam, held over boiling water.
- Sowing seeds for seedlings. In terms of timing, it is better to do this closer to the end of February.
- Transplanting seedlings into the ground towards the end of May. It is worth noting that these plants should not be buried.
- Further care includes regular watering, fertilizing, loosening the soil.
- When the middle of August passes, the fruits will reach biological ripeness. From green they will turn yellow or red. Gogoshary peppers often have redness.
Gogoshary is a high-yielding variety. If weather conditions worsen, unripe fruits can be removed and placed in a dry rag bag. If you leave them for a couple of weeks in a dark place, they will begin to take on the final shade, as in the photo.
Seed selection: what biological characteristics to look for
Features of the development of plants directly affect how much time and effort it will take to care for them. Depending on this, the cost of peppers will change. There are two main aspects.
- Max Plant Height. From this indicator directly depends on how much effort you need to spend on growing a plant. In different varieties, the stem can grow from 30 to 170 cm. When choosing tall plants, it is worth considering that they require binding, and these are additional devices and efforts. The stem itself is herbaceous, gradually it begins to stiffen at the base. In the branching zones, individual flowers are formed.
- Storage period. When buying seeds, you should find out how long the crop can lie without losing its original characteristics.
Varietal features affect other aspects as well. It is important to clarify whether a particular bell pepper is resistant to diseases and pest attacks. Each variety has its own yield.
Differences in growing sweet peppers
Pepper is a thermophilic crop. Therefore, if in the southern regions the bushes can be safely planted in open ground, then in the northern regions it will be possible to get a bountiful harvest only in a greenhouse.
Unlike other crops, pepper has a longer growing season. This property explains why peppers are grown through seedlings. Seeds are sown in early February. For this, boxes with fertile soil are used.
Many gardeners prefer to buy seeds of early ripening varieties. When grown under cover, the fruits reach technical ripeness after 100 days from the moment of germination.
Peppers are quite demanding on temperature:
- for seed germination, the best temperature is 25-27 degrees;
- the optimal temperature regime for the development of plants is 20-23 degrees;
- if the readings drop to 13 degrees, seedlings and already adult plants stop growing.
Peppers are important not only heat, but also lighting. If you plant young sprouts in a shaded area, they will stretch out, throw off flowers and ovaries. A bed for peppers should be allocated in a well-lit place, sheltered from strong winds.
For peppers, conditions such as moisture and fertile soil are also important. The soil should be light and loose, well moistened, with neutral acidity. The lack of water significantly affects the condition of the plants and the size of the fruits.
If you follow agricultural technology, you can grow a rich crop of peppers on your site. This culture is demanding on moisture, light and heat. The variety must be selected taking into account the climatic characteristics of your region. In the southern regions, peppers can be grown in an open garden, and in the northern and middle lanes, it is preferable to plant them in a greenhouse. Round fruits are perfect for stuffing and canning.