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Hot or bitter pepper is widely used in cooking and gives a piquant taste to homemade preparations. Unlike sweet bell pepper, this plant is not as capricious and can be harvested in a greenhouse, vegetable garden or home windowsill. It is not necessary to allocate a whole bed for this crop, since only a few bushes can provide a supply of pepper for the year ahead. In its raw form, it is inedible, and a small amount of hot pepper is enough for seasoning.
Before proceeding with the selection of seeds, you need to decide on the purpose of the fruits of a particular variety. Some of them are good for cooking and are suitable for fresh consumption, as they have a slightly sharp aftertaste. Burning varieties are best dried and ground, so that later they can be added to food in small quantities. Peppers with medium spiciness are good for canning whole or adding to homemade preparations.
Also, varieties differ in shape, color and ripening of fruits. For the Moscow region, early ripening varieties are preferred. But with indoor or greenhouse cultivation, you can choose varieties with late ripening periods – in such conditions they will have time to produce a crop.
The most popular varieties of hot pepper for the Moscow region
There are many varieties of bitter pepper, adapted for growing in the climate near Moscow. They differ in shape, size and color of fruits. Some of them are generally unsuitable for food and perform only a decorative function. Indeed, a small plant strewn with small multi-colored fruits looks very picturesque.
Superchili F1
Early maturing hybrid with high productivity. It enters fruiting on the 70th day after planting seedlings.
The fruits are suitable for canning, drying and seasoning. It is almost impossible to eat such a pepper raw – this variety is famous for its pungency.
The height of the bush is small – only 40-50 cm. Thanks to this size, it can be planted in a greenhouse and on a windowsill. The hybrid is resistant to drought and viral diseases. The fruits change color several times during the ripening process. At the beginning of tying, they are green, then turn yellow. Then they turn bright orange, and by the time they are fully ripe, they turn red. Pepper has an elongated shape, and the same size (6-7 cm) on one bush.
Jalapeno
One of the most popular varieties of hot peppers is famous for its sweetish flavor.
The fruits are fleshy, so they are not suitable for drying. But they are good in canned form. Both green and red peppers are edible.
The Jalapeno variety begins to bear fruit 80-85 days after planting the seedlings. Pepper grows well in a greenhouse, and is also suitable for growing in a garden. The bush reaches 1 m in height, and grows in width very quickly. From 3 bushes you can collect 6-8 kg of fruits per season. It blooms profusely, but not all flowers set fruit – the plant sheds most of them.
Miracle of the Moscow Region
An early ripe variety intended for growing in greenhouses near Moscow. It can produce a good harvest in open ground. The vegetative period from sowing seeds to the appearance of fruits lasts 120-130 days. Fruits of the extended form, equal. In length, such pepper can reach 20 cm. Suitable for preparing seasoning for homemade preparations, it does not lose its pungent taste when dried.
Aji multicolored
An early maturing variety that bears abundantly under any growing conditions. In the process of ripening, the fruits change color several times. On one bush you can see yellow, orange, red and purple fruits. Such a “tree” will look good on the windowsill. Aji pepper belongs to Peruvian varieties and has a characteristic citrus aroma.
Adzhika
The variety is mid-season, grows well and bears fruit in open ground. Sowing for seedlings is carried out at the end of February. Seedlings are planted in the garden at the age of 70-80 days. Peppers are resistant to temperature drops and are undemanding in care.. The plant is tall, spreading and needs shaping and tying. The fruits are dark red, large (up to 100 g) and dense. The sharp taste is preserved during drying, salting and pickling.
Jamaican red
A highly pungent, early ripe variety of hot peppers is easily recognizable by the unusual shape of the fruit.
In Jamaican red, they resemble a bell – 4-sided, rounded at the base and narrowed down. The fruits are medium-sized, but with very thick and dense pulp. Suitable for canning and adding to dishes. The period from sowing seeds to fruiting is 92-98 days. It is grown up in an open ground or in a film greenhouse through seedling. Fruiting is plentiful – from one bush up to 80 cm high, you can collect 3-4 kg of fruit.
Habanero
This variety is considered the most pungent. Fruits weighing 12-17 g are shaped like a heart. Among the Habanero variety there are several varieties that differ in the color of the fruit. Peppers can be orange, red, burgundy and brown. The red-fruited plant forms the tallest bush, while the orange species has larger fruits. Suitable for greenhouse, window sill and outdoor cultivation. Ripens 92-110 days after transplanting seedlings. Unlike other varieties, Habanero “loves” water, so watering should be regular.
The Queen of Spades
An interesting variety suitable for year-round cultivation. The bush is small – only 30 cm. The cone-shaped fruits are painted in different colors – from pale yellow to purple. They grow upward, in appearance they resemble miniature candles. The variety is considered decorative, but is also widely used in cooking. Peppers can be consumed fresh, canned, dried and ground.
red fat man
Popular in home cooking due to large and thick-walled fruits. Their length is from 16 to 18 cm, diameter – 3-4 cm. The mid-season variety bears fruit well on open ground and in film greenhouses. The plant is low, compact. Fruiting is friendly and plentiful.
Bully
It is cultivated mainly in closed greenhouses. In unprotected ground conditions, it can produce a good harvest, but the fruits will differ slightly in appearance. The period from germination to fruit ripening is 105-115 days. Peppers are bright red, elongated and slightly wrinkled. Suitable for canning and drying. Fresh can be stored for up to a month.
Twinkle
Mid-season productive variety, suitable for cultivation on open ground and film tunnels. In a greenhouse it can bring up to 4 kg of fruit, and in a garden under good weather conditions – up to 3 kg per 5 sq. m. Bright red pods of pepper are elongated, large, the tip is slightly curved. By the time of ripening, they reach a mass of 1-30 g. The plant is low (40-35 cm).
Vizier
Slightly sharp variety grown in greenhouses. It ripens late – after seed germination, the first fruits appear on the 120-125th day. Pepper pods Vizir interesting, turban-shaped. When set, the fruits are colored green, then change color to bright red. The plant looks like a small tree with a rounded crown.
Conclusion
Hot pepper is a thermophilic plant. It needs warmth, moisture and light to grow well. It is not recommended to plant hot peppers in a greenhouse, along with Bulgarian – when pollinated, the fruits of sweet pepper will become pungent. The distance between the beds of these crops should be at least 5 m. Low-growing varieties are best planted in pots on the windowsill – so nothing will interfere with the plant, and window light is enough for it.