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The approach of each spring season puts gardeners in front of a difficult choice. There are so many varieties and hybrids of vegetables that it is quite difficult to choose the right one for sowing. Some of the farmers prefer to grow pepper from their seeds harvested from previous seasons, others are guided by high and early yields, and some prefer to get beautiful and tasty fruits, including for aesthetic pleasure.
Variety choice
Red sweet pepper on our tables has become quite a popular product. Of all the multi-colored hybrids that are bred, the red color of this crop is the most natural. As a rule, it is red bell pepper that is well used in cooking, suitable for fresh consumption and looks great in canned jars. But how to choose the kind of red pepper that is best suited for growing in your garden, will give good seedlings and strong seedlings, and then a tasty and timely harvest?
The first thing you need to decide when choosing a variety of red pepper is the climatic conditions for its growth. When buying planting material, be sure to study the description and instructions in order to create the conditions for the plant in which it will feel as comfortable as possible.
Determine for yourself what you will grow – varieties of red pepper or its hybrids. Do not forget that although hybrids have the undoubted advantage of fast growth and disease resistance, you will not be able to grow repeat crops from their seeds. Planting material for hybrids will have to be purchased every year.
Selection, however, pleases gardeners with other excellent qualities of red bell pepper hybrids. As a rule, these plants have high yields, decent taste and bright unusual colors. And, besides, it was the hybrids that became leaders among thick-walled, juicy and tasty fruits.
Terms of maturation
Bulgarian pepper is a rather thermophilic culture, and therefore it is better to plant early fruits in the southern regions or greenhouses that can provide the pepper with the necessary temperature regime. The necessary climate in the air and on the soil is an important component of rapid growth and a large tasty harvest.
If you live in a temperate climate zone, focus on mid-ripening varieties, in Siberia and the northern regions – on late-ripening ones. In order to understand what the growing season is for a particular variety, we orient them according to the ripening periods:
- Early ripe hybrids and varieties – up to 100 days from the appearance of the first shoots of seedlings, regardless of the conditions under which it was grown and when it was transferred to open ground;
- Mid-season – from 105 to 125 days;
- Late-ripening – from 130 days and above.
When sowing seeds, be sure to rely on the calendar, namely when you will transfer the seedlings to a permanent place of growth. If the seedling is kept in an apartment or greenhouse, it may lose time to adapt to new conditions, and the growing season will shift significantly. That plant, which is already transferred with flowers, must be pinched and docked.
When choosing a variety or hybrid, pay attention to the size and shape of the fruit. Choose a pepper so that it is the most suitable in terms of parameters for where it will be used.
Do not forget that the fruits turn into a rich red color only during the period of biological ripeness; at technical maturity, they are usually green or yellow.
The best varieties and hybrids of red pepper with descriptions and photos
Red bell pepper – looks amazingly beautiful not only on the tables, but also on the beds. Among the green sprawling branches and leaves of the plant, red long or square beauties suddenly appear like bright blotches.
Claudio
This variety is one of the most popular and common among gardeners today. It is quite versatile in use and is designed for open areas and greenhouses. ‘Claudio’ is an early maturing variety with a high yield when grown in warm soils. The first peppers are removed from the bush already on the 80th day after germination.
The plant is powerful, semi-spreading. In greenhouse conditions, it may require additional support and garters. The fruits are cube-shaped, the skin is dense, glossy, painted in rich red (see photo). The average weight of one pepper can be up to 250 grams, with a wall thickness of 8-10 mm.
The variety of Bulgarian sweet pepper “Claude” is resistant to viral and bacterial diseases, root and amniotic rot. It tolerates high air temperatures and short-term drought.
Viking
An early ripe variety of red sweet pepper with a fruit ripening period of up to 110 days. Recommended for cultivation in open ground in the southern regions of Our Country and under film shelters in regions with a temperate climate. The bushes are powerful, medium-sized. The fruits have an even cylindrical shape, during the ripening period they are painted in a light green color, at full biological maturity – in red.
The average weight of one Viging pepper is 150-170 gr, during the harvest period, up to 3-4 kg of crop is harvested from one bush.
Interestingly, this variety of pepper was bred by breeders in Western Siberia, and was intended for large-scale cultivation in greenhouses in their region. However, “Viking”, unpretentious to lower temperatures in the air and on the ground, feels much better in the warm soils of the southern regions.
Vaudeville
A fairly popular variety for growing in country gardens and small farms in central Our Country and the regions of the Non-Black Earth Region. It is widely used in cooking, suitable for canning and freezing, well retains marketable qualities during long-term transportation. “Vaudeville” – rather big pepper (see image). The weight of one fruit in the period of full maturity can reach up to 250 g, with a wall thickness of 7-8 mm.
The plant in a greenhouse grows up to 1,3 m, therefore, it requires a mandatory additional support. The variety feels great in warm open ground soils, yielding up to 8-10 kg per 1 m2. Distinctive features include resistance to TMV, bacterial diseases, and fetal rot.
Fakir
An early ripe variety with relatively small fruits, but very high yields. Up to 3-4 kg of beautiful red pepper are harvested from one bush during the period of full vegetation of fruits. The weight of one fruit does not exceed 100 g, and the wall thickness is 4-5 mm. Nevertheless, this pepper is highly valued by gardeners for the long-term freshness of fruits and excellent taste when canning.
The bush of the plant is low, moderately sprawling. In greenhouse conditions, it requires propping or tying the stem.
Triple Star F1
Refers to mid-season hybrids adapted for growing on open soils and in film shelters in central Our Country and Siberia. The bush grows up to 80-90 cm, semi-spreading. At biological maturity, the fruit reaches a mass of 170 grams, is painted in a rich dark red color. The wall thickness does not exceed 6 mm, however, the Triple Star pepper itself has an unsurpassed taste and aroma, therefore it is suitable for fresh use, for preservation and freezing for the winter.
In the southern regions, up to 4-5 kg of crop is harvested from one bush, in temperate climatic zones and Siberia – 3-4 kg. Distinctive features of the hybrid are resistance to TMF, temperature extremes in the soil and in the air.
Sprinter
The variety is recommended for cultivation in the South, North Caucasus regions, Stavropol Territory. Red pepper, small in size, but very tasty, belongs to the category of thick-walled. During the period of biological ripeness, the average weight is up to 150 g, with a wall thickness of up to 1,2 cm. The shape of the fruit is semi-round, up to 3-4 kg of crop is harvested from one bush.
The full ripening period is up to 120 days, so the Sprinter variety is grown in open areas when the soil has already warmed up enough, and the forecast does not promise a return of frost.
Procraft F1
Mid-early variety for greenhouses and open areas of soil. The bush does not exceed 1 m in height, in a greenhouse it requires a garter. The mass of one fruit during the ripening period is 150-170 gr. Pepper “Prokraft” has a cube-shaped shape, in technical maturity it is colored green, when fully ripe – dark red.
The plant is adapted for growing in greenhouses of temperate climatic zones and northern regions. This red pepper has proven itself well during long-term storage and transportation. A distinctive feature of Prokraft pepper is the requirement for regular watering and bright light, so when choosing this hybrid for planting in greenhouses, be prepared for the fact that you will have to provide additional lighting for the plant.
Husky F1
Early ripe hybrid for regions with a temperate and warm climate. It gives good results when grown in polycarbonate greenhouses in northern climatic zones.
The bush is undersized, semi-spreading, does not require props and garters. Pepper is long, has an unusual trunk shape. In the process of maturation, it is painted in a light green color, in biological maturity – in dark red. The hybrid gives good yields only with regular feeding, so when choosing a red Husky pepper, be prepared for the fact that in the process of growth and fruiting you will need to feed the pepper at least 4-5 times.
The fruits are medium-sized, the average weight of one pepper is 150-170 g, with a wall thickness of up to 8 mm. Up to 4 kg of crop is harvested from one bush in a greenhouse, and up to 5 kg in open areas.
The best red peppers and reviews about them
For more information on growing red pepper, see the video: