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Sweet pepper is an indispensable ingredient in salads, sauces and other dishes. This vegetable contains several vitamins, for example, the dose of vitamin C in bell peppers is 10 times higher than in onions. In addition, there is vitamin A (carotene), vitamins of group B and PP. Thanks to its usefulness and excellent taste, in almost every summer cottage you can find a bed with pepper. Early varieties of pepper are especially loved by domestic gardeners.
Why exactly early ripe peppers are of more interest to farmers, as well as how to choose a variety, and what are the differences between peppers – everything in this article.
Ripening dates for bell pepper
Pepper differs from other vegetable crops in its long ripening period. The summer may not be enough for the fruits to ripen. After all, the average growing season of pepper is 120-130 days.
Breeders are working to bring out the earliest varieties of peppers that will have time to grow and give a good harvest before the onset of the first cold weather. To date, many such early-ripening varieties are known, among them there are also super-early varieties that bear fruit already 80-90 days after sowing the seeds into the soil.
Early ripe peppers – varieties that give ripe fruits on the 90-110th day after sowing the seeds. This growing season is still not enough for a full cycle, because peppers love heat, which means that they can be planted in the ground no earlier than mid-May.
To speed up the ripening process, gardeners plant these vegetables in seedlings. Seedlings of early ripening varieties begin to be prepared in late February – early March.
With this approach, you can get a crop of ripe fruits by mid-summer. And, if you choose the right variety, fresh vegetables will grow in the garden until the autumn frosts.
What kind of bell pepper to choose
To choose the best varieties, you need to decide what they should be. Science selection does not stand still – today hundreds of varieties and hybrids of bell pepper are known. Each of them has its own strengths:
- productivity;
- resistance to diseases;
- resistance to low temperatures and other climatic features;
- taste qualities;
- wall thickness, that is, the “meatiness” of the fruit;
- height and branching of the bush;
- soil composition requirements;
- care conditions.
Based on these factors, they choose the best varieties of pepper for their site. If you need vegetables for sale, it is better to choose something from productive hybrids. Vegetables for their own needs should first of all be tasty and healthy – they choose “fleshy” peppers with good taste.
For growing in heated greenhouses, indeterminate varieties are more suitable. The height of the bushes of this type is unlimited – from one meter. It will be possible to remove several kilograms of vegetables from each giant bush. But in open ground it is more convenient to plant undersized crops – they will not be damaged by wind and rain, it will be easier to harvest, there is no need to tie bushes.
The resistance of the variety to cold is important for regions with unstable weather and late summer. But resistance to diseases and viruses is important always and everywhere.
Based on the above considerations, it is necessary to choose varieties of bell pepper that best meet the conditions of the site and the needs of the owner.
“Lumina”
This early ripe pepper is one of the first to appear on the counters with vegetables. It differs not only in terms of ripening, but also in its unpretentiousness. It can be grown on any soil, the variety is not afraid of adverse weather conditions or drought.
The size of the fruit is average – the mass reaches 110 grams. The peel is painted in a whitish-green tint, sometimes has a pink tint. The shape of the fruit is cone-shaped. The aroma is weak, the pulp tastes sweet, but watery.
Variety “Lumina” pleases with high yields. The bushes, although small, have many ovaries. The fruits ripen together. The plant rarely gets sick.
The fruit wall is about 5 mm thick. This vegetable is good for stuffing and salting, but its taste may not be enough for salads or lecho. But “Lumina” perfectly tolerates transportation and long-term storage – up to three months, vegetables retain their presentation and the entire set of vitamins.
Ivanhoe
Another well-known early ripe variety, the fruits of which can be eaten already on the 113th day after planting the seeds for seedlings. By this time, the peppers are white or cream-colored, but their taste is not yet fully expressed. The biological maturity of vegetables occurs on the 130th day after planting – the fruits become orange or red, have a pronounced aroma and sweet taste.
The thickness of the walls of the fetus is 6-7 mm, the size is medium. The mass of one pepper can reach 120 grams, the shape resembles an elongated cone. The fruit is divided by partitions into four chambers, inside it there are many seeds.
“Ivanhoe” can be grown both in the greenhouse and in the open field. This variety gives high yields – about 8 kg per square meter. But a cold, long spring and summer without rain can significantly reduce the yield of peppers.
Plants are low, compact. They are easy to care for, no need to tie up and form bushes. The culture is resistant to some diseases and viruses.
Fruits can be used for a variety of purposes: eat fresh or canned.
“Marinkin tongue”
This variety gives consistently high yields – even under adverse growing conditions, about 12-15 fruits can be harvested from each bush.
Bushes have an average height – up to 70 cm, but need to be tied up, because the fruits are quite large and heavy – they can break branches.
The mass of one Marinkin tongue pepper, with proper care, can reach 230 grams, the average size is 15-180 grams. The fruit has the shape of an elongated cone, the vegetable is slightly curved. The skin color is bright red or deep cherry.
The wall thickness of the fruits of this variety is heterogeneous – at the top it is 7-8 mm, and at the bottom it can reach 13 mm. The palatability of peppers is very high – they have a bright aroma and a very rich “recognizable” taste. The vegetable is great for making salads, appetizers and other dishes.
“Triton”
The variety can be attributed to super-early – the first fruits are eaten already on the 100th day after planting in the ground. This pepper is even more unpretentious than the previous “Marinkin tongue”.
The yield of the variety is simply impressive – up to 45 ripe fruits can be removed from each bush. The mass of each will be only 130 grams, the shape is cone-shaped, slightly rounded. The color of a ripe vegetable can be yellow, red, and orange.
“Triton” can be grown in the garden even in the southern part of Siberia; only the greenhouse method is suitable for colder regions.
An important feature of this pepper, which the gardener should be aware of, is that the first ovary must be removed from the bush. If this is not done, the growth of the plant will stop, the fruits will become ugly and few.
“Atlant F1”
Hybrid pepper with early ripening – the crop can be harvested on the 110th day after planting. The height of each bush reaches 110 cm, so it is best to grow the variety in a heated or unheated greenhouse. Branches must be tied up, especially if the hybrid is planted in the garden.
The fruits are considered very large – their weight often exceeds 350-400 grams. The shape of the pepper is barrel-shaped, slightly elongated. The walls are very thick – the pulp is “fleshy”.
Hybrid “Atlant F1” has a high taste. It can be used both fresh and processed.
“The charm”
Early ripe pepper of hybrid origin ripens on the 110th day after sowing seeds for seedlings. A distinctive feature of the variety is high productivity. If the seedlings are planted according to the correct scheme (40×60 cm), the plants have enough fertilizer and moisture, up to 12 kg of excellent fruits can be harvested from one meter.
The bushes of the Charm hybrid are semi-spreading, their height reaches 80 cm. The plant endures low temperatures, is protected from most diseases and viruses. Fruits grow medium – the weight of one rarely exceeds 100 grams. The walls of the pepper are of medium thickness – about 5 mm. At technical ripeness, vegetables are colored green or yellow, after full ripening they turn red. The pulp has an excellent taste and pronounced aroma.
“Snow White”
Another high-yielding variety of bell pepper, which allows you to collect up to 7 kg of vegetables from each square meter of land.
The height of the bushes is small – only 50 cm, but they have a lot of ovaries that ripen very quickly and at the same time. Most often, the variety is grown in low greenhouses or small greenhouses, but “Snow White” is also suitable for planting in open ground.
The peppers themselves are small – their mass reaches only 100 grams. The shape of the fruit is cone-shaped, standard. The length of each is about 12 cm, and the maximum diameter is 7 cm.
At first, the peppers are painted white, after the onset of biological maturity they become bright red. The plant is protected from diseases and pests.
Othello
Hybrid with early ripening – the growing season is about three months. The plant is semi-spreading, compact, but has a fairly large height – the bush reaches 80 cm. It is recommended that the hybrid be planted in greenhouses and panics, which should be quite high and spacious. In the southern and central regions of Our Country, Othello pepper can also be planted in open areas; on cold nights, it is better to cover the seedlings with a film or agrofiber.
Peppers do not grow very large, but they have an interesting color – at the stage of technical maturity they are purple, and after the onset of biological ripening they become brown.
The hybrid is considered high-yielding, but for the maximum number of fruits, plants need careful care: timely watering, fertilizing, loosening the soil. With such care, the yield can be about 9 kg per square meter.
“Flame”
The fruits of this hybrid ripen a little later than the others, but the variety has high yields. Bushes grow up to 130 cm in height, so it is better to plant them in a greenhouse where the plants will be protected from wind and rain.
Bushes must be tied up, because they have many side shoots. There are few leaves on the branches, but there are enough ovaries here.
Peppers have thick walls, are considered “fleshy” and juicy. The size of one fruit is small – the mass often lies in the range of 130-150 grams. At the stage of technical maturity, the peppers are colored yellow, and after full ripening they become bright scarlet, similar to a flame.
Gardeners love the Flame hybrid for its high yield (up to 8 kg per meter), excellent taste, good keeping quality and transportability. Pepper is great for commercial cultivation, has a high cost.
“Mother”
Peppers of this variety are very large and thick-walled. The thickness of their pulp reaches 9 mm. The shape of the fruit is a cone with rounded sides. The variety is especially valued for its high content of vitamin C in fruits and excellent taste characteristics.
The fruits are yellow in color and have an excellent presentation. Peppers can be transported long distances and stored for two months.
“Siberian Prince”
Refers to varieties of Siberian selection – this pepper is intended for cultivation in the Urals or Siberia. Based on this, we can immediately say that pepper is resistant to low temperatures and is not afraid of a lack of heat and sun.
The variety is grown both in greenhouses and in open ground, but it was created specifically for unprotected beds, so you can safely plant it right on the site.
The shape of the fruit is standard – a cone. Its surface is shiny and smooth. In technical maturity, the peppers are colored yellow, and after the onset of biological ripening, they turn red. The mass of vegetables is average – from 100 to 150 grams.
They love the Siberian Prince variety for its durability and unpretentiousness, as well as for its excellent taste and strongly pronounced aroma.
Which variety is better
Sweet pepper has hundreds of varieties and hybrids, it is very easy to get lost in this variety. How to find “your” variety of bell pepper? This can only be done empirically: each season, plant several varieties of those listed in this article.
Everyone has different tastes, so the taste characteristics of the best pepper are strictly individual. When buying early sweet pepper seeds, it is necessary to consult about the yield of the variety, its resistance, cold resistance, and compactness. To provide your family with fresh vegetables for the entire warm season, you can plant several varieties with different growing seasons.