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Experienced gardeners in the Moscow region claim that it is possible to grow a good harvest of pepper in any year, even a not very successful one in terms of high temperatures. But it is necessary to select varieties created specifically for the latitude of the Moscow region.
Many summer residents, looking for best varieties of pepper for the Moscow region, they make the mistake of choosing fruitful ones, but bred for southern latitudes. Peppers zoned for Crimea or Moldova will not produce a full harvest in the Moscow region. Although their productivity in their “native lands” is very high.
It is better to choose varieties that are not so productive, but are guaranteed to produce a harvest. Today, the choice of “northern” varieties of sweet peppers is very large. The State Register alone includes 400 varieties of pepper, zoned for northern latitudes. Such a large selection makes it even more confusing, and stores additionally offer “southern” varieties and varieties from foreign producers.
Experienced gardeners, of course, try and new varieties of pepper, but for guarantee, they plant those that have already proven themselves well before.
The best varieties of sweet peppers for the Moscow region
Pinocchio F1
A very early hybrid. The period until harvest is 90 days. The fruits are hanging.Pepper up to 17 cm long with a diameter at the base of the cone 6 cm. Wall thickness 5 mm. The ripe fruit is dark red in color. Peppers are well stored and transported. Designed for conservation.
Bush up to a meter high, spreading, with limited branching, semi-determinate. The variety is recommended for indoor and open ground.
Czardas
An early ripening variety of pepper that bears fruit after 95 days. The fruits and leaves on the bush are arranged in bunches. One bush produces 13-17 peppers with a total yield of up to 10 kg/m². The fruits are cone-shaped. The length varies from 13 to 16 centimeters with a base diameter of 6 to 8 centimeters. Wall thickness 6 mm.
Ripe peppers are orange-red. When unripe, yellow-orange. Suitable for food at any stage.
The height of the bush is up to 70 cm. The variety is determinant. The bushes are dense, so you can plant up to 10 bushes per m².
Winnie the Pooh
A very famous and popular variety of pepper in the Middle Zone. Pepper was introduced in 1981 and has not lost its relevance to this day. An early ripening variety that produces a harvest on the 105th day.
Bush up to 30 cm high, standard. There is little foliage, the fruits are collected in bunches. The variety is productive, although the fruits are small. One pepper weighs from 45 to 70 g with a wall thickness of 5 mm. At the same time, the yield per m² reaches 2 kg. The maximum yield is obtained when the plantings are dense to 20-25 bushes per m². The entire harvest can be harvested in 2-3 harvests.
This pepper is often chosen by farmers for commercial cultivation. The pulp of the fruit is dense, due to which the pepper has good shelf life even at the stage of full ripening.
Health
Pepper is characterized by high yield (up to 4.5 kg/m²) and good fruit set in low light conditions. The latter is one of the unique properties of this pepper variety.
A very early ripening variety. The growing season is 80 days. The bush is tall, can reach 1.7 m in height. Ripe fruits are red. If it is necessary to store the crop, peppers are harvested at the green color stage.
The pepper is small. Fruit length is up to 12 cm with a base diameter of 6 cm. Wall thickness is 4 mm. Weight up to 41 grams.
Orange miracle
An early ripening variety with a growing season of 100 days. The bushes are tall, reaching 1 m. The bush has a very decorative appearance during the fruiting period. Orange peppers look very beautiful against the backdrop of green foliage.
The fruits are cube-shaped, weighing up to 250 g and measuring 10x9 cm. The pulp of the peppers is very tender, with high taste, 6 mm thick. Intended for fresh consumption, cooking, and preservation.
The yield of the variety is up to 14 kg/m². On average, 10 peppers are tied on one bush. Can grow in open beds and greenhouses. Resistant to major viral diseases.
Cornet
An early ripening variety that allows harvesting on the 110th day. The fruits fully ripen on the 140th day. Peppers of this variety have an original dark brown color. Color is not the only advantage of this variety. Pepper is also distinguished by its high content of carotene and ascorbic acid.
The fruits are hanging, prism-shaped. Pepper weight up to 220 g, size 8x7 cm. Wall thickness 6 mm. Ripe fruits are brown, when technically ripe they are dark green.
It is better to plant peppers in closed ground. In shelters it is more convenient to care for tall bushes of this variety and protect them from the wind. In an unheated greenhouse the bush grows up to 160 cm, and in a winter greenhouse up to 2 m. The bush is semi-determinate, with a small number of leaves.
In addition to those described, they grow well in the Moscow region Arrogant, Bagration, Actor, Barguzin, Patron of the Arts. Which variety to choose depends on the capabilities and preferences of the gardener. Some people like to experiment and will plant new varieties like Cornet or Chardas. Someone will prefer the good old Winnie the Pooh or Health.
Little secret! Harvesting peppers at the technical ripeness stage allows you to double the yield.
Summer residents about the best varieties of sweet pepper for the Moscow region, reviews
Growing seedlings
In the Moscow region, obtaining any variety of pepper is possible only by first growing seedlings.If you plan to plant seedlings directly into the ground by transferring them from a seedling pot, the seeds are sown 50 days before planting. If there is picking in the plans, sowing is carried out 60 days in advance.
Preparing for sowing
First, you need to select high-quality seeds so as not to waste resources in the form of soil and containers. The seeds are immersed in slightly salted water. A seed with a fully filled kernel will drown, while an empty one will remain floating. We catch and throw away the empty ones, collect the good ones, wash and dry them.
You can speed up the germination of seeds by first placing them in a moist, warm environment. The pepper seeds are pre-soaked for 5-6 hours. Some people prefer to soak the seeds in a stimulant for 3-4 days, since pepper seeds take a long time to germinate.
The most common methods of germination: in a bag and on a saucer.
In a bag
The seeds are soaked directly in a canvas bag. After soaking, the bag is removed and put in a warm place with a temperature of about +27°C. In a few days the seeds will germinate. Some disadvantage of this method is that if you have several varieties of pepper, you will have to make several bags and somehow mark them, since all varieties of pepper are planted for seedlings at the same time.
On a saucer
Any container with a flat bottom can play the role of a saucer. Place a napkin on the bottom, moisten it with water and lay out the seeds. Cover the top with another damp cloth. If the container is closed with a lid, then you do not have to maintain the moisture of the napkin.
If there are several varieties of pepper, a dry napkin can be divided into sectors with a ballpoint pen, signing the variety in each sector. This way, instead of labor-intensively making several bags, you can only spend five minutes marking the napkin. The main thing is then to correctly arrange the varieties into their compartments.
In the sponges
If you don’t have a suitable container and don’t want to make bags, you can use regular foam sponges for washing dishes. Of course, the sponges must be clean.
First, the sponges are disinfected in a solution of potassium permanganate, after which they are thoroughly wrung out. Each variety will require two sponges.
The seeds are placed between the sponges, the edges are secured with rubber bands and the sponges are placed in a plastic bag, making sure that there is an air bubble left in the bag.
No one has ever been able to manually squeeze a piece of foam dry, so you don’t have to worry about the presence of water, you just need to turn the sponges over periodically. Water in the foam flows down.
Toilet paper snail
Seeds are placed on a strip of toilet paper at a distance of at least 5 mm and covered with a second layer of paper. The paper is slightly moistened and a layer of soil for seedlings is poured on top. The tape, together with the soil, is carefully rolled into a spiral and placed in a plastic bag. The bag must be tied so that the water does not evaporate.
After the sprouts appear, the bag is opened and placed on the windowsill. The downside is that if there are several varieties, it is easy to confuse the seedlings, even when trying to mark the varieties with sticks. Plus, these seedlings will sooner or later dive. A procedure very unloved by pepper.
Sowing
The sprouted seeds are planted in pots or seedling boxes.Pots are preferable, but they take up a lot of space. The advantages of the box and pots are combined with special cassettes for seedlings.
Before germination, the room temperature should be maintained at +27°C. After that you can reduce it to +25.
Emerging sprouts need lighting for 12 hours. Since the days are still short in February, it is necessary to use phytolamps. Water the seedlings with water at room temperature. After the first true leaf appears, you need to carry out the first fertilizing with fertilizers.
Before planting in a permanent place, pepper seedlings are hardened off for a week by taking them out into the open air and gradually increasing the time they stay there.
Before planting, high-quality seedlings should have a height of 25 cm and from 7 to 12 leaves. In the Moscow region, peppers are usually planted at the end of May, but it is better to focus on the specific conditions of the current year. The main thing: frosts should end and the soil should warm up to +18°C.
