Content
When choosing peppers to grow in greenhouses and in open ground, gardeners pay attention to the appearance, taste of fruits and the yield of a particular variety. However, an important detail of a variety or hybrid for ripening in small areas of soil is the size of the bush.
Benefits of Growing Low Growing Sweet Peppers
Most often, all the necessary information about the variety of bell pepper is on the packaging with planting material. If you are a beginning gardener, or are choosing a new variety for planting, pay attention to such parameters as growth conditions (greenhouse or open ground), temperature conditions and timing of fruit ripening. The manufacturer also informs the buyer about the size of the expected harvest and the plant itself.
What is the difference between growing tall varieties from undersized ones, and in what cases is it necessary to plant certain plants in the ground? It is known that tall varieties are, most often, the most productive bell peppers. In closed ground conditions, up to 10-12 kg of juicy and colorful fruits are collected from one bush. Modern selection produces hybrids that can bear fruit before the beginning of winter.But these bushes require regular attention: they must be tied up and shaped so as to prevent the main stem from withering or weakening. In addition, tall varieties require regular mineral and organic nutrition.
In cramped conditions of country gardens and greenhouses, it is best to grow low-growing peppers. Low bushes dotted with multi-colored fruits are ideal for tunnel options for film shelter. The yield of such varieties is somewhat lower, however, due to the density of planting in the ground, good and stable results can be achieved.
Experienced farmers grow early, low-growing varieties of pepper in order to get quick first harvests with minimal costs for care and feeding. But beginners who are growing vegetables for the first time are strongly recommended to start with low bushes. They are also perfect for those summer residents who come to their plots only once a week. Resistance to arid and hot climates, slow production of shoots and side branches and a powerful stem - these are the main advantages of growing pepper on low bushes.
Varieties and hybrids of low-growing sweet peppers
When choosing planting material for low-growing sweet peppers, be sure to remember that characteristics such as the beginning of the growing season and the taste of the fruit, as a rule, always conflict. If you harvest your first harvest at the beginning of July, the quality of the fruit will most likely be average.
Chanterelle
This low-growing and compact variety sweet pepper can be grown in open garden beds and in film greenhouses. The first fruits can be harvested already on the hundredth day after the planting material pecks. The fruits are colored light green or orange, have an even, slightly elongated shape, and grow small in size and weight. Interestingly, “Lisichka” is one of the few varieties that can produce small harvests on the balconies of city apartments. This is explained by the fact that the plant does not need large volumes of soil and feels great in a flower pot.
Planting of seedlings in the ground is carried out in early or mid-March. Planting density per 1m2 – up to 5-6 seedlings. The main features of the variety are regular picking of side shoots. Up to 1.5-2 kg of peppers are harvested from one bush per season.
Sveta
Early ripening a variety of low-growing sweet pepper for open areas and small film shelters. In the garden, this plant does not grow more than 40-50 cm. The first fruits are harvested 100 days after the seed hatches. The skin is dense, painted in a bright orange color. The weight of the fruit during the period of technical maturity is 80-100 g. The obvious advantages of growing the “Sveta” variety include high resistance to watermelon mosaic viruses, fungal and putrefactive diseases. Up to two kilograms of harvest are harvested from a small but productive bush.
Fakir
Gardeners recognize this variety as the best among compact bush peppers, due to the wide possibilities of using the crop. The fruits are small in size, have an even oblong shape, and are colored bright red. Those who are not familiar with the taste of the “Fakir” pepper are somewhat alarmed by its appearance, since the pepper is small in diameter and looks like an overgrown hot pepper.
However, “Fakir” is one of the low-growing varieties that is famous for its high yields. During the fruiting period, a small bush, barely reaching half a meter in height, is covered with bright fruits.. In open gardening areas, up to three kilograms of crops are harvested from one bush, but if you place “Fakir” in a greenhouse, these figures can reach up to 8-10 kg. A distinctive feature of the variety is its incredibly dense skin, thanks to which the pepper tolerates transportation well and remains on the bush even during the first frost.
Agapovsky
The variety was noted by the Research Institute of Breeding and Vegetable Crops of Russia as the earliest low-growing variety.
It is planted in open ground and film greenhouses, and produces the first harvests already on the 90th day after germination. The fruits are large, have an even prism shape, and when fully ripe they turn a rich red color. Up to 5-6 kg of fruits are harvested from one bush per season, the average weight of which can reach 250-300 grams.
Distinctive features of cultivation are excellent resistance to the tobacco mosaic virus, but at the same time it requires additional mineral supplements. Without them, the fruits of the Agapovsky variety begin to suffer from blossom end rot.
Albatross F1
An early-ripening, low-growing hybrid, which gets its name from the shape of the pepper, slightly curved at the end and reminiscent of the wings of a bird. The variety is included in the State Register of the Russian Federation and is recognized by domestic breeders as one of the best among the early universal varieties.
The fruits during the period of biological maturity reach sizes of 8-10 cm, with an average weight of one pepper - 100 g. A distinctive feature of the Albatross tree is its high resistance to sudden temperature fluctuations in the air and on the soil. Up to 5-7 kg of tasty, light green or yellow fruits are harvested from one bush.
Boneta
This variety produces the best yields under film covers and in greenhouse conditions, since it is a low-growing, early-ripening variety with unstable growth during sudden cold snaps.
The fruits are colored red, and during the period of biological maturity they can reach a weight of one hundred grams, although there are cases when, when weighing one Boneta pepper, the scales reached 300. From one bush to productive period you can remove up to 3 kilograms of pepper. A distinctive feature of the variety is its high resistance to drought, direct sunlight and high summer temperatures.
Timoshka
A closed and very compact plant of low-growing sweet pepper, which thrives in cramped conditions when seedlings are densely planted in open ground. “Timoshka” is a mid-season variety; the first peppers are picked from the bush only on the 110th day from seed pecking. The average weight of one fruit can reach 300 grams, however, the variety is not high-yielding, and only 3-4 ovaries can form on the bush itself over the entire season.
Gardeners love Timoshka for its taste. This beautiful, red pepper can be classified as thick, due to the fact that its fleshy walls during the period of biological maturation reach a thickness of 0.8-1 cm.
Up to two kilograms of harvest are harvested from one bush, and, most often, it is used for making salads.
Gemini F1
Early maturing hybrid yellow sweet pepper Dutch selection. The height of the bush barely exceeds 40 cm. It was bred specifically for growing crops in narrow film greenhouses. The period of full ripening of "Gemini" begins 2.5 months after the first shoot.
A distinctive feature of the hybrid is that the fruits hang on a long stalk, which allows you to harvest without damaging the main plant. "Gemini" has excellent taste, enviable resistance to short-term drought and high summer temperatures.
Ilya Muromets
The name of this variety speaks for itself. The low and compact bush has a powerful root system and stem. The fruits can grow up to 12-15 cm in length, with an average weight of 200 g.
The plant is a mid-season plant, so full biological maturation can be observed only on the 120th day. The peppers are fleshy, red, ideal for culinary processing and canning. Up to 10 ovaries are formed on one bush, so with good regular care and watering, “Ilya Muromets” produces stable high yields.
Distinctive features of the variety are high resistance to cold weather in the air and soil, immunity to viral and fungal infections.
Eroshka
A mid-season, productive, low-growing variety with a growing season beginning on the hundredth day after the seed hatches. The plant exceeds a height of 0.5 m only if grown in greenhouse conditions. The bushes are compact, with a powerful and dense stem; they do not require picking or shaping. The fruits are painted in a beautiful rich red color, the weight of one is up to 200 g. The skin is dense and juicy, with an average thickness of about 5 mm.
The main features of the fruit are resistance to low temperatures, watermelon and tobacco mosaic viruses, fungal and putrefactive diseases. “Eroshka” is a great opportunity to get high yields from small areas of soil. This is one of the few varieties that successfully bear fruit when planting up to 8-10 seedlings per 1 m22.
Conclusion
When choosing low-growing varieties and hybrids for growing sweet peppers, remember that each of them is adapted to certain climatic conditions and is individual in the choice of feeding and frequency of watering. In order to harvest a decent, tasty harvest, follow the scheme for planting seedlings in open ground indicated on the package. For low-growing compact bushes, it is usually 30x40 cm, with rare exceptions changing downward.
For more information on growing low-growing sweet peppers, watch the video:
