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The Siberian climate is harsh and often changeable, which negatively affects the cultivation of heat-loving vegetables, such as sweet peppers. However, with the right choice of seed material, this vegetable of Mexican origin can take root, bringing good yields. Early ripening peppers are best suited for Siberia, capable of ripening in the short summer before the onset of cold weather.
The best pepper varieties for Siberia
The harsh continental climate of Siberia negatively affects heat-loving crops. This region requires varieties of peppers adapted to difficult growing conditions, which is what breeders have been working on for many years. Many hybrids and varieties of sweet peppers have been bred, which, if agricultural technology is followed, produce fairly good yields. Usually these are crops of early and mid-early ripening period.
Sowing of seeds begins in February. Pepper seedlings will be ready in 2 months. Plants are most often planted in greenhouses and after 95–120 days, depending on the variety, the first harvest is harvested.Typically, early crops produce up to 4 kg of fruit per 1 m2 and a pulp thickness of about 6 mm. However, there are hybrids that produce fleshy peppers with a wall thickness of 10 mm.
The video shows a selection of pepper varieties for cold climates:
The time has come to move smoothly to a review of early peppers, but first I would like to consider two popular varieties that are considered the Siberian standard.
Kolobok
The culture of Moldavian breeders perfectly adapted to Siberian conditions. The early variety of pepper bears fruit well in open beds and under film cover. The plant is a low-growing bush that is easy to care for. Three- and four-chambered fruits have delicate red flesh about 9 mm thick. The maximum weight of one pepper is 90 g. The vegetable is considered to have a universal purpose.
Topolin
The plant can be formed with two stems, resulting in a tall bush that requires staking to a trellis. With conventional molding, a medium-sized bush grows, which is grown without tying it up in a standard form. The first harvest can be harvested 110 days after germination of the seedlings. Green peppers turn red as they ripen. The fruits are not fleshy with thin walls and weigh a maximum of 150 g. If measured on a large scale, then from 1 hectare you can harvest about 50 tons of crop, which is 5 kg/1 m2.
Review of early varieties
Now let's get started with a general overview of early peppers. This does not mean that they are worse than those considered above; it is just that the first two cultures were singled out as the most famous.
Novosibirsk
Early ripening variety of peppers bred for cultivation in the botanical garden of Siberia. Seeds sown in February after 2 months produce strong seedlings that can be transplanted into a greenhouse. After 95 days, the first peppercorns ripen.As for yield, from 1 m2 you can get about 4 kg of fruit. The bushes grow up to 1 m high, bearing peppers weighing up to 58 g with aromatic red flesh 6 mm thick.
Previously a miracle
The culture belongs to the early fruiting period. Ripe fruits can be obtained after 90–105 days from the moment of seedling germination. The plant is immune to viral diseases. The bush can grow up to 1.2 m high, which requires staking the branches. Peppers turn red when ripe.
Montero
Another tall plant up to 1.2 m in height, suitable for growing in any type of greenhouse. The fruits are very large with a pulp thickness of 7 mm and weigh about 260 g. With good feeding, it was possible to grow giant peppers weighing 940 g. The value of the vegetable is its excellent taste. The variety is considered high-yielding, since from 1 m2 you can collect 7-6 kg of fruit.
Merchant
A very early ripening variety brings the first harvest 80 days after the appearance of the first shoots. The fruits are small in size and weigh a maximum of 70 g. As they ripen, the 7 mm thick pulp becomes red with a high content of vitamin C. Productivity is average, per 1 m2 you can get up to 3 kg of vegetables.
Pioneer
The variety was bred back in 1987 by Ukrainian breeders. The culture has adapted to the Siberian climate and can be grown even in the Urals. Productivity is very low, only 800 g per 1 m2, but the plant bears fruit in open ground without any problems. Small cone-shaped peppercorns weighing 55 g grow on a bush up to 70 cm high. The flesh is red, 4 mm thick. The first harvest can be obtained 116 days after planting the seedlings.
Winnie the Pooh
The low-growing plant has a maximum bush height of 30 cm.The first harvest can be obtained after 110 days from the moment of seedling germination. Cone-shaped small peppercorns ripen together, and on the bush they are grouped in a bouquet.
Firstborn of Siberia
The fact that this is an early Siberian variety is indicated by its very name. The first ripened fruits can be obtained after 100 days. West Siberian breeders endowed the plant with immunity to viral diseases. The characteristics of the culture are similar to the varieties of peppers “Novosibirsky”, “Sibiryak” and “Victoria”.
Donetsk early
The low-growing plant produces its first harvest 120 days after the sprouts germinate. Cone-shaped peppercorns have a rounded top. The plant can withstand sudden changes in weather without fear of fungal diseases. According to the characteristics of the fruit, the variety is similar to “Topolin” and “Kolobok”.
Dandy
The variety is a new product bred by West Siberian breeders. The bush of medium height bears bright yellow barrel-shaped fruits. Large peppers weigh about 200 g, while the thickness of their pulp is 7 mm. The vegetable has an excellent presentation.
Triton
The crop is capable of producing an early harvest 85–90 days after seedling germination. Low-growing bushes 45 cm high are very productive. From 1 m2 you can get about 10 kg of vegetables, and each bush forms up to 50 ovaries during the entire fruiting period. The mass of peppercorns is about 150 g, while the thickness of their walls is 5 mm. As it ripens, the color of the pulp changes from green to red.
Rules for choosing pepper varieties
The short duration of warm days in Siberia greatly limits the choice of suitable varieties of sweet peppers. When choosing seeds, you need to pay attention to the early maturity of the vegetable. A late-ripening crop will not have time to ripen even in a greenhouse.
When choosing seeds between varietal peppers and hybrids, you need to know that each crop requires different care. For example, the agricultural technology of hybrids is a little more complicated. Here you will need to maintain precise temperature conditions, plus apply fertilizing in a timely manner. However, the yield and quality of hybrid fruits comes first. If all conditions are met, peppercorns weighing more than 400 g can be grown.
When professionally growing peppers, you need to pay attention to imported hybrids. They bear large fruits with thick walls. Also, varieties must be selected according to the shape and color of the fruit.
Brief overview of hybrids
So, we have looked at some varieties, it’s time to pay attention to several popular hybrids in Siberia.
White Lady F1
A compact bush of small size bears strong, large, cube-shaped fruits. When ripe, the color of the pepper pulp changes from white to orange.
Claudio F1
In a maximum of 80 days, the hybrid will produce a mature harvest of peppers. The red, cube-shaped fruits weigh about 250 g and have dense, juicy pulp. The hybrid is resistant to weather changes and many diseases.
Gemini F1
The culture of Dutch selection has adapted well to the Siberian climate. Ripe fruits can be obtained very early, approximately 72 days from the moment the seedlings are planted. Cuboid yellow peppers weigh about 400 g.The culture easily tolerates various stresses, and the fruits themselves are not afraid of burns from direct sunlight.
Montero F1
A fairly popular hybrid is used by vegetable growers to produce greenhouse crops. Red peppers weigh a maximum of 260 g. The first fruits ripen 90 days after planting the seedlings.
A little about sowing seeds and caring for early varieties of seedlings
Sowing seeds for seedlings in Siberia begins at the end of February - beginning of March. To select high-quality grains, they are immersed in a container with salt water for 10 minutes and all floating pacifiers are thrown away. The good seeds remaining at the bottom are washed with clean water, disinfected with a solution of manganese, and then, spread out on gauze, they are periodically moistened with warm water with the addition of a growth stimulator.
The hatched seeds are planted 3 pieces in cups. It’s better to buy store-bought soil, but you can make the mixture yourself by collecting soil from your garden. For disinfection, add a glass of wood ash to a bucket of soil.
Each seed is buried 2–3 cm and all glasses are covered with transparent film, having previously placed them in a warm place. Watering is carried out periodically as the soil dries, preferably by spraying. After 3–5 leaves appear, the seedlings can be planted in the garden bed.
For better survival rate of seedlings, they must be planted in warm soil with a temperature of at least 20OC. Usually a distance of 80 cm is maintained between bushes, and 60 cm between beds.
The video provides recommendations for choosing pepper varieties for planting:
Common mistakes when growing seedlings
Inexperienced vegetable growers often make simple mistakes when growing seedlings, which result in a poor harvest or the death of the plant itself. Failure to maintain temperature conditions and growing seedlings in limited lighting will cause the plants to begin to stretch. Planting in shady beds risks the flowers falling off, which will affect the amount of harvest or there will be no harvest at all.
If a healthy-looking seedling with two full leaves suddenly stops growing, it urgently needs to be fed. To do this, you will need to buy a complex fertilizer in a specialized store and water the sprouts with the solution prepared according to the instructions. For better germination of seedlings, the soil should always be slightly moist and warm. When all the seeds have sprouted, the ambient temperature is lowered to 18 for a couple of days.OC. This measure is necessary for hardening the sprouts.
The video will tell you about common mistakes in growing peppers:
By choosing the varieties of early peppers you like and following the agricultural technology of growing the crop, you will definitely be able to grow a good harvest of the heat-loving vegetable in the Siberian lands.
