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The approach of each spring season presents gardeners with difficult choices. There are so many varieties and hybrids of vegetables that choosing the right one for sowing is quite difficult. Some farmers prefer to grow peppers from their own seeds stored from previous seasons, others focus on high and early yields, and some prefer to receive beautiful and tasty fruits, including for aesthetic pleasure.
Variety selection
Red bell pepper has become quite a popular product on our tables. Of all the multi-colored hybrids being bred, the red color of this crop is the most natural. As a rule, it is red bell pepper It is well used in culinary processing, suitable for fresh consumption and looks great in preserved jars. But how to choose the variety of red pepper that is optimal for growing in your garden, will give good shoots and strong seedlings, and then a tasty and timely harvest?
The first thing you need to decide when choosing a red pepper variety is the climatic conditions of its growth.When purchasing planting material, be sure to read the description and instructions in order to create the conditions for the plant in which it will feel as comfortable as possible.
Decide 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 repeated harvests 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, in addition, it was the hybrids that became the leaders among thick-walled, juicy and tasty fruits.
Ripening time
Bell pepper is a fairly heat-loving crop, and therefore it is better to plant early fruits in the southern regions or in greenhouses that can provide the pepper with the necessary temperature conditions. The necessary climate in the air and 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 northern regions - on late-ripening varieties. In order to understand what the growing season is for a particular variety, let’s orient them according to their ripening periods:
- Early ripening hybrids and varieties - up to 100 days from the appearance of the first seedlings, regardless of the conditions in 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 a seedling is kept in an apartment or greenhouse, it may lose time adapting to new conditions, and the growing season will shift significantly. The plant that is transferred already with flowers must be pinched and cropped.
When choosing a variety or hybrid, pay attention to the size and shape of the fruit. Choose pepper so that it best suits the parameters of where it will be used.
Do not forget that fruits turn a rich red color only during the period of biological ripeness; at technical ripeness, 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 tables, but also in garden beds. Among the green spreading branches and leaves of the plant, long red or square beauties suddenly appear like bright inclusions.
Claudio
This variety is one of the most popular and widespread among gardeners today. It is quite versatile in use and is intended for open areas and greenhouses. "Claudio" is an early ripening 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, and colored deep 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 “Cloudy” is resistant to viral and bacterial diseases, root and amniotic rot. Tolerates high air temperatures and short-term drought well.
Viking
An early-ripening variety of red sweet pepper with a fruit ripening period of up to 110 days. Recommended for growing in open ground in the southern regions of Russia and under film covers in regions with a temperate climate. The bushes are powerful, medium-sized. The fruits have an even cylindrical shape, are colored light green during ripening, and red when fully biologically ripe.
The average weight of one “Viging” pepper is 150-170 grams; during the harvest period, up to 3-4 kg of crop is harvested from one bush.
Interestingly, this pepper variety was bred by breeders from Western Siberia and was intended for large-scale cultivation in greenhouses in their region. However, “Viking”, unpretentious to low temperatures in the air and on the soil, feels much better in the warm soils of the southern regions.
Vaudeville
Quite a popular variety for growing in country gardens and small farms in central Russia and the Non-Black Earth regions. It is widely used in cooking, suitable for canning and freezing, and retains its commercial qualities well during long-term transportation. “Vaudeville” is a rather big pepper (see image). The weight of one fruit at full maturity can reach up to 250 g, with a wall thickness of 7-8 mm.
The plant grows up to 1.3 m in a greenhouse, so it requires additional support. The variety feels great in warm open ground soils, producing yields of up to 8-10 kg per 1 m2. Distinctive features include resistance to TMV, bacterial diseases, and fetal rot.
Fakir
An early ripening variety with relatively small fruits, but very high yield. From one bush during the full growing season, up to 3-4 kg of beautiful red pepper is harvested. The weight of one fruit does not exceed 100 grams, and the wall thickness is 4-5 mm. Nevertheless, this pepper is highly valued by gardeners for the long-term preservation of fresh fruits and excellent taste when canned.
The bush of the plant is low, moderately spreading. In greenhouse conditions, it requires support or tying of the stem.
Triple Star F1
Refers to mid-season hybrids, adapted for cultivation on open soils and in film shelters in central Russia and Siberia. The bush grows up to 80-90 cm, semi-spreading. At biological maturity, the fruit reaches a weight of 170 g and is colored 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 canning 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 TMV, temperature changes on the soil and in the air.
Sprinter
The variety is recommended for cultivation in the Southern and North Caucasian regions and Stavropol Territory. Red peppers, small in size but very tasty, belong to the thick-walled category. 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 sufficiently and the forecast does not promise a return of frost.
Procraft F1
Mid-early variety for greenhouses and open soil areas. The bush does not exceed 1 m in height; in a greenhouse it requires garter. The weight of one fruit during the ripening period is 150-170 g. “Procraft” pepper has a cuboid shape, is colored green when technically ripe, and dark red when fully ripe.
The plant is adapted for cultivation in greenhouses in temperate climate zones and northern regions. This red pepper has proven itself well during long-term storage and transportation. A distinctive feature of the Procraft pepper is its requirement for regular watering and bright light, therefore, 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
An early ripening hybrid for regions with temperate and warm climates. Gives good results when grown in polycarbonate greenhouses in northern climate zones.
The bush is low-growing, semi-spreading, and does not require supports or garters. The pepper is long and has an unusual trunk shape. During the ripening process it is colored light green, in biological maturity – dark red. The hybrid produces good yields only with regular feeding, so when choosing a red Husky pepper, be prepared for the fact that during the process of growth and fruiting you will need to feed the pepper at least 4-5 times.
The fruits are small, 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 peppers, watch the video:
