I don't need another hobby, but...

[TomatoDon]

I keep seeing these absolutely beautiful, brightly colored and blemish free, peppers in grocery stores. One in particular is a little clear plastic bag with bright green, yellow, and red pepper, very large and well formed. I'm sure many of you have seen them too and know exactly what I am talking about. What are the name of these?

I see a lot of peppers still left over at some of the stores and nurserys, and since I have a few more open beds I'm thinking about planting some peppers. Can any of you here recommend some good (sweet) bell peppers? I'd really like to grow some as big, blemish free, and as good tasting as the ones I see in the fresh produce section of these stores like I described.

Can someone give me a thumbnail primer on late season peppers?

Thanks!

DS

[Blueaussi]

Peppers don't like cold weather, so I would take a look at your average first frost date, as well as fall weather patterns in general. For example, if we have an early frost in October around here, I know it's worth while to do what it takes to get the peppers through it because we generally have plenty of sun and warm weather until early November. If we have a frost or freeze warning much past mid-November, I generally let the plants go, because the production that late in the season usually isn't worth the trouble.

So, what's your fall weather like around there?

Second, if you decide to give this a try, look for pepper plants that are in larger containers. In small containers, peppers can become so root bound that the time it takes them to recover and put on a growth spurt would make getting much ripe fruit off them unlikely.

[cmpman1974]

Anyone can grow any kind of peppers in most climates if done right. I grow stuff you couldn't imagine could be done in Michigan w/o a greenhouse.

[ContainerTed]

This year, one of the peppers I'm growing is that red pepper from the store package like you described. The plant is currently about 30 inches tall and has set 8 fruits - the largest is about half size already.

I also took seed from the yellow and orange ones in the package my DW bought, but didn't plant them this year (wanted to see how the red one came out).

According to the Discovery Channel, most of those perfect-shaped, full color peppers we buy in the stores are grown in hydroponic greenhouses. The fruit is hand-selected for its shape and eye appeal. If defects (even small ones) are found, the pepper is put into the pile that goes off to be included in the frozen packages of stir-fry and other veggies. That's why the dadburned things are so pricey.

You might consider using seeds from the store package to perfect your growing technique.

Ted

[TomatoDon]

I rarely remember a frost here before Halloween, so I think I have 120 days left in this season, but that's the limit of it.

What are the varieties of those nice big red, yellow, and green I'm seeing in the stores?

Thanks for the pepper info!

Don

[ContainerTed]

One thing you can bet on is that the growers won't tell you even if they know. Closely guarded secrets. Look through the peppers at TGS or Totally Tomatoes. They have some nice pixs.

Ted

[Blueaussi]

It's almost impossible to know what the store variety is, there are just so very many bell pepper varieties. Lots of them are really tasty, too. I think varieties like Boyington Bell, California Wonder, King Authur, Ace, and/or Patriot are used in commercial production a lot, but I'm mostly just guessing.

[ddsack]

What are the varieties of those nice big red, yellow, and green I'm seeing in the stores?

By pure chance, the Dec 2008 issue of the Tomato Magazine (thread in Gen Discussion) had a pepper section that showcases pepper varieties that big producers might be growing. The pictures are certainly gorgeous in the magazine. They look like the shrink wrapped ones in stores.

Look on p.18 and following on this pdf

http://www.columbiapublications.com/...8/tm_dec08.pdf

(If you have a slow connection, be patient, 24 p. in all ... also an interesting article on grafting tomatoes)

[ddsack]

Found another article that cites commercial pepper varieties (I was researching what they meant by Spanish and Dutch trellising methods) I wonder how many of these are available to the home grower from sources like Johnny's or TGS? Named peppers are discussed about half way down the page.

http://www.foodforeveryone.org/faq/i...&page=index_v2

[Blueaussi]

Oh, if it's purdy pepper pitchers, you want, go to chileplants.com and searh their data base. It's pepper pron.

[WH_Conley]

Grew peppers some 20 some years ago for a company. Sure wish I knew what they were, beautiful peppers. Would not tell us what they were.

[Wi-sunflower]

I used to be really big in peppers. First bells then hots. My ID on other sites is Knappschiles so you know what I used to specialize in. Don't do much with peppers right now tho.

I looked at the second link and didn't recognize ANY of the names as anything available here in the states. They could be European varieties that are used in greenhouse production.

I'm a bit out of date with my knowledge of current varieties, but I also checked a commercial catalog I have sitting here and none of those names are in it either.

Another thing about current bell pepper seeds -- the last 10 years or so most varieties have been specifically bred to have Bacterial spot/speck resistance. That's what the X3R means in most of the names -- resistant to the 3 strains of BS.

Because of that the seeds today are rather expensive -- in the $40 - 70 / thousand range. 1,000 seeds is aprox 1/4 ounce. Some of the speciality varieties like the violets are close to $100/ thousand.

I have saved some seeds from the stores and grown them out. You will get a reasonably nice pepper but there will be variability in the fruit shape from blocky to elongated.

Carol