Sweet Pepper Research and Development - Page 3

Suze · May 28, 2009

Islander 8.2 F4 vial 08-31 pictures attached - 5/28 (as usual, larger versions of the pics can be found here)

The container plant also has peppers too, all the leaves hid them well. I finally got around to tying it up to the stake in the pot so I could better see what was going on. Geez.

**nctomatoman** · May 28, 2009

Productive, aren't they! Looking good, Suze - let's see what color they turn - then how they taste once they reach their ripe color.

rutabagaboy · June 4, 2009

Islander plant 2.2, F4 seed, vial 08-18

Four plants each from plantings on April 7 and April 17, 2009, put in the ground on May 22. No flowers, no buds - yet, but photos attached anyway. The weather has been unseasonably cool and cloudy and the peppers and eggplants have not done much. The pepper in the seventh photo had purple cotyledons when born.

**nctomatoman** · June 4, 2009

Purple cots....my suspicion is that the sweet Islander selection crossed with one of the purple leaf hots. Now that will be interesting (beware when tasting!)

rutabagaboy · June 4, 2009

Even without the thunder and lightning and downpour we had tonight, the day of tasting is not near. (I can't wait to see what the garden looks like tomorrow.) BUT, thanks for the warning, which I suspect applies to ALL the plants from this selection.

rutabagaboy · June 17, 2009

Our early spring-like weather for the past three weeks means that not a lot has been happening with the really hot-season crops - like peppers. There certainly isn't much to see, so I've foregone new pictures. See post #33 for similar photos. The second plant from the right got munched by something, but all the rest have buds. Fruit is probably 10 - 14 days away.

Suze · June 22, 2009

Islander 8.2 F4 vial 08-31 peppers are turning golden yellow.

Do you think this is the final ripe color, Craig? The pictured pepper has been like that for over a week.

**nctomatoman** · June 23, 2009

Suze, here is my tasting note from last year in my 2008 garden log for pepper 8.2:

"pale yellow green, wash/blush with lavender, medium blocky bell, to full lavender ripens golden yellow"

So yes, you seem to have what I saw last year. This is unprecedented - a pepper that ripens from lavender to golden yellow. So I think that this is worth further stabilizing (productive and quite sweet and tasty when ripe - are you seeing that too?)

Suze · June 24, 2009

Yes, Craig - Islander 8.2 is sweet and tasty. Worth further stabilizing for sure. About 7 peppers per plant so far (that's rather productive for bells in TX), might be some smaller ones on the plants I haven't yet noticed.

rutabagaboy · June 26, 2009

Islander F4 6.1 Vial 08-26
Islander F4 6.2 Vial 08-28
Islander F4 8.2 Vial 08-31

Because I ended up with more space in the community garden than I had expected, Craig sent me packets of seeds of the above named varieties to help fill in the empty spots. Four seeds of each were planted in compost on June 12. Today the first seedling emerged - and the winner is - (drum roll, please) - Islander F4 8.2 Vial 08-31. First and only, so far.

sfmathews · June 26, 2009

Craig, below are 2 pics of TP. Does the fruit look right to you? Should I pick now, or wait for further color?

Thanks,
Susan

**nctomatoman** · June 26, 2009

Re Tawny Port - how long have they been that color? Any other fruit on the plant? I would wait a bit to see if the color deepens a bit. Since we are dehybridizing, you never know what things will emerge....mine last year was a deep reddish brown.

sfmathews · June 26, 2009

Just some smaller fruit, nothing close to maturity yet. As there is still some green left on the fruit, I thought I'd leave it a bit longer to fully color up. Thankfully, there's no sunscald, what with the brutal sun and heat we've had this week. I've had to pull some immature fruit off other plants because of sunscald.
Thanks,
Susan

rutabagaboy · July 1, 2009

Islander plant 2.2, F4 seed, vial 08-18

Four plants each from plantings on April 7 and April 17, 2009, put in the ground on May 22. Forty one days after transplanting, there are buds on all the plants and flowers on three of them. Photos of two of them are below. Note the difference.

**nctomatoman** · July 1, 2009

Oh boy! We have a sweet/hot cross (violet edge to the flower). Hmmm....will we have a slightly hot bell pepper? (or a really hot one!).

May 28, 2009	#32
nctomatoman Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7 Posts: 10,385	Productive, aren't they! Looking good, Suze - let's see what color they turn - then how they taste once they reach their ripe color. __________________ Craig

June 4, 2009	#34
nctomatoman Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7 Posts: 10,385	Purple cots....my suspicion is that the sweet Islander selection crossed with one of the purple leaf hots. Now that will be interesting (beware when tasting!) __________________ Craig

June 23, 2009	#38
nctomatoman Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7 Posts: 10,385	Suze, here is my tasting note from last year in my 2008 garden log for pepper 8.2: "pale yellow green, wash/blush with lavender, medium blocky bell, to full lavender ripens golden yellow" So yes, you seem to have what I saw last year. This is unprecedented - a pepper that ripens from lavender to golden yellow. So I think that this is worth further stabilizing (productive and quite sweet and tasty when ripe - are you seeing that too?) __________________ Craig

June 26, 2009	#42
nctomatoman Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7 Posts: 10,385	Re Tawny Port - how long have they been that color? Any other fruit on the plant? I would wait a bit to see if the color deepens a bit. Since we are dehybridizing, you never know what things will emerge....mine last year was a deep reddish brown. __________________ Craig

July 1, 2009	#45
nctomatoman Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7 Posts: 10,385	Oh boy! We have a sweet/hot cross (violet edge to the flower). Hmmm....will we have a slightly hot bell pepper? (or a really hot one!). __________________ Craig

June 4, 2009	#35
rutabagaboy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Near Sacramento, California Posts: 322	Even without the thunder and lightning and downpour we had tonight, the day of tasting is not near. (I can't wait to see what the garden looks like tomorrow.) BUT, thanks for the warning, which I suspect applies to ALL the plants from this selection.

June 17, 2009	#36
rutabagaboy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Near Sacramento, California Posts: 322	Our early spring-like weather for the past three weeks means that not a lot has been happening with the really hot-season crops - like peppers. There certainly isn't much to see, so I've foregone new pictures. See post #33 for similar photos. The second plant from the right got munched by something, but all the rest have buds. Fruit is probably 10 - 14 days away.

June 26, 2009	#43
sfmathews Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Allen, TX Posts: 398	Just some smaller fruit, nothing close to maturity yet. As there is still some green left on the fruit, I thought I'd leave it a bit longer to fully color up. Thankfully, there's no sunscald, what with the brutal sun and heat we've had this week. I've had to pull some immature fruit off other plants because of sunscald. Thanks, Susan