Early red-ripening sweet peppers?

[nativeplanter]

I don't much care for green peppers - they taste too grassy for me. But I really like red peppers, both fresh and roasted. I'd especially like to try roasting and canning sweet red peppers this coming year. Unfortunately, many of the seed companies only give one date for "days to maturity", and I think it is for the green stage. The length of time between green and red feels like an eternity, and it seems like it varies by variety such that one can't just go by the green date. Does anyone know of a variety that would be good for roasting that ripens to red earlier than others?

[Cole_Robbie]

If you're talking about "green to red" bell peppers, there are a ton of varieties. All of them will turn red, but the ones with "red" in the name will tend to turn red faster and more uniformly.

You might try a marconi pepper, like this one:
http://www.tomatogrowers.com/GIANT-M...ductinfo/9037/

[nativeplanter]

Thanks, Cole_Robbie! I had actually looked at that one. It says 63 days, I assume that is to green. I was thinking that peppers with "red" in the name might turn faster, but then I saw some that had later maturing dates. I'll definitely keep this one in mind, especially if you think it would be good for roasting.

[Stvrob]

Ive been kind of impressed with the Hybrid "Carmen" It says 75 days to Red-Ripe, and that seems about right in my garden

[Tormato]

Frank's for earliness, but I don't know if it'd be good for roasting.

Jimmy Nardello's for roasting, but I don't know how early it is.

[nativeplanter]

Thanks, folks. These are all great ideas. I'll look into them for sure!

[Farmette]

I second Carmen...it is a really sweet red pepper..love it!

[livinonfaith]

Trying Lipstick this year because it is supposed to be a little earlier than some.

Here it is.

http://www.localharvest.org/lipstick...r-seeds-C15166

[nativeplanter]

OK, those all sounded good, so I've ordered Carmen, Jimmy Nardello's, Frank's, Giant Marconi, and Corno di Torro Rosso, which did well for me last year.

Also trying Poblano L; I just love chiles rellenos!

I didn't see Lipstick at Sample Seed Shop or Tomato Grower's Supply, so I'll be on the lookout for that one at the garden center.

Thanks everyone for your help. I'll let you know how it goes!

[livinonfaith]

Sounds like a great selection!

Now you just have to let us know how they do for you.

[b54red]

One thing I found with Giant Marconi is that after the initial surge during the early summer it slows down but during the fall it will produce much better. It actually produces far more in the fall months and they ripen more evenly too.
It is a terrific roasting pepper and huge so you don't need as many. The plants can get monstrous so you better build a very tall support system for them and give them some space. I actually use a rack 7ft tall and they are usually towering over them by late summer.

I find Socrates to be one of the earliest and it turns red faster than the others I grow. It is also a huge producer of large sized, thick walled red bell peppers.

[nativeplanter]

Good to know! Last year I grew my peppers and eggplants on mushroom compost, and by the end of the year wished I had put those little tomato cages around them (you know, the ones that are really too small for tomatoes). I'll definitely make sure I do that this year! Do you have any photos of your tall pepper rack?

Regarding Socrates - I'll definitely look into that one!

Originally Posted by b54red

One thing I found with Giant Marconi is that after the initial surge during the early summer it slows down but during the fall it will produce much better. It actually produces far more in the fall months and they ripen more evenly too.
It is a terrific roasting pepper and huge so you don't need as many. The plants can get monstrous so you better build a very tall support system for them and give them some space. I actually use a rack 7ft tall and they are usually towering over them by late summer.

I find Socrates to be one of the earliest and it turns red faster than the others I grow. It is also a huge producer of large sized, thick walled red bell peppers.

[Farmette]

Like I said, I love Carmen. But I have grown Socrates too and it was another very productive one for me. The shape is just a very large blocky bell, while Carmen is more horn shaped. Both are excellent, with Carmen being a little sweeter for me.

[kath]

I love the earliness and taste of Carmen F1 too and it was my favorite before I found the open-pollinated Palanacko Cudo which is earlier, sweeter and has thicker walls- don't know where you can get seeds for that one though.

[nativeplanter]

Kath, that does sound like a nice pepper. A quick Google search for Palanacka Cudo yielded some good opinions of it, but not one source. If you do hear of where I might find some, please let me know.

Originally Posted by kath

I love the earliness and taste of Carmen F1 too and it was my favorite before I found the open-pollinated Palanacko Cudo which is earlier, sweeter and has thicker walls- don't know where you can get seeds for that one though.