Hardiest Sweet & Bell Peppers In Zone 7b

[tlcmd]

Year after year, my bell and sweet peppers are a flop; small low yielding plants. Otherwise, my small home garden (1200 sq ft) grows herbs, tomatoes, cucumbers, okra, squash, wormwood, blackberries, and marigolds very well. I am in Greensboro, N.C. Zone 7b. Any suggestions for hardy varieties of both sweet and bell peppers would be appreciated. I'm getting ready to order seeds this weekend. Already have tomato and parsley plants in my flats up to about 4-6". Plan on both Snow Berry and Bolseno tomatoes (I'm in a spotted wilt area) which have done very well in the past, Zephyr squash, Eureka cukes, and Clemson Spineless okra. I have both Powis Castle and Artemesia Absinthium wormwood at different ends of the garden.

Thanks,
Dick (aka tlcmd)

[Tracydr]

Anaconagua is a very tough sweet pepper for me. It tastes like a bell but looks more like an Anaheim.

[ContainerTed]

Try growing in containers with potting mix. I'm in zone 6 and had a bumper crop of peppers last year. Ending up freezing stuffed peppers, made green tomato/bell pepper relish, gave away bushels, etc. Peppers like fluffy growing medium. The ones in containers gave three crops, and out produced the ones in the main garden (even though the ones in the main garden did quite well - two crops).

[Blk_Vegan]

I'm in zone 7 also and have had good results with Carolina Wonder bell peppers from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. Hardy and productive.

[Lorri D]

You could also try one of the grafted varieties being offered by the bigger seed companies. I have heard very good things. I live within driving distance to territorial and log house and so many people around me have tried them. That, or raised beds/containers is what I'd recommend first to try. Lorri D

[livinonfaith]

tlcmd, I'm south of Raleigh, NC and have never had much luck with any of the bells. (Except the mini ones, and they are a little too small for me.) A lot of them tend to sunscald or rot from the blossom end.

My favs are Marconi and Aconcagua. Aconcagua seems to start a little earlier and be more prolific, but my Marconi's are usually so big, pretty and sweet that it's really worth growing them, too.

This year I'll have those two, Banana, Doorknob(yellow), and a new one for me, lipstick.

[Andrey_BY]

Many Belarusian, Moldovian and Russian sweet pepper varieties are hardy enough even for Zone 4/5.
Non-bell (Cone and prismatic shaped fruit) - Alesya, Troyka, Nezhnost (Tenderness), Vinni the Pooh, Zvorov'e (Healthy), Zolotistyi. They are very early and productive - my favorites along with milky-white skin before they got it red (Belozerka, Belosnezhka, Venti).

Bell-shaped - Parnas is my favorite. It has got very nice blunt heart shape (and sometimes even real heart shaled) of yellow/orange color. Belarussian CV.
Also we have 2 bell-shaped Belarussian varieties similar to Californian Wonder (red and yellow) but setting fruit 2 weeks earlier. Kubik Krasnyi and Kubik Zheltyi.

Sibirian (non-bell) and Czech (bell and non-bell) sweet pepper varieties are very good and hardy as well.

[Tracydr]

Are we talking hardy for cold or tough as in disease resistant, able to withstand difficult conditions?

[livinonfaith]

In the Piedmont area of NC, we tend to have more problems with disease, animals, and water issues, (lately drought) than other things.

We have pretty high heat in the Summer, but most peppers seem to love that, at least for plant growth. What usually happens in my area is that they set fruit early, slow down or stop in the heat of the summer, then start again in the Fall. Sunscald is often an issue, especially with large peppers, like bells.

Greensboro, where tlcmd is, may be a touch cooler than where I am or have some different challenges. But most are probably similar.

[paprika]

The following sweets have all done well for me here in the Piedmont as long as I don't get anxious and plant out before mid May.

Marconi Red, Giant Marconi(both hyb and OP), Chocolate Cake, Roumanian Rainbow, Doe Hill, Blushing Beauty(hyb), Super Sheperd, Tolli's Sweet, Banana, Napolean, Italia Sweet, Frank's, Bullnose, and Lipstick.

TimothyT

[Tracydr]

So then, anacongua, any Italian frying pepper, California wonder, gypsy bell should do well. Paprika, pimento.

[stormymater]

Bells that rock here - in black plastic 5 to 15 gallon pots - Carolina Wonder, California Wonder. The pepper and the eggplant like hot feet (tomatoes not so much here). Get your seed from SESE & molly coddle them with heat. Fertilize regularly and water steadily through the growing season. Be sure to give them a heaping tablespoon of Epsom salts when you fertilize (after you water). Don't set out too early. Hope that helps.

though late for me - I love the Giant Marconi hybrids from TGS. We eat a variety of sweet pimento-type peppers b/c they are sweet, very crispy walled & often perfect for fresh stuffing (2 bite appetizers) as well as canning/drying/freezing.

Golden Cal-Wonder, Doe Hill, Ashe county Pimento, Sheepnose Pimento, Corno di Toro (red & yellow from growitalian.com), Topepo Rosso all have done well for me with the aforementioned treatment - they sometimes overwinter in the garage, the dark cold garage - 25% mortality but great jump on the season

These are all heat tolerant and seemingly very disease/insect resistant for me. I do lay the water to them when it gets sweltering.

[jerzey]

Growing for market in central NJ (zone 7), in black plastic mulch, I have had success with the following OP sweet peppers that I love: Jimmy Nardello, Round of Hungary, Golden Treasure, and Sweet Chocolate. For the colored bells I go with hybrids: Ace, Flavorburst, Early Sunsation, Gourmet. But my favorite pepper to grow for market is Carmen, a green-to-red Italian frying pepper offered by Johnny's.

[tlcmd]

Thanks to all for the suggestions. I'll probably try a couple of varieties and put one or two in pots also.

Thanks again.
tlcmd (aka Dick)

[b54red]

I have tried many many bells with varying results over the years. We have a lot of disease and drought issues nearly every year it seems. The one pepper that has consistently out performed all the others is a hybrid bell pepper called Socrates that can be purchased from TGS. I also like Giant Marconi, Peto, King Arthur, and Early Sunsation. I usually plant at least 6 kinds of sweet peppers and for the past 5 years Socrates has been the most productive with the least problems and it tastes great. Marconi is usually quite productive especially early and late in the season.