Mini Bell Peppers

Imthechuck · July 23, 2016

Anyone have any idea what variety/seeds are called of the little bell peppers sold in the grocery stores?

Thanks

My Foot Smells · July 23, 2016

Yummy, yum-yum, Lunchbox, etc., etc...

Every vedor has a different name for these sweet little goodies. They come in the usual colors and very productive and easy to grow. The wall is not as thick as the big block bell, but I think that is a good thing.

However, I do not think the "mini bell" is an heirloom pepper. So seed extraction from the grocery store might not be advised.

1c worth

bower · July 23, 2016

I'm growing a couple of "mini bell" peppers that came in a mixed colours package. They are different so far - some earlier, some more bell like, one is more like a cherry, haven't seen colours yet. They all seem to be very sensitive to interruptions in their moisture regime, compared with other varieties I'm growing (Jimmy Nardello, Zolotoy Telets for example). The earliest one got aphids so I put it outside, but I picked the first pepper green and gave it to someone.. will have to wait.

Jimmy and ZT have both ripened first peppers this week.

ContainerTed · July 23, 2016

Saving seed from the grocery store mini-bells is always a crapshoot. But, some of them will grow true. I'd recommend you go ahead and start some of the seeds and see what you get. You will get a pepper and it should be small. Continue to grow them year after year and they will soon stabilize. They also make a good ornamental display if you put two or three colors into a single container. I used to love to go out to the front patio and pick a few to go into a salad. Can't get fresher than that.

Cole_Robbie · July 23, 2016

Through a trade with a generous friend, I have a few plants of Crunch Sweet Orange. It is an OP variety, not a mini-bell, but an oblong-shaped pepper. My family has grown the Lunch Box F1 mix from Johnny's. They are good, but the Crunch Sweet is sweeter. I like it a lot.

Now that I have the orange, I would really like an OP pepper that could take the place of the yellow or red peppers in the Lunch Box F1 mix.

clkingtx · July 23, 2016

I have grown the sweet mini peppers from grocery stores before. I got such a lovely variety of peppers, some teeny like peas, some medium bells, and some similar to the ones I bought; and everything in between. They were all sweet and juicy, and every shade from yellow to red. Most didn't have many or any seeds. I do want to work on stabilizing some, just to see how it goes. A very cheap way to get some good sweet peppers! I didn't notice mine having any different moisture needs from the other peppers I grew.

ContainerTed · July 24, 2016

Here's a pix of one of my efforts with the mini bell peppers. I got a lot of good comments about the look. It had yellow and red mini's, and a poblano. All were delicious

NarnianGarden · July 24, 2016

I've grown mini bell peppers a few times, from seed (mixed colors).
Very nice, but because of aphids, I no longer grow peppers of any kind, small or large.
I am happy to send some seeds, though.

clkeiper · July 24, 2016

Yummy peppers are an OP seed. Many catalogs now list them as a hybrid, which is not true. The ones from the grocery store are not Yummy variety. I don't know what they are, but not yummy. Yummy takes a long time to turn color (orange is the best) and there are very few seeds in one... sometimes there are actually none. mini bells are just that... mini bells as listed on the envelope from the seed company. There are a few new varieties available and if you like them to taste like something go for a named variety. I grew a seed packet of mixed mini bells a few years ago and they were prolific, but tasteless to me.
Yum-yum is a mix of colors and shapes, not really a specific variety it appears to me. I ordered yummy tags for peppers this year and received yum-yum tags, which had a mix of shapes and colors. BUT I think it depends on where you buy them as to what you get for a blend.
Gurneys appears to be a the actual Yummy blend,
Territorial appears to be yummy orange,
Tomato growers... an actual blend of shapes sizes and colors.

looks like a crap shoot to me for ordering, though.

The ones in the grocery store... I really think are trade specific varieties that we can't actually order. Maybe these huge growers grow for a specific seed company to trial them and they are able to sell the product when they are done growing it out. I don't know, I am just guessing because I would love to have some of the varieties I have bought in the stores and can find nothing like them in any catalogs, commercial or home gardener.

July 23, 2016	#1
Imthechuck Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: SouthFlorida Zone 10 Posts: 120	Mini Bell Peppers Anyone have any idea what variety/seeds are called of the little bell peppers sold in the grocery stores? Thanks

July 23, 2016	#4
ContainerTed Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: 6a - NE Tennessee Posts: 4,538	Saving seed from the grocery store mini-bells is always a crapshoot. But, some of them will grow true. I'd recommend you go ahead and start some of the seeds and see what you get. You will get a pepper and it should be small. Continue to grow them year after year and they will soon stabilize. They also make a good ornamental display if you put two or three colors into a single container. I used to love to go out to the front patio and pick a few to go into a salad. Can't get fresher than that. __________________ Ted ________________________ Owner & Sole Operator Of The Muddy Bucket Farm and Tomato Ranch

July 23, 2016	#6
clkingtx Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Wichita Falls Texas Posts: 446	I have grown the sweet mini peppers from grocery stores before. I got such a lovely variety of peppers, some teeny like peas, some medium bells, and some similar to the ones I bought; and everything in between. They were all sweet and juicy, and every shade from yellow to red. Most didn't have many or any seeds. I do want to work on stabilizing some, just to see how it goes. A very cheap way to get some good sweet peppers! I didn't notice mine having any different moisture needs from the other peppers I grew. __________________ Carrie

July 24, 2016	#9
clkeiper Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: ohio Posts: 4,350	Yummy peppers are an OP seed. Many catalogs now list them as a hybrid, which is not true. The ones from the grocery store are not Yummy variety. I don't know what they are, but not yummy. Yummy takes a long time to turn color (orange is the best) and there are very few seeds in one... sometimes there are actually none. mini bells are just that... mini bells as listed on the envelope from the seed company. There are a few new varieties available and if you like them to taste like something go for a named variety. I grew a seed packet of mixed mini bells a few years ago and they were prolific, but tasteless to me. Yum-yum is a mix of colors and shapes, not really a specific variety it appears to me. I ordered yummy tags for peppers this year and received yum-yum tags, which had a mix of shapes and colors. BUT I think it depends on where you buy them as to what you get for a blend. Gurneys appears to be a the actual Yummy blend, Territorial appears to be yummy orange, Tomato growers... an actual blend of shapes sizes and colors. looks like a crap shoot to me for ordering, though. The ones in the grocery store... I really think are trade specific varieties that we can't actually order. Maybe these huge growers grow for a specific seed company to trial them and they are able to sell the product when they are done growing it out. I don't know, I am just guessing because I would love to have some of the varieties I have bought in the stores and can find nothing like them in any catalogs, commercial or home gardener. __________________ carolyn k

July 23, 2016	#2
My Foot Smells Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Pulaski County, Arkansas Posts: 1,239	Yummy, yum-yum, Lunchbox, etc., etc... Every vedor has a different name for these sweet little goodies. They come in the usual colors and very productive and easy to grow. The wall is not as thick as the big block bell, but I think that is a good thing. However, I do not think the "mini bell" is an heirloom pepper. So seed extraction from the grocery store might not be advised. 1c worth

July 23, 2016	#3
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,794	I'm growing a couple of "mini bell" peppers that came in a mixed colours package. They are different so far - some earlier, some more bell like, one is more like a cherry, haven't seen colours yet. They all seem to be very sensitive to interruptions in their moisture regime, compared with other varieties I'm growing (Jimmy Nardello, Zolotoy Telets for example). The earliest one got aphids so I put it outside, but I picked the first pepper green and gave it to someone.. will have to wait. Jimmy and ZT have both ripened first peppers this week.

July 23, 2016	#5
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	Through a trade with a generous friend, I have a few plants of Crunch Sweet Orange. It is an OP variety, not a mini-bell, but an oblong-shaped pepper. My family has grown the Lunch Box F1 mix from Johnny's. They are good, but the Crunch Sweet is sweeter. I like it a lot. Now that I have the orange, I would really like an OP pepper that could take the place of the yellow or red peppers in the Lunch Box F1 mix.

July 24, 2016	#8
NarnianGarden Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Finland, EU Posts: 2,550	I've grown mini bell peppers a few times, from seed (mixed colors). Very nice, but because of aphids, I no longer grow peppers of any kind, small or large. I am happy to send some seeds, though.