Let's get started - sweet peppers...favorite varieties

[barkeater]

My favorite is Key Largo from Harris Seeds. Big, blocky sweet fryers that really pump them out on big sturdy plants. Nothing else has ever come close. A real pretty light green, almost whitish. Some I've picked were almost a foot long and 3/4 of a pound.

[toni5735]

My pepper list for this summer is:

Socrates
Spanish Spice
Sweet Pickles
Mariachi

I grew cubanelles last year but found them to be somewhat tastless so I'm hoping the Spanish Spice will do the trick.

Has anyone tried Mariachi yet?

Toni

[TomatoDon]

Craig,

Give me a little more info on pepper growing. First, I am not a pepper man, so to speak. But I do usually grow a few sweet bells. Have no idea of the variety, just get what's available at the feed store from Bonnie's. Does Bonnie's deliver to your neck of the woods? Do you know what this variety is?

Do you feel I would do better growing them in containers or a raised bed? I think you will say containers. But in beds, what is a good spacing? I've noticed that I've spaced them far too much in the past.

Eggplant. Containers or raised bed? Spacing? I think the variety I always get, again from Bonnie's, is Black Beauty.

Thanks!

Don

[veggiecanner]

I buy most of my seeds from bulk market farmer sites, The ones that I find priced cheeply and grow the best for me are sweet yellow bannana, yolo wonder, and I am trying the pepeincini this year. The sweet yellow bannana grows well in pots and you can pick them often.

[JerryL]

Craig,

I just spotted your challenge to grow some of your older pepper seeds.

Believe it or not I convinced the LOML Deborah to let me use a strip of dirt just off the back of the parking pad as garden this year. She has let it go from a very nice flower bed to a very ugly weed bed so I told her I was taking it over. She said OK but not with tomatoes. It will give me a great place to put peppers and eggplants however. Plenty of heat off the concrete parking pad.

Looking over the plot size and the peppers and eggplants I already have planned for there I could grow about three plants of about 3 more varieties.

So if you like I'll be glad to give some a try. Take your pick from what you have and I’ll be glad to see if I can get them going. If so I’ll be more than happy to return seed and info to you. And with your permission I’ll share with other T’villians.

If you need my mailing address again let me know.

Jerry

[soeur]

I had lousy luck with bell peppers until I waited for a month after the last frost date to put them in, and then mulched them immediately with cardboard under wheat straw. Oh, and fed them prodigiously with Plant-Tone. I've read that one isn't supposed to fertilize peppers much, but that's certainly not my experience. The bigger and faster they grow, the better my crop. Following this regimen I am overwhelmed with bell peppers.

I've trialed around thirty varieties, both hybrid and OP, to see what works best here in bacterial-leafspot land. In general any variety with resistance to BL is a good choice for me. In 2004, a wet and disease-filled year, by far the best producer and most disease resistant variety in my garden was Boynton Bell from Harris Seed.

Banana peppers are much easier to grow than bells in my experience. But I like the thick crunchy texture of bell peppers, and I use a ton of 'em in salsa and over the winter out of the freezer, so I continue to devote a fair bit of garden space to them.

Marty

[nctomatoman]

Jerry and others - too late on the sweet pepper F whatevers. I looked at my seed supply and age - quite old (1998 and 1999), and not many of them - so I sowed them and if they come up (still waiting, I fear it is too late), I will squeeze them in. What I may do is save seed from Islander this year and start again. It is a really interesting growout - lots of different colors.

Don, just saw your post. I do peppers and eggplant the same as tomatoes, but do put them in pots so I can get them to good sun. If in a raised bed they should do fine, and 1.5-2 feet should suffice. I think that our Home Depot and Lowe's carries Bonnie Plant Farm seedlings, but I have to confess to turning my nose up at them (understandable with the overly enthusiastic collection of seeds I am responsible for!)

[JohnF]

Last year by best ever for sweet peppers. All were new to me except Super Shepherd--thick flesh, sweet, and juicy
also

Carmanola Rossa- lg. Italian Bell
Golden Treasure- flattened bulls horn type, sweet and juicy
Orange Bell- very sweet, excellent flavor
Pimiento,Tangerine-pretty yellow, thick, tasty

[Plantersville]

Now ya'll have me going. I have chocolates, reds, yellows, lavender and white planted this year after seeing prices on these bells in the grocery stores last year. Of all these colors it sounds like chocolate is going to be the most flavorful. Is that everyones beliefs?
Thanks
Chuck B

[bully]

Duane gave me a couple Jimmy Nardello last year.

I cooked them out on the grill...never knew a pepper could be soooo good

[Dr_Redwine]

Originally Posted by nctomatoman

No room and no great success with bell peppers in NC - so I may just ask if anyone is very good with working with older pepper seeds and has a hankering for trying out some of my selections......I don't have all that many seeds, and the key would be that any results would be communicated and fresh seed returned....

let's see if this note entices anyone!

I can grow 'em here in Alabama; you send 'em and educate me what I need to do to save the seed for you.(I haven't saved pepper seeds before) I have a sandy loam here and have NEVER had trouble with Peppers. I also have a moderate climate in the summer of about 1 million degrees average temp. What do you say?
DrR

[Sorellina]

Duane sowed most of his pepper seeds last weekend and they're already showing some signs of germination. Yahoo!

His Sweet Pepper List

Hungarian Yellow Wax
Sweet Chocolate Bell
Marconi Purple
Cubanelle
Anaheim
Corno di Toro Rosso
Golden Greek Pepperoncini
Italian Pepperoncini
Giant Szegedi *
Lilac Bell Hybrid *
Red Lamuyo *
Roumanian Rainbow *

* TGS order hasn't arrived yet.

We were so excited and thrilled at last year's pepper performance that we have great hopes for a repeat. Duane learned a lot from trial and error. His main goal for this year is to SAVE MORE SEEDS! LOL.

[angelique]

Hi All,

Is Jimmy Nardello the same variety as Seeds of Change's Pepper Nardello Sweet? If not which variety is better?

Thanks for your help.

Cheers,

Angelique

[garnetmoth]

I got a super cheap packet of mixed heirloom sweets (and a bonus of hots) from Botannika this year. They are not color coded. Im taking the first 5 or so of the sweets that come up.

Im hoping to like the paprika types too, Ive never had good luck with bells either. Serrano did produce a lot here last year, even with neglect, but the taste wasnt spectacular.

Got the worms working harder in my vermi bins this year (better bedding and feeding schedule) so Im hoping better feeding makes whatever peppers I have happy!

[bluelacedredhead]

The Trinidad Seasoning is a new one to me? Could someone tell me a bit about this variety and where I could find seed for it, TY