Bell Peppers, which variety grows best?

[Gary350]

Which Bell Pepper variety grows best in hot summer weather?

I have not had good luck growing sweet bell peppers in several years. I plant them about May 1st they do good for a month in cool weather then weather changes, rain stops, it gets hot and plants stop growing. September when weather turns cooler plants start growing again and we get a few bell peppers in cooler weather before Nov frost kills them. If I till a lot of peat moss into the soil plants grow bigger and faster. Peppers are suppose to be hot weather plants? Maybe I should try a different variety of bell pepper?

[applestar]

So are you looking for ones that you would eat fresh/raw — thick walls, juicy crunchy sweet, thin skin?

If you are talking about frying them, then I think some of the pointy Italian and Hungarian frying varieties are good alternative. Pointy peppers are supposed to be more “wild” and less domesticated/delicate than Bells. Some of them have thicker skin though, that make them less suited for raw eating, and more suited to roasting, though not as thick as the Mexican roasting varieties with plastic-like skin. I actually like those for roasting because they are easier to peel.

[Gary350]

So are you looking for ones that you would eat fresh/raw — thick walls, juicy crunchy sweet, thin skin?

If you are talking about frying them, then I think some of the pointy Italian and Hungarian frying varieties are good alternative. Pointy peppers are supposed to be more “wild” and less domesticated/delicate than Bells. Some of them have thicker skin though, that make them less suited for raw eating, and more suited to roasting, though not as thick as the Mexican roasting varieties with plastic-like skin. I actually like those for roasting because they are easier to peel.

I never though about pepper in that way. I only think of bell peppers from the grocery store and hot pepper of different hotness.
Last years TAG from a 4 pack tray says, King Arthur Sweet Bell Peppers. Every year I buy 4 plants what ever says, Sweet Bell pepper.

Wife wants sweet bell peppers to cook with for, Beef Stew, Chinese Stir Fry, Mexican Fajita. We don't care of bell peppers raw or in salads. I don't grow any hot spicy peppers although I love hot spicy food my stomach can not take it anymore.

[MoonShadows]

We love cutting up a few sweet bell peppers and just munching on them as a snack! We have them almost every day. The last few years I have tried growing Sweet California Wonder Peppers. They are the standard bell pepper sold in the US since the late 1920's and the largest open-pollinated, heirloom bell you can grow. They are thick-walled, tender and flavorful. Good for eating raw or stuffing. Unfortunately, the only peppers I ever get are small, green, thin walled and are not sweet! I think this has a lot to do with our weather here in the Pocono Mountains. Our last frost date is May 31st and we start getting night time temps in the 40's in August. These peppers like heat, at least that is my understanding. This year, instead of putting them outside, I am going to try and keep them in the greenhouse using my fans and shade cloth during the hottest months...this is their last chance! LOL

[applestar]

Hmm... that’s interesting you said that @MoonShadows. I have similar problems growing peppers in general, and when I researched for bell peppers that would produce well IN THE NORTH —— King Arthur was one of the varieties that was mentioned, along with King of the North.

So I think Gary350 is on the right track looking for a different variety, and California Wonder would be one that he could easily find started plants for.

For me, peppers (and eggplants) grow much better in containers raised up and away from ground contact. Raised beds are not enough to provide the “toasty toes” they want. SIP like Earthboxes and Earthtainers work really well. But the best Bell pepper that I ever grew was Golden Summer Hybrid grown in a deep teak windowbox set across top of a pair of patio planters. The setup was located on the brick patio and received tree-filtered early morning sun, then direct sunlight from mid-morning until about 2PM, then the house shadowed it for the rest of the day.

It’s essential to separate from thinking that peppers might be grown in same way as tomatoes. Their root systems take longer to grow and need heat, they have a few radiating and far ranging exploratory roots and limited fibrous root mass. They are sensitive to wet soil. BUT bell and other thick walled peppers need more constant *even* moisture to build up the thick juicy walls (and have more fibrous roots) than thin-walled peppers which are drought tolerant (they seek out moisture with the exploratory roots). They do all need more water once they start to bear green fruits like tomatoes. In terms of light, peppers generally need less hours of sunlight than tomatoes to bloom and set fruits, but (surprisingly) bell peppers need more light than hot peppers BUT bell peppers will sunscald more readily in hot direct sunlight.... AND Bell peppers need more constant fertilizer. (Yeah they are divas.)

Where summer/summer sun is hot, maybe varieties with descriptions like “good leaf cover” do better. If lack of sufficient heat for the roots is not an issue, then thick organic mulch should help maintain even moisture and sustain them in drought. But organic mulch “keeps the roots cool” so in areas where keeping/heating up the roots is a factor, one way would be to use black plastic or IRT mulch ...but if using (plastic) mulch, you may need to have/set up an irrigation system/tubing UNDER the mulch.

[MoonShadows]

Thanks for all that great info, @applestar. I have to go over to Lowe's a bit later. They have their seeds out for the season. I am going to look and see if they have King Arthurs or King of the North. I know they have California Wonders. I have the same problem with eggplant. Produces, but not much and small. I have been trying Black Beauties, but this year I am also going to try Early Midnight Hybrid and Meatball Hybrid to see if they do any better. Also, going to try some Mammoth Melting Sugar Peas...they are supposed to freeze well.

[applestar]

For heat loving crop varieties that might perform or mature better in the northern climates and shorter growing season, I like to look at selections offered by Fedco located in Maine. They suggest Diamond eggplant as one that might perform. It is very early. I tried growing them in the ground and they still weren’t productive, but did start blooming early. I might try them again some time in SIP’s but this year, I have seeds for varieties that did well in Kentucky and Florida, so these will be given priority.

I was looking up California Wonder and came across Yolo Wonder as another alternative. I might try this one if I can get hold of seeds in the next week.

Yolo Wonder. 70-80 days. Thick, juicy sweet; improved California Wonder. Blocky 3 to 4 lobed fruit, 5 inches long by 4½ inches in diameter; attractive green, ripening to red skin. Bushy plant, 24 to 28 inches tall and spreading. Leaves offer fruit good protection from sunscald and hail. Tolerant of adverse weather conditions. Tobacco mosaic virus resistant. Open-pollinated.

@Gary350, I’m attracted to this one because it’s open pollinated and I can save seeds, but I think typically hybrids are bred to be more productive, so if that is a factor, you may want to stick to hybrid varieties.

...I’ve been holding back naming varieties because I mostly only grow open pollinated or heirloom varieties, and sometimes they are harder to come by. Also, in my difficult growing conditions they have never been particularly productive and I can’t tell if this is their trait or if they would do better if I would just quit experimenting and grow them in optimum conditions. But thicker walled, better production, pointy sweet stirfrying/cooking varieties I have liked so far are — Peperone di Senise, Donkey Ears, Lipstick, Corno di Toro (red — this one was super productive ... need to try growing yellow), Doux Long d’Antibes. I would say none of them are AS thick walled as Bell peppers, maybe medium-walled is the typical description. Giant Marconi is *supposed to be* in this group, but somehow have not done well for me so far — I think it might take longer to mature.

Oh, and this is NOT thicker walled at all, but Shishito is one variety that is very often praised for stirfrying in green fruit stage. It is not sweet like a Bell but is... savory?... and has a bit of mild, back of tongue kick... more like a love tap. I have heard that Shishito is actually a hybrid variety and is supposed to be productive and not spicy... and the less productive ones or ones that occasionally throw fruits with heat are from saved seeds.

I have a few new sweet pepper varieties I am going to try growing this year, so I may have others to recommend later.

[Gary350]

When I lived at the other house I use to rake all the tree leaves into a pile then chop them with the lawn mower. I used the lawn mower to blow chopped leaves on the west side of the garden then I added nitrogen fertilizer to help compose the leaves. I tilled the chopped leaves into the soil when spring arrived 6 months later the compose made the soil look like potting soil and bell peppers did very well. The next year I tilled in the fall leaves then spring I tilled in a 3.3 cu ft bag of peat moss then and added lots of nitrogen the soil was 8" deep it was like walking on a bed mattress. Fall weather was 20 degree blow normal plants that year were 7 ft tall, 50 to 55 very large peppers from each of the 4 plants. I have always wondered if all that organic material made the roots grow better.

Last year 2017 at the new house I tilled in lots of organic material, peat moss, nitrogen, bell pepper plants were 3 ft tall by the time hot weather arrived & plants only produced 1 small 3" bell pepper. No peppers all summer in hot weather. Fall cool weather 4 plants produced a total of 20 or so small peppers.

I always buy sweet bell peppers but I never look at the variety. I will not buy King Arthur this year.

[SQWIB]

My most prolific thick walled sweet to date has to be the Corno Di Toro Giallo.
I am trying the rosso (Red This year) Bells are hit and miss with me, I had one California wonder that exploded with fruit the rest, not so much but I think it was due to location. I love green bells so I will continue to plant them.
I didn't have much luck with my Ruby King Either


I have a few other sweets that I will be trying this year.
Pepper, Sweet - Red Marconi
Pepper, Sweet - Giant Marconi
Pepper, Sweet - Emerald Giant Bell

Aquaponics Ruby King


Bell



Corni Di Toro Giallo
Sorry for blurry pic#1

[Rory]

My sweet peppers have not done well the last few years, but my hot peppers have done amazing. Last year was a great year for hot banana and jalapenos in my garden. I tried moving the sweets from in the in-ground garden to raised beds last year, and they still only came in late and small as they have been doing for a few years now.

[MoonShadows]

Great looking peppers, @SQWIB. I only dream of peppers like that!

[jal_ut]

Emerald Giant works here.

[imafan26]

Bell peppers have a lot of diseases and so finding the right varieties do help. They like temperatures between 68-85 degrees. They like it warm especially when you are trying to get seed to germinate, but most bells will stop producing in high tempratures. Hot peppers on the other hand like to be near 80 degrees for best germination and they just keep going through the heat.
California wonder, Jupiter, Keystone, Yellow Bell, Yolo Wonder, Chinese Giant, Snapper, Oro bell, chocolate bell, and Charleston Bell have all produced for me but do not live long in summer heat. In warmer climates, peppers can be grown year round. However, I like to grow the bells in pots since in the heat of summer they get more sunscald on the peppers so I need to be able to hide them under other plants or move them to where I can limit the afternoon sun. In the rainy season, they need to be sprayed with fungicide weekly if they are outside when it rains for weeks at a time or put under cover. I have a plexiglass roof I can put on my bench to keep orchids out of the rain. I can do the same thing with some other plants but the space is limited. While they are under the plexiglass, I have to remember to water them because they don't get any water except dew.