Sweet Bell Peppers

[Susan BBPM]

Too early in the season to give a final verdict, but I've tried various sweet pepper varieties from random seed packets from local stores with best result being 2 tiny peppers total off of 10 plants.

This year I bought 2 varieties from RealSeedCompany.co.uk in Wales. They specialize in producing seeds suited to UK climate. Wales is a good bit warmer than West of Scotland but they do say their seeds should do well in most parts of UK.

I chose Napia Early Pointy Red and Amy Sweet Pepper. I have 20 plants in total and both are absolutely smothered in little fruits and flowers. High hopes for my first outstanding pepper harvest!

I should add that we're having a very warm spring, and also I have solar powered soil heating cables in my polytunnel so this will be a factor. But the plants were looking substantially better even before they went out to the polytunnel.

 

[gary350]

We all need to learn what grows best for us in our soil and our weather conditions.

What grows good for me might not grow good for you and what grows good for you might not grow good for someone else. Here in USA zip 37129 TN weather is rain every day Jan to May then 100°f June to Sept garden is desert with only 1" of rain every month. Our hot sun will sun burn sweet peppers. Hot spicy peppers are very easy to grow in our hot dry weather. I plant hot peppers in a location so they get full sun all day. I plant sweet peppers so they get full shade after 12 noon the hottest time if the day. My sweet pepper plants grow all summer getting taller but its too hot for plants to blossom and grow sweet peppers. Soon as our weather changes to cooler weather in Oct all my plants have about 50 sweet bell peppers on each plant. I tried giant Marconi they are not very productive 20 peppers per plant. I tried Carman they produce about 70 sweet peppers per plant. For a while I grew Big Bertha sweet peppers but plants only grew peppers in Oct when temperatures were cooler. So far Carman is our best sweet pepper for our 100°f desert garden. I call it desert because summer is 100°f with not much rain. Hot chili peppers are so easy to grow in full sun in our 100° hot dry summer. Tabasco and Jalapeno are easy to grow in full sun. Crazy thing our pepper plants grow so slow 1 foot tall in 1 month, then another whole month for plants to grow a total of 3 feet tall, then another whole month for plants to grow a total of 6 ft tall. July hot pepper plants will have enough peppers to fill a 5 gallon bucket. Carman start growing ripe peppers in July also.

300 miles north of us relatives in Illinois have a good crop of peppers they summers seldom get hotter than 90°f.

600 miles north of us relatives in Michigan can grow good sweet peppers all summer but there weather is too cool and wet for a good crop of hot spicy chili peppers.

Relatives in Arizona grow sweet peppers in winter and hot peppers in summer.

Experiment to learn what grows best for you.

 

[Meadowlark]

Are you not have any 100°f temperatures?

Its July, it has been 100 deg. f and 100% humidity every day here since early May. No rain in a long time. More importantly, the nighttime temps have not fallen below 80 deg. for about 4 weeks. The National press daily issues dire warnings about the great Texas heat wave of 2023, LOL.

Bells don't produce in July...wrong they produce in 100 deg. as do other peppers but more slowly than in spring. My jalapeno, torro, and other big bertha are loaded with fruit and many blooms. Without question these blooms will become fruit.

Some will be quick to attribute this to different climate, but I don't accept that.... ours is about as extreme as it gets.

I believe it is the nutrient dense soil that enables plants to continue to produce in extreme temp... slower yes but still produce.

 

[Meadowlark]

Long peppers, I cut in half longways, roast then stuff with a fried mix of onion, garlic, hot chilli, pork mince, oregano & cream cheese.
Grate some med cheddar onto them, & back into the oven until the cheese is bubbling & just starting to brown.

WOW, we used a slightly different recipe, but wow is this good! I like the stuffed Toros better than stuffed bell peppers now.

Thanks to headfullofbees and gary350 for the info in this thread.

 

[headfullofbees]

Most welcome.