Peppers

Peppers

Garden peppers, both hot and sweet, are generally purchased as transplants from a local distributor at planting time. Peppers grow well on black plastic mulch. Use a starter solution when setting plants in the garden. Growing transplants from seeds takes 10 to 12 weeks. Direct seeding in the garden is not recommended.

All peppers are sensitive to excessive nitrogen fertilization. Too much fertilization will cause blossoms and small pods to drop off. Hot daytime temperatures and cool nighttime temperatures also cause blossom drop. Problems with peppers other than blossom drop are blossom end rot (resulting from drought and acid soils), southern stem blight, sunburn, leaf diseases, anthracnose, viruses, and aphids.

Varieties

Sweet peppers

• Bell Boy—hybrid; medium long; blocky; mostly 4-lobed fruit; tolerant to tobacco mosaic virus; heavy set; AAS 1967.
• Big Bertha—hybrid; elongated bell type; resistant to tobacco mosaic virus.
• California Wonder—thick walled; blocky fruit; 3 to 4 lobes.
• Emerald Giant—large, 4-lobed blocky fruit; tolerant to tobacco mosaic virus.
• Jupiter—early; large and blocky; mostly 4-lobed; medium-dark green turning red at maturity; tolerant to tobacco mosaic virus.
• Keystone Resistant Giant—large pendant, blocky fruit; resistant to tobacco mosaic virus.
• Sweet Banana—Sweet Hungarian type; 6 inches long; tapered; light yellow turning red.

Hot peppers

• Cayenne—dark green turning red; 6 inches long; processing type for drying and sauce; concentrated fruiting habit; strong 24-inch plants.
• Habanero—a Caribbean favorite; golden-orange lantern-shaped fruit. Be careful.
• Hungarian Wax—canary yellow fruit; 6 to 8 inches long; turns red when ripe.
• Jalapeno—very hot; thick-walled; tapered green fruit turning red; 3 inches long.
• Super Chili—hybrid; thin-walled, tapered fruit; 21⁄2 inches long; fruit held upright on small plants; ornamental value; AAS 1988.
• TAM Mild Jalapeno—mildly hot jalapeno type; dark green; thick wall; productive.