What's Your Favorite Bell Pepper To Grow?

Last year I planted the rainbow heirloom peppers and also the north star hybrid peppers. They both done fairly well with the exception of some blossom end rot on the early fruits. The wife and I both enjoy stuffed sweet peppers and this season I'll be trying a hybrid pepper called Big Bertha. I'm in central Pennsylvania and hope this pepper does well here in my garden. Has anyone grown this pepper and if so, what is your opinion on it? Would also love to hear about other peppers that may do well for me. Zone 5-6

Rich

Reply to
EVP MAN
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"EVP MAN" wrote

Same here but without the end rot. I am south of you, Norfolk area.

The big bertha I tried but had sad results. I suspect, container gardening is at fault there.

What I've found is smaller peppers generally have more flavor per oz. The larger versions seem to have a higher water to 'meat' ratio that doesn't work as well in my cooking although they are easier to stuff in a single serving. Instead, here we stuff 3 small ones and possibly a 4th or 5th depending on size of the heirlooms.

If I grow the bigger ones, I'll need to use the fence section and a cage to keep the dogs away as well as frame it (I have 2 rescue pooches).

Hehehehe I bet my 'new to me' beagle won't think the rabbits are cute and just sit there watching them eat my garden!

Minor OT, I have a beagle/bull mastiff (I know, boggles the mind but that's what Cash looks like) who sat there in the yard going 'cute bunnies' from

7ft away. I swear, they came up and nuzzled him while he wagged tail per Don! I never saw them get that bold but I watched him watch the bunnies a few times. Now we have as of 5 weeks, Mabel Anne, a fellow heartworm rescue beagle mix (age 10-12). She looks like mostly beagle and part Spanish cockerel (proper beagle sized unlike Cash). Cash just looks like a short legged bull mastiff from neck down with a beagle head in proportion to the rest of him.
Reply to
cshenk

My tomatoes and peppers are about the only plants the rabbits didn't bother last year. I had to put a fence around my asparagus bed to keep them out. My neighbor also has an asparagus bed which he had for at least 25 years now. He said that last year was the first time he knows of that the rabbits bothered the asparagus. There is no way I can fence off my whole garden so I think this year I'll plant a nice bed of white clover. This being one of their favorite foods may lure them away from the rest of the garden while also attracting pollinators like bees. I've seen some cats prowling the neighborhood at night so maybe they will thin the rabbit population out a bit this year.

Rich

Reply to
EVP MAN

I seldom grow sweet peppers, but a friend in Louisiana sent me some seeds for a long sweet pepper he calls "Longhorn" that's prolific and good. It's not really a bell pepper, but it tastes like one.

This year I'm going to try growing seeds I saved from some "Ancient Sweets" giant red peppers I bought at Sam's Club. (they were huge) No idea how that'll turn out.

I also am going to plant seeds saved from Better Boy tomatoes. I have Better Boy seeds, but I want to plant the F2's instead and see what I get. Then save the seeds from the best 2 plants, etc.

Bob, zone 4

Reply to
zxcvbob

I'm kind of lucky when it comes to seeds. My brother-in-law works for a seed company here that sells seed to farmers as well as retail outlets. At the end of the season, they give all the left over seed packets to their employees. He doesn't have a garden thus gives the seed packets to me by the grocery bags full. I pick out what I want and then pass the rest on to other people and tell them to do the same. I see that my brother-in-law gets all the fresh veggies he can use :)

Reply to
EVP MAN

Check with your local nursery about types that would do well in your area. You can help things along if you put down some clear plastic first, and then punch holes in it where you want to plant the peppers. This is best used with a drip system, and, of course put down your soil amendments first, including mulch.

Corno di Toro, Giant Szgedi, and Yellow Wax worked well for me this year, especially the Yellow Wax which was good fried as a side dish, or raw in a salad.

Reply to
Billy

"EVP MAN" wrote

I'm thinking to get some of that simple 'picket plastic fencing' and put it inside the containers along the edges this year. Sections can be sawed pretty easy to fit the 8inch sides.

Reply to
cshenk

That sounds like what I know as a 'bannana pepper'. Carol, zone 7B

Reply to
cshenk

The Longhorns are bigger and darker green than a banana pepper. (and the Ancient Sweets were huge -- heavy and about a foot long)

Bob

Reply to
zxcvbob

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