Ali Baba Pepper: Characteristics, Variety Description, Reviews

Among the vast selection of vegetables, sweet bell peppers are quite popular in our climate zone. Today, this crop is grown not only in private plots or gardens, but also on an industrial scale. When choosing a variety for planting, special attention is paid to its yield, taste, care requirements, and the visual appeal of the fruit. Therefore, the early-ripening sweet pepper "Ali Baba" is quite popular. To grow it, you need to know the characteristics, description of the variety, reviews, photos, and yield.

This variety was developed by Russian breeders who took into account the local climate, resulting in juicy, tasty, and large cone-shaped fruits. The "Ali Baba" sweet bell pepper is particularly prized for its high yield and relatively compact plant size.

Main characteristics of the variety

This relatively short plant, reaching a maximum height of 45 cm, is suitable for both greenhouse and open-air cultivation. The early-ripening "Ali Baba" pepper produces technically ripe fruit within 100 days of germination, yet still delivers high yields.

Each plant produces approximately 8-10 peppers at a time, with their tips pointing toward the ground. The fruits are elongated cones with a flattened surface and a slightly rounded, pointed tip. Each pepper weighs at least 300 grams.

The pepper's smooth surface has a slightly glossy sheen and is light green when ripe. As they ripen, the peppers gradually turn orange and dark red. The flesh is medium thick, reaching 5-6 mm. The flavor is characterized by a pleasant peppery aroma and juicy sweetness.

Thanks to its attractive appearance, excellent flavor, and fairly large fruits, this sweet pepper variety is very popular, both for sale and for canning and cooking. The fairly large and firm cone-shaped fruits are ideal for stuffing.

Peculiarities of growing seedlings

One of the key factors for achieving a high yield of the "Ali Baba" sweet pepper is preparing the seedlings according to certain generally accepted guidelines and observing the basic planting conditions. February is considered the best time to prepare the seedlings, as at least 100 days must pass from sowing the seeds to planting the plants in the ground. Generally, preparing the plants for planting is very similar to growing tomatoes.

To get healthy and strong Ali Baba peppers, try to follow these recommendations:

1. Only living seeds are suitable for planting. Important! To determine the quality of sweet pepper seeds you're planning to plant, place them in a small container of clean water. Any seeds that float to the surface can be discarded, as they are empty and won't germinate. However, seeds that sink to the bottom are safe to use for planting seedlings, as they will produce fairly strong and confident shoots.
2. Before placing in the soil, the seeds should be soaked in water for several days. For reference! To achieve stronger, disease-resistant seedlings, you can use any growth stimulant when soaking seeds. Good examples of such products include brands such as Benefit, Bioglobin, Zavyaz, Rival, and others.
3. It is best to prepare seedlings without picking them, so experts recommend sowing seeds in peat pots at a depth of about 1.5-2 cm.
4. Until the seedlings germinate, the containers are placed under glass or film and placed in a warm, well-lit place.
5. After germination, peppers require a specific temperature regime. During the day, the plant requires air temperatures of 25-27°C, and at night, at least 13-15°C.
6. Before planting seedlings in open ground, it is essential to harden them off, which requires maintaining a night temperature of 10-13°C.

By following these simple guidelines, you'll be able to grow high-quality, strong "Ali Baba" sweet pepper seedlings indoors. It's worth noting that to ensure strong plants, avoid drafts and provide supplemental lighting between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.

It is recommended to plant this plant variety in its permanent location in May–June, when the soil has warmed sufficiently and nighttime temperatures do not drop below 10°C. To ensure optimal growing conditions, space the plants at least 40 cm apart.

Basic rules for caring for the Ali Baba pepper

To get a good harvest of this crop, it's essential to provide sweet pepper bushes with appropriate growing conditions and care. Since this plant prefers light soil, the soil should be well-fluffed and fertilized before planting.

The Ali Baba variety requires the following care:

1. Water the bushes regularly. It's recommended to use settled and warmed water for this procedure. Ideally, allocate about 1-2 liters of water per bush.
2. Overhead watering of pepper plants is permitted only before budding. After the first blooms appear and until harvest, water should be applied only at the base of the plants to avoid moisture getting onto the foliage.
3. To produce large, juicy fruits, it is recommended to fertilize peppers with mineral and organic fertilizers. These compounds should be carefully applied to the plant no more than twice a month.
4. Regular weeding and loosening of the soil.

Mulching the soil can not only reduce the frequency of weeding but also optimize soil temperature and moisture levels. If you follow the tips above, your sweet peppers will delight you with their juicy, vibrant fruits from midsummer to early fall.

Main growing area

The "Ali Baba" sweet pepper variety was developed by Russian breeders, making it ideally suited to the specific conditions of our climate zone. This plant is highly productive, tolerates sudden and significant temperature fluctuations, and is resistant to most diseases.

This crop is best grown in Eastern Europe and Western Asia, in temperate climates. Thanks to the efforts of its creators, the "Ali Baba" sweet bell pepper variety is tolerant of uneven watering and relatively easy to care for. Thanks to its many advantages, it can be grown not only in greenhouses and industrial-scale farms, but also in private plots.

Reviews of the variety

Most users who tried growing this sweet pepper variety in their gardens were satisfied with the resulting harvest:

Lyudmila, 49 years old, Kostroma:

"I bought Ali Baba sweet peppers for planting in the greenhouse. I placed the seedlings in the ground in early June, after which I watered them regularly with settled water at around 30°C. At the beginning of flowering, I fed the plants with mineral fertilizer. The harvest was truly enormous, with each plant bearing 7-9 peppers. The peppers have a very delicate and juicy flavor."

Anna, 27 years old, Vladimir:

"I've been planting this variety of sweet bell pepper for several years now, and I never cease to be amazed by its yield. This year, some of the fruits sprouted tips-up, although they should all be bottom-down. I admit it's possible this could have happened as a result of cross-pollination with neighboring varieties. However, this didn't affect the pepper's flavor in any way."

Alina, 32 years old, Samara

"When choosing an early-ripening pepper for planting in a greenhouse, I settled on the Ali Baba variety, which has received good reviews. Overall, I was pleased. I fed the seedlings with organic fertilizer just before flowering. The pepper yielded an excellent harvest, characterized by a subtle aroma and juicy flesh."