Pepper Giant F1: characteristics of the variety, cultivation features

Despite the abundance of peppers of different types, sizes, and colors on the market today, gardeners want to grow their own crop of this vegetable, environmentally friendly, without the addition of chemicals. It's widely used in cooking: eaten fresh, added to salads and soups, canned, and frozen for the winter. And for good reason, as all peppers contain large amounts of beta-carotene, pectin, and vitamin C.

Characteristics of the variety

The Giant F1 pepper is an early-ripening variety, with the first fruits appearing in 130 days or less from sowing. The bush is quite tall, reaching about a meter in height, with widely spreading shoots. To prevent branches from breaking under the weight of the fruit, they are usually tied up.

Important! Not all plants reach this height, it all depends on growing conditions.

This hybrid variety lives up to its name: large, fleshy, thick-walled (up to 13 mm), cubic fruits weighing up to 300 g. With proper care, a single bush can yield up to 8 kg of fruit. Fruit coloring can be red, yellow, or orange.

This giant red-fruited pepper contains a lot of beta-carotene, even more than the record-holder, carrots. Yellow and orange peppers lack this vitamin; they were bred for people with allergies to red fruits and vegetables. This deficiency is compensated for by high pectin and vitamin C content, and orange peppers are also rich in potassium. The flavor of peppers of each color varies slightly.

Features of cultivation

Sowing for growing in a greenhouse is carried out in late January - early February, for open ground - in March. For seedlings, it's best to use prepared soil for peppers and tomatoes, available from specialist stores. Plant the seeds no deeper than 3-4 cm, cover the container with plastic wrap or glass, and place in a warm, bright location until the first shoots appear.

Attention! The yield and taste of the fruit directly depend on the seed material, so it must be purchased from reliable suppliers.

When the first two true leaves appear on the seedlings, they are transplanted into individual containers. Peppers don't tolerate transplanting well, so their growth may be stunted for a while.

Once warm weather sets in and the threat of frost has passed, the grown seedlings are planted in the ground. Pepper plants are not planted deep; unlike tomatoes, they do not develop lateral roots. When planting, follow the following pattern: 50 cm between adjacent plants, 75-80 cm between rows. Now the seedlings need regular watering, weed removal, and loosening of the soil. The best predecessors are garlic, cucumbers, radishes, and onions.

Attention! Peppers love open sunny places and fertile light soil.

The Giant F1 variety is resistant to the diseases and pests typical of this crop. Because the bush is spreading, untimely staking and strong winds can cause shoots to break. In this case, the fruits are picked, placed in the shade, and allowed to reach biological maturity.

Advantages of the variety:

1. High yield.
2. The fruits are juicy, with fleshy walls.
3. Excellent taste, sweet, without bitterness.
4. Resistant to diseases and pests.
5. Simple agricultural technology.

Disadvantages of the variety:

1. Demanding to soil.
2. The likelihood of broken shoots, which reduces yield.
3. The need to remove stepsons.

Application, storage conditions

Fruits of all colors are suitable, in addition to fresh consumption, for canning, due to their Juiciness and high vitamin C content. Large peppers are often stuffed with a mixture of ground meat and rice. They are suitable for freezing, both individually and as part of vegetable mixes. They are often a vibrant addition to main courses, appetizers, salads, and lecho.

It transports well and is stored in a cool place. To prolong freshness, it is recommended to spray the fruit periodically. It has a good marketable appearance, with bright, large, and glossy fruits. It is often grown commercially.

Also find out characteristics of the Bell pepper.

Galina Sergeevna, 54 years old:

I've been growing peppers for several years now, but recently, after planting them outdoors, the seedlings began to become infected with various diseases. I'd been fussing over the seedlings since March, but there was no harvest. I decided to try the hybrid pepper variety "Gigant"; they say it's disease-resistant. This year, only a few seedlings were infected, which I promptly removed. I harvested the rest—large, juicy, and sweet.

Andrey Grigorievich, 48 years old:

This is the only pepper variety we choose for growing at our dacha. Previously, we'd only grown red ones, but this year we also tried yellow ones. We harvested 15 kg from three plants and planted some to try. My wife pickled them with cucumbers, and the pepper was the first to go – crisp and juicy. Next year, we'll plant more, and we'll try orange ones too. They're easy to care for; just water them regularly and tie up the branches to prevent them from breaking.