Gogoshary Pepper: Characteristics with photos, growing instructions, and reviews

Developed by Romanian breeders, the Gogoshary variety has become firmly established in the southern regions and temperate latitudes of our country. It is loved by many for its high yield, unpretentiousness and excellent taste.

Description of the Gogoshary variety

The fruits of this variety are flattened and ribbed, reminiscent of pumpkins, tomatoes, or squash. When ripe, the peppers are dark green, and when fully ripe, they turn red or yellow and have a piquant, sweet-spicy flavor with a hint of honey. The fruits are quite juicy and fleshy, and the walls can reach 8 mm in thickness. The average fruit weight is 90–140 g.

This variety is considered a mid-season or late-season sweet pepper, producing fruit 100 days after pollination. Gogoshary peppers grow sturdy bushes 50–100 cm tall with dark-colored trunks and large, dark-green, round or oblong leaves.

A characteristic feature of the Gogoshary variety is its ability to cross-pollinate with nearby hot pepper varieties. Fruits produced this way will appear similar in appearance, but will taste hot. Therefore, it is not recommended to grow hot peppers near this variety.

If necessary, the fruits can be removed from the bushes when unripe and left in a dry, warm place for 2 weeks.

The variety begins to ripen in mid-July. Each bush yields 3–3.5 kg of aromatic fruit.

Sowing seeds

Seedlings of this variety are planted in open ground in May, so you need to prepare in advance for sowing the seeds and make the following preparations:

• To make nutritious soil, combine peat, humus, and turf in a 2:1:2 ratio. You can add some sawdust and sand to the mixture.
• Soak the seeds in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for half an hour and rinse with warm water.
• Wrap the disinfected seeds in damp cheesecloth for 2-3 days to germinate. Make sure the cloth doesn't dry out completely and moisten it periodically.
• Place soil in the prepared containers, moisten it, and carefully insert the sprouted seeds. Sprinkle a 1 cm layer of soil on top, cover the containers with a transparent material (glass or film), and place in a sunny, warm location with a temperature of 24–26°C. According to vegetable growers, it is not recommended to move or relocate containers with sprouted seedlings.
• After the first sprouts appear, the transparent material is removed.

It's important to note that Gogoshary peppers are extremely demanding when it comes to heat. When growing seedlings, it's essential to maintain the same temperature 24/7. Even a 2-3 degree drop in temperature can significantly slow seedling growth.

Picking seedlings

Although Gogoshary is very sensitive to transplantation, it is still necessary, as this process stimulates the growth of healthy fruits and the formation of a strong root system.

When two leaves form, begin transplanting the seedlings. Add soil of the same composition as for sowing seeds to containers previously washed with a potassium permanganate solution. Carefully grasp the sprout with your fingers and lift the root with a spoon. Place the sprout in the new container, but do not bury it too deeply in the soil. Cover with soil and press lightly. Water with room-temperature water and place in a sunny, draft-free room with a maintained air temperature of around 25°C.

Planting seedlings in beds and care

Under the southern sun, seedlings can be planted in garden beds as early as May. When planting peppers, try to place them away from other pepper varieties, especially hot peppers. Ideally, the pepper beds should receive good sunlight and be slightly elevated.

After planting in open ground, the seedlings should be watered.

Further care for peppers is very simple: maintain a temperature of 25°C and the required humidity. Water the plant moderately, always with room-temperature water. As for loosening the soil, many gardeners advise against it; instead, mulching the plant with husks, humus, or straw to a depth of 10 cm is recommended. Fertilize with nitrogen, phosphorus, or potassium fertilizers if the soil is poor: nitrogen fertilizers are used to strengthen the plant, phosphorus fertilizers are used during flowering, and potassium fertilizers are used to produce beautiful fruits. Although the plant does not like pinching, it is necessary, as an abundance of ovaries will affect the quality and size of the fruit.

How to harvest

The first harvest is collected when the fruits reach technical maturity. They are cut off with the stalks and left to ripen in a dark, dry, and warm room. This method will ensure a more abundant next harvest.

Reviews

All gardeners unanimously claim that the Gogoshary variety is the meatiest and thickest-walled pepper, which is ideal for stuffing and preparing the beloved lecho.