The earliest pepper varieties for the Moscow region: photos, descriptions, reviews

A love of red pepper is in Russian blood. This vegetable appeals with its fresh, juicy flavor and rich vitamin and mineral content, which is essential for our country's variable climate.

That's why this vegetable is so beloved by Russians, who find a place for it in both the southern and northern parts of the country.

Early pepper varieties for the Moscow region

The most popular and beloved early varieties of bell peppers include:

1. 'Bagration' is a semi-standard, spreading pepper with slightly wrinkled leaves of a normal size and color. The time between full germination and technical maturity is just over 100 days. The fruits are horizontally arranged and flattened, rounded in shape. They are glossy in appearance, smooth to the touch, and yellow when biologically ripe. Bagration peppers have four lobes, 8 mm thick walls, and weigh approximately 200 grams. This variety has a pleasant flavor. Approximately 6 kilograms of peppers are produced per square meter. Large fruits, attractive color, fleshiness, and flavor are the main advantages of 'Bagration'.
2. "Zaznayka," with its fruits facing upwards, is a variety distinguished by its unusual heart-shaped, prismatic shape, a wall up to 10 mm thick, and an incredibly juicy flavor. Fruits weigh approximately 150 grams. The growing season lasts just over three months. The meter-tall pepper bush is characterized by semi-spreading and semi-determinate growth. One square meter should include four plants, yielding approximately ten kilograms. Positive qualities of this variety, in addition to its flavor, include low flower drop, good shelf life, and resistance to various diseases.
3. "Ulybka" is a tall pepper capable of producing up to 27 fruits per plant. Each pepper weighs 200-250 grams, is elongated, and has a rich red hue. Training these plants into two or three stems is recommended. The peppers ripen uniformly, producing a stable harvest. "Ulybka" is highly resistant to drought, temperature fluctuations, and disease.
4. 'Czardas' is a compact, determinate pepper growing up to 60 cm tall. Technically, the fruits ripen by 95 days, and biologically by 132 days. The peppers are cone-shaped, and their color ranges from yellow-orange to orange-red. The fruits are beautifully arranged in downward-facing clusters and are eaten at any stage of ripeness. This variety produces a good fruit set and yields approximately ten kilograms per square meter.
5. "Sorvanets" (Scamp) produces fruit 108 days after germination. The fruits are green with a yellow tint, turning orange as they ripen. Their characteristics include a weight of approximately 160 grams, a wall thickness of 7 mm, and a conical shape. The plant produces fruit well, producing up to three dozen fruits per bush.
6. "Nafanya," distinguished by its exceptional flavor, is ideal for canning and stores well. After germination, the peppers acquire a dark green color, and when ripened after 4 months, they turn crimson. "Nafanya" peppers are triangular, cone-shaped, weighing 160 grams, 13 m long, and 9 cm wide. The juicy walls are 8 mm thick. This variety is recommended for sale based on all parameters. "Nafanya" blooms and bears fruit for a very long time, the bush is compact and grows without branches, reaching up to 130 cm in length. This pepper is disease-resistant and recommended for planting in both greenhouses and open ground.
7. "Litsedey" is characterized by very large peppers weighing approximately 300 grams and shaped like an elongated cone. The peppers have 7 mm thick walls and are light green when ripe and bright red when fully ripe. The growing season lasts about 100 days. The bush can reach up to 1.5 meters in height, with four plants per square meter, characterized by a spreading, semi-determinate habit. Gardeners will appreciate the yield – over 10 kilograms per square meter.
8. "Yungu" is recommended for fresh consumption, home cooking, and canning. This variety doesn't require shaping; it has a semi-spreading habit, with the fruits arranged in a cluster. The green leaves are slightly wrinkled and medium-sized. The peppers grow horizontally on the plant and are cone-shaped. They are characterized by low porosity and a glossy finish; when technically ripe, they are dark green, while biologically ripe, they are red. Each pepper weighs approximately 170 grams, has three to four nibs, and the wall thickness is 7 mm. This variety tolerates adverse growing conditions, including partial shade, and yields 6.5 kilograms per square meter.
9. "Akkord," a pepper variety that delights with its productivity. The period between germination and true technical maturity is 120 days, with biological maturity occurring in another two weeks. The plants are semi-determinate, medium-sized, and reach a height of approximately one meter. The pepper is shaped like a "blunt cone," and its color ranges from light green to bright red. The fruits weigh almost 200 grams, are excellent for salads and canning, and are disease-resistant.
10. "Barguzin" is a mid-early, medium-sized variety. The 170-200-gram fruits are suspended in a pendulous position. When ripe, the peppers are green, turning yellow when ready. "Barguzin" boasts high yields—up to 10 kilograms per square meter with three to five plants—and excellent disease resistance, adaptability to a variety of soil and weather conditions, and excellent flavor, even when cooked.

Reviews on growing early-ripening pepper crops

Gardeners are divided on the topic of planting early peppers. Some prefer early varieties, while others prefer traditional pepper varieties under cover.

Irina and Alexey, 48 years old
We recommend the sweet "Czardas" especially for those with limited planting space. We're pleased with the yield—10 kilograms per square meter—and the appearance of the bushes. Each bush grew to about 70 cm in length, with 17 berries in ovaries.

Maria, 50 years old
I like 'Yunga.' It's an excellent medium-sized pepper, ripens early, and doesn't require much care. The fruits are beautifully arranged on the bush. I love cooking, and this variety makes an excellent lecho.

Sergey, 67 years old
I love experimenting at my dacha near Moscow. Over the years, I've already chosen the perfect peppers for greenhouses in the temperate climate where I live. These include 'Barguzin,' 'Nafanya,' and 'Ulybka.' All of them grow beautifully in a greenhouse, are easy-to-grow, disease-resistant, and always produce a delightful harvest.

We're celebrating the selection and variety of early peppers for our country's central climate. It's up to gardeners to decide which to choose, based on their own tastes and preferences. Have a great season!