The best sweet pepper varieties for Siberia – description and characteristics with photos

Everyone knows Siberia's harsh climate and how it can negatively impact heat-loving crops. Therefore, many breeders are working to develop more resilient varieties of sweet peppers. Many varieties have already been developed that, with good and simple care, can yield positive results. These are primarily early and mid-season crops. Late-ripening varieties will not have time to ripen.

Hybrids for Siberia

Despite the abundance of choice, hybrids are popular among gardeners. Due to their exceptional adaptability to the climate's specific conditions, they have proven themselves worthy of recognition and occupy a place of honor in the garden beds of Siberian gardeners.

White Lady

An early hybrid. The bushes are compact. Large-fruited – cube-shaped fruits. Fruits are 10–11 cm long, with a wall thickness of 6–7 mm. Color ranges from white to orange.

Claudio

Early – the growing season lasts 75–85 days. Ripe fruits are elongated cubes, divided into 4 chambers, and bright red. Sweet, with a slight bitterness, they weigh 200–300 g each. Juicy, with walls 1–1.1 cm thick. The bushes are leafy and tall, up to 1 m. Each bush produces up to 10 fruits. Resistant to burns and diseases, they are easy to transport.

Gemini

The growing season lasts 75-85 days. The bushes are leafy and medium-sized, reaching about 60 cm. The fruits are large and elongated, up to 15 cm, cube-shaped, and have 4 chambers. Six to 10 peppers form per bush. The walls are about 0.8 cm thick and yellow in color. They weigh 200-300 g. They are resistant to intense sunlight and viruses. Branches need to be tied up to prevent them from breaking under the weight of the fruit.

Montero

From germination to maturity takes 110-115 days. Bushes grow to 1-1.3 m. Fruits are red, glossy, and prismatic. A ripe fruit weighs up to 300 g. The walls are up to 0.8 cm thick. Easy to grow. Consistent yield of 14 kg per square meter.

The best pepper varieties for Siberia

These two famous varieties are the standards of Siberia.

Poplar

It reaches full maturity in 120–135 days. The fruits are cone-shaped with a blunt tip, without a depression near the stalk. The walls of the large, fleshy fruits, about 0.7 cm thick, are red. Topolina bushes grow up to 65 cm. A single bush can produce up to 10–14 fruits. It is characterized by high, stable yields: up to 4.5 kg per square meter. It is easy to care for and resistant to pests. It has a universal purpose.

Kolobok

Developed by Moldovan breeders, this variety has been in active cultivation for 40-50 years. It is an early variety capable of producing fruit reliably in a variety of conditions, including open beds and under cover. It is short, reaching up to 50 cm, and leafy. The fruits are red, with 3-4 chambers and walls 0.9-1.2 cm thick. A ripe fruit typically weighs approximately 85-150 g and is round. It is versatile in use. Yields can reach up to 6.5 kg per square meter.

Early varieties for Siberia

Siberians have been successfully growing bell peppers for many years, and they prefer the early varieties.

Novosibirsk

This variety owes its creation to the Siberian Botanical Garden. It's early maturing. It takes no more than two months from seed to mature seedling. The first pods ripen in 90-95 days. It produces up to 4.5-5.5 kg per square meter. The fruit weighs approximately 60 g, with walls up to 0.7 cm thick, colored red, and prismatic. It has a pleasant aroma and a non-bitter taste. The bush is compact. It doesn't like replanting—it will temporarily stop growing. It's disease-resistant.

An early miracle

Ripe, red peppers can be harvested in as little as 95 to 120 days after seedling germination. The fruits are dense, cone-shaped, with walls 0.6 to 0.7 cm thick. They are versatile and easy to transport. Yields 10 to 12 kg per square meter. The plant grows slightly over 1 meter, so it needs to be staked. They are resistant to viruses and stress.

Merchant

The first peppers are ready to harvest in just 85–90 days from the first sprouts. Fruit weight up to 80 g in open ground, from 100 g in a greenhouse. Sweet, without bitterness or pungency. Walls are 0.5–0.7 cm. The semi-spreading bush is 70–80 cm. Yield per square meter is 2–3.5 kg in open ground, from 5 kg in a greenhouse. Stores well and is transportable. Used primarily fresh.

Pioneer

The Ukrainian "Tovarishch" variety was bred in 1987. It ripens 120-130 days after germination. The cone-shaped, slightly ribbed, sweet fruits weigh up to 60 g, with a wall thickness of up to 5 mm, and are red in color. Yields 1.5-4 kg per square meter. Bushes grow up to 75 cm tall. Resistant to pests and diseases.

Winnie the Pooh

Early maturing. Standard. Determinate type. From first shoots to maturity – 120-130 days. Bushes are small, sparsely foliated, up to 30 cm tall. Fruit are shaped like a sharp cone, up to 10-12 cm long and weighing about 60 g. Walls are 0.7 cm thick. Sweet, universal use. Long shelf life, transportable. Yield is about 5-6 kg per 1 sq. m.

The firstborn of Siberia

The name itself suggests its early ripening. The first ripe peppers can be harvested in 100-110 days. The bush is no more than 40-50 cm tall, producing both red and yellow, sweet, pyramidal fruits up to 10 cm long and weighing 70 g. The walls are 1 cm thick. It is highly productive – 10-12 kg per square meter. It is immune to viruses.

Donetsk early

A low-growing bush. Active fruiting begins after 110–125 days. The fruits are cone-shaped with a rounded top. Resistant to temperature fluctuations, viruses, and pests. Suitable for all uses.

Dandy

This variety has made its presence known relatively recently. It's an early variety. The bush is compact, up to 50 cm tall. The fruit is barrel-shaped, yellow-orange, with walls up to 0.9 cm thick, weighing up to 210 g. It's a versatile variety. It's resistant to temperature fluctuations, diseases, and pests.

Triton

An early harvest can be obtained after just 90 days from the first shoots. The low-growing bush, up to 50 cm tall, can produce over 50 ovaries. Mature fruits are cone-shaped, up to 200 g, with walls up to 5-6 mm thick, and are red in color. Good yields are achieved – 10-11 kg per square meter. To promote rapid development, it is recommended to remove the first shoots. It is resistant to temperature fluctuations. It is a versatile variety, but is best suited for processing.

Rules for choosing pepper varieties

This crop is widely available on the market. It can be difficult to navigate the wide variety of cultivars, shapes, colors, uses, and other characteristics. So, what do you need to know to make the right choice?

Hybrid or not hybrid

https://youtu.be/kU1yxAnsxT0

This criterion is important for those who prefer to select their own seeds. The "F 1" symbol indicates that this is a first-generation hybrid and cannot be used to harvest seeds.

They have their advantages: high yield and disease resistance compared to their non-hybrid counterparts.

Ripening time

Early - 70 - 110 days.

Mid-season – 115 – 135 days.

Late - from 145 days.

The best option is to plant peppers with different ripening seasons. This way, you can enjoy your favorite vegetables for a long time, as most peppers store well. In cold climates, of course, a greenhouse is essential, so early varieties are preferable; late ones may not have time to ripen.

Size and shape

This criterion applies to those who use peppers in cooking or for decoration. For example, large, spherical, thick-walled peppers are suitable for stuffing or salads. Small, unusually shaped peppers are also suitable for decoration.

Rules for caring for seedlings

If you don't have a greenhouse or hotbed, sow the seeds in February so they'll have at least 95 days of development before transplanting in May. Peppers don't particularly like being pricked out, so it's best to sow them directly into small peat pots. A loose substrate with the following ratio (2 parts humus + 1 part sand + 1 part soil) is suitable for seedlings. For 1 kg of this mixture, add 1 heaping tablespoon of ash.

The seeds should be pre-treated by soaking them in water at 45°C (113°F) until they swell. Then, until germination occurs, keep them in a damp gauze cloth in a warm room for 2-3 days. After this treatment, the first shoots can be seen within a few days after sowing.

After the first warm watering, cover the sown seeds with plastic wrap. Avoid watering them during the entire development period. Maintain a consistent daytime temperature of 25 to 28°C and a nighttime temperature of 11 to 18°C. The air should be warm and draft-free.

Before planting, it's helpful to harden off seedlings by moving them to cooler locations, gradually increasing their time there. The main thing is to avoid exposing them to frost.

Subsequently, it's sufficient to water, tie up, and feed the plants regularly. For example, a nettle infusion (one part nettle to 10 parts water, left to stand for 2-3 days) can be a good fertilizer.

Although peppers are a heat-loving crop, they are also grown outdoors, not just in greenhouses. And like other plants, they require care, as proper, good care is the key to a good harvest and healthy plant development.

Reviews

Lyudmila

I've been planting "Kolobok" for two years now. Even though the summer weather wasn't ideal, it still produced fruit and didn't cause any problems with diseases or pests. I plant them in a greenhouse, spaced far apart. I like its thick walls and small seed count. I don't buy seeds; I collect my own, and they all sprout. It tastes good, I recommend it. It's good for anything.

Larisa

I like 'Montero' and 'Early Miracle.' I harvest a lot of them, enough for sale, pickling, and breakfast salads. They're easy to grow, which suits me. I planted the seedlings in warm soil, without exposing the roots, in raised beds for better fruiting. I plant corn between the rows to prevent cross-pollination. In hot weather, I remove the lower shoots once a week.

Svetlana

I like 'Kolobok' and 'Claudio'. I mulch them with rotted straw, which allows me to water them once a week or more. I tie them up. To prevent mole crickets, I add water with a pinch of ash to the holes an hour before planting. I harvest 10 kg per square meter. I freeze them for the winter, salt them, and the children eat a small portion straight from the garden. I can confidently recommend them to any amateur gardener!