The best pepper varieties for the Northwest in 2024 with photos and descriptions

When choosing peppers in the Northwest, whether in a greenhouse or open ground, several nuances must be taken into account, as the Leningrad Region is considered a high-risk agricultural zone. It's best to choose proven varieties, tested by gardeners and guaranteed to produce a normal harvest even under challenging growing conditions.

Features of agricultural technology in the region

The Northwest has a number of peculiarities that are important to keep in mind when growing peppers. Any mistakes will result in plant death or significantly reduced yields. To minimize the risk, consider all factors that negatively impact plant growth and development and follow a few simple guidelines:

1. Spring arrives late in the region, and the soil takes significantly longer to warm up than in the temperate zone. This causes delays in planting dates. Planting should be avoided if the soil hasn't warmed up sufficiently or if a prolonged cold spell is forecast. Plant only when stable warm weather has set in.
2. There are seasons with many cloudy days. Since peppers are a sun-loving southern crop, they don't tolerate low sun well, develop slowly, and produce few ovaries. This problem can be minimized by using low-light varieties that are less demanding of light and can produce fruit even in these conditions.
3. The warm season is short, so it's best not to choose late-ripening varieties; even mid-season varieties don't always ripen in time. The best solution is to plant early varieties that have time to bear fruit even in short summers.
4. Plants don't tolerate sudden temperature fluctuations well. This applies to both seedlings and mature plants. While maintaining an optimal microclimate is easy in the early stages, cold snaps in August can pose challenges in open ground. In this case, it's advisable to install hoops and cover the beds at night with plastic film or agrotextile.
5. Peppers are best grown in greenhouses or hotbeds; this will ensure a good harvest even when the weather isn't ideal. This method of cultivation yields significantly more than in open ground.
6. Use seedlings for both greenhouses and garden beds. This is the only way to compensate for the short summer period and significantly speed up the ripening period. It's important to follow all the seed manufacturer's recommendations and grow young plants for the required period.

It's crucial to grow healthy seedlings so they can adapt and begin growing as quickly as possible. Avoid planting sick or poorly developed plants. It's best to sow seeds in reserve, so you can select the healthiest and strongest plants and discard the weaker ones.

For open ground

Since the weather in Northwest Russia is unstable, even choosing the best varieties doesn't guarantee a good harvest. Everything depends on the weather, soil, and care. However, using proven varieties will ensure a good harvest even in less favorable seasons:

1. Buratino F1 – bred in 1995, grows well in garden beds. The bushes are spreading, but the foliage is small, so they don't become dense. The fruits are large – up to 17 cm long and up to 8 cm in diameter – and cone-shaped. The fruit walls are approximately 5 mm thick, and the largest specimens weigh 120 g. The flavor and aroma are excellent. When ripe, the surface turns dark green; when fully ripe, it turns a rich red.
2. Flame F1 is distinguished by its very early ripening peppers, with the first ones harvested after approximately 100 days (at the technical maturity stage). The bushes are tall – up to 180 cm, but in open ground they often don't reach this height; staking is essential. The trapezoidal fruits are large, light green at the first stage of ripeness and bright red at the second. With proper care, you can get up to 12 kg per square meter.
3. Moldova's Gift was bred back in 1973, but remains very popular due to its low maintenance and adaptability to adverse conditions. The bushes grow up to 0.5 meters tall and are compact. The first harvest can be achieved in approximately 115 days. The fruits are light green, turning red over time. They have a good flavor, and yield up to 8 kg per meter.
4. Tenderness (Nezhennost) is a medium-height (up to 80 cm) bush, spreading but not dense. It produces fruit well with proper care and feeding, yielding about one and a half kilograms per bush. The fruits weigh up to 110 g, are fleshy, and have walls up to 8 mm thick. The peppers average 10 cm in length, with dark green skin when technically ripe, turning red as they ripen.
5. Agapovsky is an old variety that is undemanding to external conditions, so it grows well in open ground. The bushes are medium-sized and densely foliated. The first harvest begins after 100 days. The peppers average 120 g in weight and are cone-shaped, often irregularly shaped. The walls are up to 6 mm thick, and the flesh is very juicy and flavorful, both when fully ripe and when unripe.
6. Dobrynya is a mid-early variety. In garden beds, the bushes grow up to 100 cm tall, moderately spreading; it's best to tie the stems to stakes. It produces large fruits (up to 250 g) of cylindrical or irregular shape, often with distinct lobes. The flesh is sweet and juicy, with walls up to 9 mm thick. Under favorable conditions, a single plant produces up to 20 ovaries.
7. Lero F1 is an early-ripening hybrid, with 95 to 115 days from sprouting to harvesting the first technically ripe peppers. It grows to 60 cm tall in beds, sets fruit well, and produces continuously throughout the warm season. The fruit has walls up to 10 mm thick, averages 100-120 g, and has juicy, aromatic flesh.
8. Lumina (Belozerka) ripens within 100 days from germination. The bushes are standard, medium-height, and require no staking. Fruit at the technical maturity stage are beige and conical or triangular in shape. The average weight is about 120 g, the flavor is good, and the variety tolerates transportation well, storing for up to 60 days in a cool place. It is undemanding of soil conditions but sensitive to watering.
9. Triton is undemanding of soil and weather, producing fruit well even in the most unfavorable conditions. The bushes are low, 30 to 50 cm, and require no shaping or support. They weigh up to 150 g; when unripe, the skin is yellow, turning red with age. They are virtually disease-resistant.
10. Czardas tolerates temperature fluctuations well and thrives in moderate shade. It takes 100 days from the emergence of shoots to the harvest of the first fruits. The flavor is good and rich, and this becomes evident at the stage of technical maturity. The average weight is up to 200 g, with a wall thickness of about 6 mm. Under normal conditions, up to 17 ovaries are formed on a single plant.
11. Eroshka – low plants literally covered in peppers, each producing up to 18 fruits. Average weight is about 160 g, the shape is tetrahedral or cylindrical, and the color changes from dark green to deep red as it ripens. Ripening time is from 100 days.

There are other options, too; new hybrids adapted to the northwest appear every year. When choosing plants for outdoor use, be especially careful; avoid those whose packaging doesn't indicate they're suitable for garden beds. At first, stick to proven options, trying one or two new varieties each season to find the best ones.

For greenhouses

Not all varieties are suitable for indoor cultivation, as the warm season is short, and even in a greenhouse, late-season varieties won't have time to produce fruit properly. Therefore, it's important to select high-yielding sweet pepper varieties; the best ones are listed below. They are suitable for both plastic covers and polycarbonate greenhouses. The latter is preferable.

1. Pilgrim F1 – tall plants, so staking is recommended. The first harvest occurs approximately 125 days after germination. The peppers are square-shaped, weighing approximately 140 g, with walls up to 7 mm thick. They change color from green to red or orange as they ripen.
2. Mercury grows just over 1 meter tall and requires support. The bushes are trained into 2 or 3 stems. The average fruit weight is about 130 g, cone-shaped, and thin, 5 mm thick. With proper care and timely fertilizing, up to 12 kg can be harvested per square meter.
3. Flame F1 is a hybrid that produces fruit well in a greenhouse, with the first fruits reaching maturity in 105 days. The bushes grow from 140 to 180 cm tall, with medium-sized fruits, averaging 100 g each, ranging in color from green to bright red. The flavor is good. The fruit wall thickness is up to 6 mm.
4. Rodnichok is characterized by a short growing season; the first harvest can be collected in as little as 90 days. The plants are quite tall and spreading, requiring good support. The average weight is around 100 g, but due to the large number of ovaries, the yield is high – up to 12 kg per square meter.
5. Mazurka F1. Ripening period: from 110 days, medium-height plants, requiring little shaping. The peppers are cubic, tapering slightly toward the bottom. Average weight: approximately 170 g, wall thickness: 6 mm, skin color: green to red.
6. Snegirok F1 – technical maturity occurs in 105 days, full maturity in 120. The bushes grow from 160 to 210 cm, are compact, and have medium foliage. The shape is conical, often slightly curved at the base, and the skin is shiny, bright red when ripe. The walls are 6 mm thick, and the average weight is 120 g.
7. Ruza F1 ripens in approximately 90 days under optimal conditions. The bushes are tall and have few leaves. Pepper size depends on the greenhouse temperature and can range from 50 to 100 g. Under optimal conditions, up to 22 kg can be harvested per square meter.
8. TSKHA 25 is a good option for growing in greenhouses in the northwestRipening begins after 100 days; the bushes grow up to 70 cm tall, with abundant foliage on the branches. The cone-shaped peppers weigh about 160 g, with thin walls – 4-5 mm. The skin is initially dark green, then begins to redden.
9. Ivanhoe is almost never affected by disease and tolerates waterlogging well. The bushes are medium-height and require no staking. The average fruit weight is about 100 g, the walls are thick, the flavor is excellent, and the flesh is juicy. Yields are up to 7 kg per square meter.
10. Yunga. Reaching up to 50 cm in height, this variety can be used as a groundcover for other greenhouse crops. Fruits weigh 150 to 200 g, and a plant can produce up to 15. The flavor is good, the flesh is 6 mm thick, and the first harvest can be 115 days after sprouting.

If you're using a heated greenhouse, you can choose more heat-loving options. For plastic shelters, it's best to use low-maintenance varieties to keep the interior warmer. You can cover one wall with black plastic or lay the material in two layers. When choosing seeds for the northwest, study photos and descriptions of different options and match them to the height of the structure.

Recommendations for selection

To avoid mistakes and get high-quality seeds, keep a few simple tips in mind, especially if you're new to seed buying. You won't always find everything listed above in the store. In this case, it's important to follow these guidelines:

1. Buy only from specialized stores or from seed originators' websites. Avoid street stalls and markets, as the quality of the planting material there is often poor, and they sell completely different varieties under the guise of one.
2. Read the information on the packaging. Consider plant height, maturity time, soil and light requirements. Avoid varieties intended for southern regions.
3. Choose varieties with a ripening period of no more than 130 days. Mid-season and late-season peppers simply won't have time to ripen if spring is late or cool days arrive early in August.
4. Whenever possible, buy treated or pelleted seeds. They don't require preparation before planting, and they germinate much more quickly than regular seeds.
5. Consult with experienced gardeners who have been growing peppers for years. Their feedback is much more valuable than information on a website, as all the pros and cons have been tested in practice.

It's best to choose a variety in advance to allow time to find it in stores or order delivery. Research information on planting dates for seedlings. Avoid allowing plants to overgrow, as they will adapt much less well to new conditions.

Reviews from gardeners

Oleg, Leningrad region

I try to grow peppers in hotbeds or a greenhouse, as our climate often harms plants grown outdoors. A couple of times, the plants only produced 2-3 fruits due to cool and cloudy weather. I use proven varieties – Gift of Moldova and Nezhnost – and they suit me.

Irina, Pskov

I've been planting Agapovsky in my beds for many years now, and I've never failed to produce a harvest. At the end of summer, I cover the beds with agrotextile, without any hoops; the material is lightweight and doesn't damage the plants. Two years ago, I tried the Buratino hybrid, which also performed well, and I'll continue growing it.

Andrey, Veliky Novgorod

About five years ago, I installed a polycarbonate greenhouse, and since then, I've had a good pepper harvest every year. In our region, they grow much worse in open ground. I use the Snegirek and Ruza hybrids, and they suit me. Next year, I want to try something Dutch-bred; my neighbors at the dacha have raved about them.

To grow a good pepper harvest in the northwest, special attention must be paid to choosing a low-maintenance variety that is adapted to the region's challenging conditions. A greenhouse is preferable, although good yields can also be harvested in the open ground.