Characteristics and description of disease-resistant pepper varieties

Pepper

Sweet peppers are a heat-loving, southern plant. When grown in our country, they require comfortable conditions. Some varieties don't thrive in northern regions at all.

However, breeding advances! Over many years of cultivating sweet peppers in atypical conditions, scientists have developed numerous varieties and hybrids that are resilient in all respects.

Rules for choosing a variety resistant to low temperatures

Peppers can't be planted and forgotten; they require care, watering, fertilizing, loosening the soil, protecting against diseases and pests, weeding, and training. This vegetable is highly valuable, and demand, as we know, creates supply. Seed stores offer a wide variety of pepper varieties and hybrids, not only those that are resistant to low temperatures and diseases, but also those that are low-maintenance.

To avoid making a mistake in your choice, it's important to remember one important point. Hybrids (marked F1) are created by crossing several pepper varieties. They produce offspring that incorporate all the best qualities of the parent plants. These peppers are resilient to all weather conditions and are resistant to common crop diseases. However, it's difficult to say how easy they are to care for.

When choosing peppers for cool climates, carefully consider the growing conditions. It's important to consider all the most important details, so here are some basic recommendations:

Residents of northern or central regions are advised to choose early- or mid-season peppers. They will have time to produce a harvest before the onset of cold weather.
Peppers are given a well-lit, level area protected from strong winds with permeable, fertile and non-acidic soil;
the best predecessors for peppers are onions, garlic and legumes;
When growing tall peppers, plan ahead for supporting structures. Varieties and hybrids whose bushes grow over a meter are best planted only in greenhouses;
In very cold regions, you cannot do without a greenhouse or film shelters; even the most resistant pepper will not survive in open ground;
Water regularly; peppers don't thrive in over-dried soil, but they also don't thrive in marshy areas. Water as early as possible in the morning to allow the foliage to dry before the cool night.
Don't forget about fertilizing. Peppers need feeding a couple of weeks after planting in their permanent location, during flowering, and also during the period of fruit formation and ripening.

All these tips will help you grow healthy peppers that can not only withstand harsh climate conditions but also produce a good, high-quality harvest.

Rules for growing pepper seedlings

In its native land, sweet peppers are grown from seed as a perennial crop, growing for several seasons in a row. However, in countries with short summers, like ours, the plant must be planted annually, and only from seedlings. Here's how to properly prepare sweet pepper seedlings:

Sowing is carried out from the second half of February to mid-March. The exact dates are determined by checking the information on the packaging;
the container, soil and seeds are prepared in advance;
the box is filled with soil, seeds are laid out, watered, covered with transparent film and placed in a warm place;
when the seeds sprout, the cover is removed and the box is moved to the brightest windowsill, and the room temperature is maintained at 25–27 °C;
seedlings that have acquired two true leaves can be transplanted into separate containers;
At all stages of seedling growth, peppers are watered with warm water, provided with additional lighting and fed as needed;
2 weeks before planting, hardening begins, lowering the room temperature; if this is not done, the bushes will have a hard time taking root in the new conditions;
Peppers are transplanted to a permanent location when they have 7 or 8 leaves.

Varieties resistant to diseases and low temperatures

Let's move on to a description of the most resilient, early-ripening pepper varieties, which have high immunity to common crop diseases and are tolerant of low temperatures. Many of them tolerate drought and heat very well.

Nafanya

This variety is ideal for the climate of central Russia and the Ural region. It is resistant to viruses and fungi and exhibits excellent tolerance to sudden temperature drops. The plant is compact, typically no taller than 80 cm.

The fruits are cone-shaped with a pointed tip, dark red, sometimes with a distinct purple tint. Each fleshy and tasty pepper weighs no more than 180 grams. The fruiting period is prolonged, yielding 15 kg/m². The Nafanya variety can be planted outdoors or in protected ground.

Tomboy

This variety is very convenient because it can be planted both in greenhouses and outdoors. The bushes are neat, just over 70 cm tall. The fruit has excellent taste and marketability: they are uniform, fleshy, delicious, and very juicy, and they transport well. A single plant produces up to 25 peppers.

The fruits are golden-orange, cone-shaped with a rounded tip. Each pepper averages about 125 grams. The rascal is extremely rarely affected by diseases and is not affected by sudden changes in day and night temperatures.

Actor

This fruitful variety cannot be grown without reliable support; the bush sometimes reaches one and a half meters in height. It is best planted in protected soil, where it will not be damaged by wind or heavy rain. As it grows, the bushes are tied several times. Licedea is resistant to diseases and low temperatures.

The average fruit weight is 300 grams, and one plant produces up to 15 bright orange peppers. They are elongated and conical in shape with a rounded tip and are red in color. This variety is characterized as very tasty, juicy, aromatic, and thick-walled.

Bagration

This is also a rather large variety, with bushes reaching about a meter in height, but it can be planted outdoors. It has characteristics that are very valuable for cooler regions: resistance to cold and diseases, especially verticillium wilt and tobacco mosaic.

The cube-shaped fruits are yellowish-orange, sometimes with green flecks, and weigh up to 200 grams. Up to 15 fleshy, juicy, and incredibly tasty peppers are harvested from a single plant per season. This highly prized and popular variety is versatile in cooking.

Varieties for Siberia

Siberia has a sharply continental climate, making it challenging for gardeners, with short and cool summers. Even the most cold-tolerant peppers need a spot in a greenhouse or under plastic cover in these conditions.

Previously, only thin-walled, small-fruited varieties, lacking juiciness and rich flavor, were grown in Siberia. Things are different now. Not only are seeds with fleshy, tasty fruits now available, but it's now possible to grow the crop even outdoors. However, it's still worth constructing a temporary shelter, just in case.

Novosibirsk

This variety was bred in Siberia and is recommended for cultivation in greenhouses, hotbeds, or under plastic covers. Novosibirsky produces its harvest early. The maximum height of the bush is 120 cm. The red, prismatic fruits are small, weighing no more than 60 grams, but thick-walled and juicy. Under good conditions and with proper care, the yield can reach up to 10 kg/m².

Siberian

This variety adapts best to the Siberian climate of all the others listed. The plant is compact, just over half a meter tall. It has increased resistance to cold and disease, and ripens mid-early.

The red, cube-shaped peppers are sweet, tasty, fleshy, and juicy. The maximum fruit weight is approximately 170 grams. Even with minimal care, the yield remains high; in good years, you can harvest approximately 7 kg of peppers per square meter.

Kolobok

A very neat plant, just over half a meter tall, the peppers ripen early. Kolobok is undemanding in terms of growing conditions and thrives both in a greenhouse and outdoors. The peppers are delicious, thick-walled, red, and cube-shaped. Each fruit weighs approximately 160 grams, yielding 6 kg/m².

The firstborn of Siberia

This variety was also bred in Siberia and is fully acclimatized to local conditions, ripening mid-early. The plant height is approximately 50 cm, the bushes are very neat and easy to care for. The peppers are pyramidal, thick-walled, red, and weigh up to 60 grams. The flavor and marketability are excellent; the fruits, although small, are very juicy. The yield is approximately 4 kg/m².

Pepper for the Urals

The Ural climate, while not critical for growing sweet peppers, is far from favorable either. Summers are cool and very unstable. To ensure a good harvest, early-ripening varieties should be selected.

Bogatyr

This variety is most often grown in cold regions; it ripens mid-season and tolerates low temperatures. It has excellent disease resistance. The bush grows no taller than 65 cm and spreads. The peppers are cone-shaped, prismatic, red, thick-walled, very tasty, and juicy. The average fruit weight is about 200 grams, with a yield of up to 1 kg/m².

Red Bull

A mid-early variety, robust and productive, the bushes are tall and the peppers are large. It requires staking and reliable wind protection and can also be grown outdoors. The fruits weigh up to 500 grams, are thick-walled, cylindrical, and elongated. They have excellent taste and marketability.

Yellow Bull

It differs from its relative only in the color and weight of the fruit; all other characteristics are identical. The Yellow Bull's peppers are bright yellow, weighing between 200 and 300 grams.

Winnie the Pooh

An unusual, decorative variety, its main feature is its very neat bush, which reaches a height of no more than 40 cm. Also noteworthy is the arrangement of the fruits on the plant: they grow in clusters. The peppers are red, cone-shaped, thick-walled, sweet, and juicy, weighing up to 60 grams. Yields up to 2 kg/m² and ripens early.

Montero

This variety is easy to grow outdoors, under plastic covers, in a regular or heated greenhouse. However, in any conditions, the plant needs support for staking, as the bushes can grow up to 130 cm in height.

The peppers are fleshy, juicy, and sweet, with a prism-shaped red base. The fruits typically weigh around 300 grams, but under favorable conditions and with careful care, some can reach almost 900 grams. Yields can reach up to 16 kg/m².

Pioneer

This variety was bred specifically for the Urals; it can be planted outdoors without worrying about temperature fluctuations. Pioneer isn't a high-yielding pepper, but it's resilient, yielding at least 1 kilogram per square meter every year, regardless of weather. The plant is compact, reaching up to 75 cm in height. The peppers are red, small, weighing up to 60 grams, but juicy and fleshy, cone-shaped with a pointed tip.

By following the advice on seed selection and proper agricultural practices, you can grow healthy peppers in any region, even in the Urals and Siberia. All the varieties described above require standard care, yet they consistently produce good yields.

Reviews

Elizaveta. We in Siberia have become adept at growing even unusual, exotic peppers, but not everyone can do it. It's best, of course, to choose regional varieties. Incidentally, the success of the seedlings depends greatly on how well they're grown. I have my own time-tested, favorite varieties: Kolobok and Novosibirsky. They're productive, disease-resistant, and tolerate temperature fluctuations well. The fruits are delicious fresh, in various dishes, and in preserves.

Boris. I'll highlight what I consider to be the best varieties for the Urals: Pioneer, Bogatyr, and Montero. They've never let me down, even though I don't do any preventative spraying and only go to the dacha on weekends. Some of the seedlings go into the greenhouse, and some are planted outdoors in the yard, and the yield is almost the same. The only thing you absolutely must do is carefully prepare the soil and seeds.