Gardeners need to know the best varieties of hot and sweet peppers for 2021, along with reviews from those who have grown them. This will help them make the right choice when buying seeds, ultimately resulting in an excellent harvest. Names and description of varietiesThe size of the bushes, fruit, their color, and shape—all this will expand our understanding of the biological characteristics of each species. These indicators are essential for proper plant care.
The best varieties of sweet peppers
In central Russia, gardeners began planting this southern plant quite recently; it became popular 20-25 years ago. Breeders from seed companies, for their part, have simplified the cultivation of sweet peppers. They have developed numerous varieties and hybrids adapted to temperate climates.
Early varieties
Sweet bell peppers, like all vegetables, are divided into groups based on ripening time. Plants with a growing season from the first shoots to technical ripeness of the fruit lasting 90-120 days include super-early, mid-early, and early varieties. Their number increases every year.
Agapovsky
Early peppers. The growing season lasts 100-120 days. Bushes are medium-height, compact, and heavily foliated. Fully ripened, the fruits are red, prismatic, and slightly ribbed. There are no more than 3-4 seed pods. Each pepper weighs 120 grams, with walls up to 8 mm thick, juicy, and tender skin. The average yield per square meter is 9 to 10.5 kg. They have a good flavor and a strong aroma.
This pepper is versatile. It can be used in fresh salads, as an ingredient in stews for meat and fish dishes, and as an ingredient in winter preserves. Some diseases (such as blossom-end rot) can affect the fruit, but it is not susceptible to tobacco mosaic.
Beloserka
Fruiting begins 120 days after sowing. The plant thrives and produces fruit both under temporary cover (during spring frosts) and in open beds. Peppers are immune to many viral and fungal diseases, including verticillium wilt, early blight, and mosaic virus. Bushes grow up to 70 cm tall, are compact, and have medium-dense foliage. Staking is sometimes required.
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The fruits are medium-sized, dark red, 2-3 chambered, and cone-shaped with a pointed tip. Pepper walls are 6 mm thick, and each pepper weighs up to 100 g. Due to its small size, the yield per square meter is slightly lower, no more than 8 kg. These peppers have excellent flavor and aroma, retain their marketable appearance for a long time, and do not deform during transportation.
Big Mama
A super-early pepper. The pods begin to ripen 110-115 days after planting. The crop is grown using seedlings in the garden under PVC film cover or in greenhouses. The bushes are low-growing, reaching up to 50 cm, but in a greenhouse they can reach up to 1 m in height, so they will need to be supported by trellises.
The orange fruits have a glossy hue. The peppers are up to 8 mm thick, sweet, juicy, and fleshy, with a piquant flavor. They weigh approximately 200 g. The variety tolerates extreme temperature fluctuations and shade well, and is resistant to many nightshade diseases.
Red bison
A tall plant, up to 90 cm tall, with spreading, vigorous branches and dense foliage. It takes 98-100 days to ripen. In southern latitudes, this pepper can be grown in the garden; in other regions, it's best grown in greenhouses.
The bright red pods sometimes grow up to 25 cm long. The fruit is elongated, conical, and glossy. Each pepper weighs up to 200 g. The walls are thin (4-5 mm), juicy and sweet, with a delicate texture.
This variety boasts high yields, with average yields reaching 10 kg per square meter. Fruiting continues until late autumn. The pods are used for fresh salads, fried, and stewed. However, due to the large size of the fruit and thin walls, they are not suitable for winter preservation.
Viking
This early variety begins bearing fruit no earlier than 115 days after sowing. The bushes are grown in open areas. To speed up the seedlings' adaptation, the beds are covered with plastic film stretched over a frame. The plant height ranges from 50 to 70 cm. The bushes are compact, and staking is not necessary.
The fiery-colored pods are large, cylindrical, smooth, and slightly ribbed. They contain 4 seed pods and weigh approximately 110 g. The fruit walls are thin—4-5 mm. These peppers can be eaten fresh, used in various culinary dishes, and used for winter preserves. When cooked, they acquire a piquant flavor.
Winnie the Pooh
The name "Little Pepper" derives from this variety. The growing season is 105-110 days. The plant can be grown directly in garden beds with additional insulation, or even indoors on a windowsill. The bush grows to a maximum height of 30 cm. The cultivators have noted the variety's high resistance to viral and fungal diseases (such as verticillium wilt).
The bush is densely covered with small red pods, gathered in clusters. The fruits, weighing up to 60 g, are pointed at the tips. Despite their small size, they have thick walls (6 mm). The flesh is juicy and pleasantly flavored.
Pickled preparations of small peppers, served as a winter appetizer, look unique. They are also used as vegetable side dishes. Peppers preserve well during transportation, with a shelf life of at least 30 days.
California Miracle
This pepper is an early variety. The fruits begin to ripen in 100-130 days. The bushes are low, 65-75 cm. It is recommended for growing in greenhouses and open ground. The pods are burgundy, smooth, and glossy, cube-shaped. The walls are up to 8 mm thick, fleshy, sweet, and have a distinct aroma. They weigh 90-130 g. The average yield is up to 4.5 kg per square meter of planting. They are used in cooking, fresh salads, winter canning, and freezing.
The following peppers from this group are also worthy of attention: Gemini F1, Gypsy F1, Star of the East F1, Player, Kolobok, Red Bull, Merchant F1, Orange Bull, Gift of Moldova, Fat Baron, Caliph F1.
Mid-season crops
This group includes pepper varieties with a growing season of 120 to 135 days. Their long maturation period allows them to be grown in open beds only in southern climates. In regions with short, cool summers, it's better to use the enclosed spaces of greenhouses.
Atlas
The plant bears fruit no earlier than 130 days after sowing. The bush grows to a height of approximately 75 cm and requires support. This variety is recommended for planting in greenhouses with plastic coverings. It grows well in regular garden beds. The bushes are resistant to tobacco mosaic virus and tolerate short-term cold spells well.
The red, cone-shaped, glossy pods contain 3-4 seed chambers. The large fruits, up to 20 cm long and about 14 cm in diameter, have thick walls 8-10 cm thick and rich in juice. Each pod weighs up to 200 g, with a total yield of up to 3.5 kg per square meter. They can be used in any form, but are not suitable for whole-plant canning due to their large size.
Bogatyr
A mid-season variety that begins bearing fruit 132 days after planting. Cultivation method: seedlings. The bushes are prone to lodging and reach a height of 70 cm. Ripe pods are burgundy or red, cone-shaped with a ribbed tip. The pods are up to 6 cm thick. Each pod weighs 70-100 g (the record is 160 g). Fruit yield is up to 4.5 kg per square meter.
Ox ear
The bushes are compact, about 75 cm tall, and resistant to fusarium. The growing season to fruiting lasts 120-130 days. The plant is grown in plastic greenhouses and also in open garden plots.
The pods are elongated and cone-shaped, turning red when biologically ripe. They reach a length of approximately 16 cm. The walls are up to 8 mm thick, fleshy, and have a rich aroma and excellent flavor. Each pepper weighs 140 g, yielding approximately 3.5 kg. They retain their marketable appearance for a long time and are highly durable during transportation.
Experts and gardeners also recommend the following varieties for planting: Kakadu F1, Claudio F1, Tolstyachok, and Zolotoe Chudo.
Late peppers
Late-ripening varieties begin to ripen at least 140-150 days after sowing. In garden beds, the pods only fully ripen in regions with long, warm summers. In areas with short summers, gardeners plant these peppers in greenhouses with constant heating.
Hercules
Late-ripening peppers with a long ripening period—135-145 days. They are recommended for greenhouse cultivation. The plant is resistant to fusarium. Bushes grow up to 70 cm tall, semi-spreading, with strong stems.
The pod consists of 3-4 chambers, with walls up to 7 mm thick. The pepper is cubical, reaching 12 cm in length and 10 cm in diameter. Ripe pods are bright red with a glossy sheen. They weigh 160 g, and yield 2.5-3 kg per square meter. The fruits are used in fresh salads, stews, fried dishes, and canning.
What to plant in a greenhouse
Heat-loving peppers can be planted in hotbeds, greenhouses, or permanent structures equipped with a heating system. The greenhouse microclimate shortens the growing season by 3-4 weeks. During this time, the vegetables have time to fully ripen and acquire the color intended by the growers. Early, mid-season, and late-season pepper varieties are recommended for greenhouses. Propagation is by seedlings, and sometimes by seeds.
Chocolate F1
A mid-early hybrid, fruiting begins 120-130 days after germination. Bushes grow up to 80 cm tall. The fruits are truncated cylindrical, with pod walls up to 7 mm thick. At biological maturity, they are chocolate-colored. A single plant yields up to 3 kg.
This variety is recommended for greenhouse or indoor cultivation. Seeds are sown for seedlings in March and transplanted into the ground after May 25th. To shape the bush, remove side shoots and leaves before the first branching. This hybrid is used for salads, hot appetizers, and pickling.
Cockatoo F1
This tall hybrid grows to 1.5 m in height and requires pruning and trellis support. Fruiting begins after 125-130 days. The pods are distinctively shaped like a curved beak. Upon reaching biological maturity, the fruit turns bright red. The fleshy walls are 6-7 cm thick and have a distinctive peppery flavor.
The pods are up to 30 cm long and can weigh up to 500 g. A single bush yields approximately 3 kg, and 1 m2 yields 9-10 kg. A single plant produces up to 15 pods. Some of the pods should be pinched off promptly to allow the remaining fruits to fully ripen and gain weight.
Fiesta
An early variety. The growing season lasts approximately 110 days before the formation of technically mature pods. The plant is compact and medium-sized. The fruits are drooping, cuboid, with walls up to 7 mm thick. They are yellow in color and contain 3-4 seed chambers. They weigh 150-175 g. The fruit has a good flavor and contains a large amount of juice. Yields are high—from 8.5 to 20 kg per square meter. The bushes are resistant to viral diseases.
The following varieties are also recommended for growing in hotbeds and greenhouses: Belladonna, Snezhok, Cardinal, Star of the East, Pilgrim, Livadia, Ruza.
The best varieties of hot peppers
Hot peppers are used in cooking for seasoning, pickling, and marinating vegetables. They are added to dishes to add a spicy kick to stewed and boiled foods. Gardeners who enjoy spicy seasonings often plant hot peppers in their gardens to always have a piquant vegetable on hand. The photo gallery includes photos of this crop's appearance.
Read also
- Peppers for home growing: Hot Bouquet, Indian Summer, Chinese Fire, Miracle of the Moscow Region.
- For open beds: Adjika, Dragon's Tongue, For the Mother-in-Law, Bully, Ram's Horn, Queen of Spades
- Early ripening varieties: Ostryak, Impala, Tulsky.
- Middle and late crops: Tabasco, Vizier.
Varieties of hot pepper They are divided into several groups based on their bitterness: hot, spicy, medium, and mildly bitter. Pod size varies slightly, with fruits averaging 5-12 cm in length. The typical color is red, but varieties with burgundy, yellow, and purple pods are also available.
Choice depends on the region
Agricultural company specialists recommend gardeners purchase seeds bred in their region. These peppers have been tested in local conditions and adapt well to temperature, soil, humidity, and other environmental conditions.
| Regions | Sweet varieties | Bitter varieties |
| Urals and Siberia | Blondie F1 (yellow), Venti, Eroshka, Cardinal (lilac), Maria | Arkhangelsky 147, Homer, Lightning |
| Moscow region | Orange Miracle, Hercules, Tenderness | Adjika, Zadira, Ogonyok, Vizier, Queen of Spades |
| Volga region (middle belt) | Blackamoor, Antiquarian, Emelya, Cardinal | Ram's Horn (Yellow), Vizier, Magic Bouquet |
Reviews
Olga Kirillova, 55 years old, Alatyr
We don't have many hot peppers at our market. Last year, I planted some hot Cardinal pepper seeds in a pot. I waited a long time for them to sprout, but when the first tiny buds appeared, I was thrilled. Today, I have a whole bunch of bright red little fruits. I recently planted some sweet Winnie the Pooh peppers. My neighbor says they're supposed to be small.
Venera Ivanova, 34 years old, Voronezh
I plant bell peppers in a greenhouse. They don't have time to ripen in the garden. I start seedlings and then transplant the saplings under cover. I've settled on the Kolobok and Bogatyr varieties. They're easy to grow, the most productive, very tasty, and the seeds are inexpensive.
Maxim Sokolov, 46 years old, Penza
My bitter peppers grow both indoors and in the garden. I plant the 'Babye Leto' variety indoors, and 'Adjika' and 'Zadira' in the garden beds. They're excellent plants and produce a good harvest. You don't need a lot of hot peppers, just a little for a spicy kick. I plant 'Bogatyr' and 'Atlant' directly in the garden beds. They're not fussy, but if it gets cold, I try to insulate them.
Experienced vegetable gardeners advise novice gardeners to plant different varieties of peppers. They also need to be properly cared for and protected from pests and diseases. These steps are essential to ensure your garden plot has healthy, tasty, and fresh vegetables all summer long.
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