Best blocky sweet pepper?

[smallblueplanet]

I want to try some blocky sweet peppers again, preferably green but green to red or yellow or orange is okay.


What's the earliest tastiest varieties? Anyone tried Bell Boy F1 or New Ace F1 or Beauty Belle F1?

Ta.

[Elmo]

I'm growing 'King of the North' from Real seeds, not grown them before but I've had a 100% germination rate, so I'm hopeful for some vigorous healthy plants.

[Alison]

If you're after green ones then you can grow pretty much any variety and pick them before they ripen to their final colour (personally I like green ones the least ). I've tried loads of varieties over the years and try and avoid F1s as I want to be able to save the seeds. I think all the ones I've sown this year originate from Real Seeds (they do some fab early ones) inc Orange Bell (really good), Lipstick, Chocolate something or other and another variety that I can't remember at the moment. If you want more widely available ones then I've found Gypsy very good in the past but don't grow it now as it's an F1. Think the worst variety I ever grew was Californian Wonder which seems to get given away quite a bit, produced fruits far too late for my climate.

Note, just done a quick google and note that T&M are now selling Orange Bell so it seems more widely available then when I first bought the seeds, I'd say give that a go.

[smallblueplanet]

If you're after green ones then you can grow pretty much any variety and pick them before they ripen to their final colour

I know, but assumed some like Ace, are better tasting when eaten green, than others.

... inc Orange Bell (really good)

Have seen other favourable reviews so will keep it in mind, ta.

Not bothered by any being F1s as we don't grow that many so it's not that pricey not being able to save seeds.

[smallblueplanet]

Is no-one else growing sweet peppers then?

[SarzWix]

I agree with Alison that California Wonder is not that great. I've grown it for a few years now and only had a total of 2 peppers from it I'm not bothering this year, just sticking to the pointy types that seem to crop okay. I know that's a sort of negative answer to your question, but it's good to know what to avoid I guess?

[Bren In Pots]

Last year I grew California Wonder, Patio red, Colour spectrum and Spanish mammoth out of them all the Patio red did the best.
I tried to over winter them all but by the looks of it only the Colour spectrum and Spanish mammoth have made it through.

[redser]

I only grew one last year, gypsy, and got lots off them. They were lovely but a bit thin walled. Came highly recommended. I'll do more this year. But I'm also doing Denver F1 this year which came highly recommended.

Got the seeds from dobies.

[smallblueplanet]

I agree with Alison that California Wonder is not that great. I've grown it for a few years now and only had a total of 2 peppers from it ...

We tried it years ago and it was rubbish, but we've got better at growing peppers since then and wanted another go at green blocky peppers as last year we tried Giallo di Cuneo (yellow from Cuneo) and it was quite good, the peppers being tasty when green (never stayed on the plant long enough to go yellow, but also the sunshine was missing!). We've none of those seeds left and they're a bit pricey per pkt & p&p as that's all we want. Might try Beauty Belle F1 from vegetableseeds.net.

[BertieFox]

Why does anyone buy these expensive F1 pepper seeds? Sweet peppers are in-breeders like tomatoes and most will come true from seed, even if the parent is F1.

Often the ones you see in supermarkets are effectively 'open pollinated' varieties and will produce seedlings which are mostly as good as the parent.

I've grown peppers this way for years just selecting the best fruits I can find in the supermarket. Yellow ones have been some of the most successful, but also red, and we have had fruit every bit as big as those from commercial F1 seed. You can then collect your own seed each year from the best fruit you grow.

You have nothing to lose from trying. Just give it a whirl this year.

[Alison]

Why does anyone buy these expensive F1 pepper seeds? Sweet peppers are in-breeders like tomatoes and most will come true from seed, even if the parent is F1.

Actually they're not the same as tomatoes, whilst toms stay pretty much true to type (with the exception of certain varieties, often beef steak ones), peppers (both hot and sweet) do cross very easily, so if you want to save seed you need to either grow only one variety, or keep the insects out by means of isolation. As I mentioned on another thread (I think ) you can end up with seeds saved from a sweet pepper fruit creating hot fruits the following year. Whilst this may not matter and you might find something very nice, if you want to guarantee what you get then you need to isolate. Personally I prefer not to take the risk as I don't have enough space to trial things to that degree so grow one variety on its own in my greenhouse at home every year for seed saving and keep the others in the lottie polytunnel for eating. Works for me as I'm not very good at remembering to isolate with mesh etc.

[smallblueplanet]

Why does anyone buy these expensive F1 pepper seeds? ...You can then collect your own seed each year from the best fruit you grow.

You have nothing to lose from trying. Just give it a whirl this year.

Nothing to lose but time, greenhouse space (which is limited) and limited sunshine! I do save seeds from chillies and some sweet peppers but if the variety I like is �1.45 for 25 seeds and I grow 2 seeds a year, well I think I can afford it for the certainty of knowing what I'm growing.

[SarzWix]

I have had them grow 'true" from seeds taken from supermarket peppers, notably the little orange 'snack peppers', but I guess they're probably grown as a mono-culture so not much crossing is likely. Isolation is definitely needed to save your own peppers or chillis, unless you have the room to experiment with potential hybrids...

I've treated myself to a couple of grafted plants for this year, a pepper and a chilli, because I had a grafted chilli plant from B&Q last year and it was dripping with fruit despite the appalling weather. Easily paid for itself in fruit, unlike the other plants which took up compost and space and gave nowt back

[BertieFox]

Nothing to lose but time, greenhouse space (which is limited) and limited sunshine! I do save seeds from chillies and some sweet peppers but if the variety I like is �1.45 for 25 seeds and I grow 2 seeds a year, well I think I can afford it for the certainty of knowing what I'm growing.

That obviously makes sense! We are spoilt for space and lucky enough to get more sunshine (usually) and I probably grow 50 or so plants, so 'free' seed has its attractions. Peppers don't cross easily and although I've grown hot peppers and sweet ones in the same polytunnel, I have never experienced hot sweet peppers from saved seed (although it is well documented that that can happen). To be safe, I tend to save seed from a block of plants which is outside and relatively isolated from others. French commercial seed tends to be very expensive and a packet is often 4 or 5 euros, though you get a lot more seed than in the UK packets.

[jacob]

I've got a few going (lipstick, orange bell, kaibi, king of the north, purple beauty), but I've never had much success.

I'm about to start a new thread, in a desperate bid to find some winning tips.