What's Your Favorite Bell Pepper To Grow?

 
Last year I planted the rainbow heirloom peppers and also the north star
hybrid peppers.  They both done fairly well with the exception of some
blossom end rot on the early fruits.  The wife and I both enjoy stuffed
sweet peppers and this season I'll be trying a hybrid pepper called Big
Bertha.  I'm in central Pennsylvania and hope this pepper does well here
in my garden.  Has anyone grown this pepper and if so,  what is your
opinion on it?  Would also love to hear about other peppers that may do
well for me.  Zone 5-6

Rich

 "EVP MAN" wrote


Same here but without the end rot.  I am south of you, Norfolk area.


The big bertha I tried but had sad results.  I suspect, container gardening
is at fault there.

What I've found is smaller peppers generally have more flavor per oz.  The
larger versions seem to have a higher water to 'meat' ratio that doesn't
work as well in my cooking although they are easier to stuff in a single
serving.  Instead, here we stuff 3 small ones and possibly a 4th or 5th
depending on size of the heirlooms.

If I grow the bigger ones, I'll need to use the fence section and a cage to
keep the dogs away as well as frame it (I have 2 rescue pooches).

Hehehehe I bet my 'new to me' beagle won't think the rabbits are cute and
just sit there watching them eat my garden!

Minor OT, I have a beagle/bull mastiff (I know, boggles the mind but that's
what Cash looks like) who sat there in the yard going 'cute bunnies' from
7ft away.  I swear, they came up and nuzzled him while he wagged tail per
Don!  I never saw them get that bold but I watched him watch the bunnies a
few times.  Now we have as of 5 weeks, Mabel Anne, a fellow heartworm rescue
beagle mix (age 10-12). She looks like mostly beagle and part Spanish
cockerel (proper beagle sized unlike Cash).  Cash just looks like a short
legged bull mastiff from neck down with a beagle head in proportion to the
rest of him.

 
My tomatoes and peppers are about the only plants the rabbits didn't
bother last year.  I had to put a fence around my asparagus bed to keep
them out.  My neighbor also has an asparagus bed which he had for at
least 25 years now.  He said that last year was the first time he knows
of that the rabbits bothered the asparagus.  There is no way I can fence
off my whole garden so I think this year I'll plant a nice bed of white
clover.  This being one of their favorite foods may lure them away from
the rest of the garden while also attracting pollinators like bees.
I've seen some cats prowling the neighborhood at night so maybe they
will thin the rabbit population out a bit this year.

Rich

 "EVP MAN" wrote


I'm thinking to get some of that simple 'picket plastic fencing' and put it
inside the containers along the edges this year.  Sections can be sawed
pretty easy to fit the 8inch sides.

 EVP MAN wrote:

I seldom grow sweet peppers, but a friend in Louisiana sent me some
seeds for a long sweet pepper he calls "Longhorn" that's prolific
and good.  It's not really a bell pepper, but it tastes like one.

This year I'm going to try growing seeds I saved from some "Ancient
Sweets" giant red peppers I bought at Sam's Club.  (they were huge)
No idea how that'll turn out.

I also am going to plant seeds saved from Better Boy tomatoes.  I
have Better Boy seeds, but I want to plant the F2's instead and see
what I get.  Then save the seeds from the best 2 plants, etc.

Bob, zone 4