We wrote an article on how to grow peppers in the garden, now we will try to give some advice on what variety of peppers to grow. Chili, a plant in the Solancee family, is scientifically known as capsicum and comes in many varieties, so let’s take a look at these different types as we try to understand which are the best chili peppers to grow and how to choose. seeds . .
a premise : at Orto Da Coltivare by choice we do not talk about hybrid seeds, we like to think that even if the plants are selected they in turn produce fruits and then seeds, giving the grower the possibility of reproducing his plants over the years and want to be independent. A word of advice too: if you have to choose seeds, always buy organic seeds.
Below is a list of what we consider to be the best pepper crops we have experienced. You can use the comment format at the end of the article to give your opinion.
Contents
A few quick tips on what to choose
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To stay in the classic : Red square of Asti.
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To grow in pots and on balconies: Jubilandska pepper .
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To make the stuffing: Red bull horn.
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To store cucumber: Blond peppers Lombardo .
If you want to learn more about growing pepper plants, read this article.
Variety of sweet peppers
In this article we will not talk about hot peppers, which deserve a separate discussion due to the fascinating number of types, shapes and degrees of spiciness they exhibit, if you are interested you can read the varieties of hot peppers . So here are a number of great varieties of sweet peppers to grow.
Red square pepper from Asti. Variety with classic square fruit of good size, very thick flesh and excellent flavor, vegetable rich in vitamin C.
Jubilandska pepper. Despite its small size, this pepper is mild (zero degrees on the Scoville scale), it has an elongated red fruit. This pepper is excellent as a garnish, very tasty, perfect for roasting. The plant is dwarf, so it lends itself to small gardens and especially to pot culture. It germinates slowly, so don’t be discouraged.
California wonder. Fruity red pepper, very productive, a very common variety in the market.
Red bull horn. One of the most productive varieties, with thick, pointed (or rather horn-shaped) fruits over 20 cm long, delicious tasting, strong plants and good size. Perfect for making stuffed peppers.
Asti yellow. Variety of large-fruited peppers with a ribbed surface. Peels well after roasting.
Magnum and Magnigold peppers. Fruit of square section, elongated and of very good size, with thick pulp. The Magnum is red, Magnigold dark yellow.
Jolly Red and Jolly Yellow. Classic varieties of large-fruited sweet pepper.
fridge or clutch . A mild vegetable with a sweet taste, a good sized productive plant, ideal for frying, as the name of the species suggests. The plant germinates easily and has a fairly early growth cycle. The fruits are also eaten unripe (green), when ripe they turn bright red and can be dried, they are cone-shaped, several tens of centimeters long. Organic friggitelli seeds can be found here .
yellow ox horn . Fruit vegetables of excellent size and elongated shape. From immature it seems green to turn yellow when mature, ox horn for its size is better in the garden than in a pot, it is an old variety. You can find biodynamic and organic seeds by clicking here.
Cuneo yellow tricorn pepper or Piedmontese pepper . With a frustoconical shape, slightly pointed and with three lobes, it is characterized by its great digestibility, and its shiny skin flakes easily after cooking, which is why it is a highly sought-after vegetable. The seeds of this yellow pepper can be found here.
Chilli Tomato (or Topedo). The flat, ribbed shape and the red color have named this variety of peppery tomato, it is also eaten raw and is very popular for making stuffing.
Lombard blond pepper cigarette. Vigorous plant of good size, the fruit is narrow and long and is very good for making pickles. The green color of the skin lightens when the vegetable has ripened.
Nosrano Mantovano. Light green pepper with fine flesh, particularly appreciated by cooks for its delicate flavor and good digestibility.
How are the types of pepper different?
There are several characteristics that distinguish the types of pepper, the first obvious characteristic is the pungency, which divides the macro families of pepper and sweet pepper,
- Spicy . Chili peppers contain an alkaloid substance called capsaicin, which is responsible for itching because it stimulates the sensitivity of thermoreceptors present in different parts of the human body. Capsaicin is contained in particular in the placenta and in the seeds of the fruit. The degree of spiciness in chili peppers varies with the type of chili pepper and can be measured by evaluating the presence of alkaloids in the fruit. This type of measurement is measured on the Scoville scale, with SHU units. Sweet peppers measure zero degrees of heat and therefore zero Scoville units, while we measure hot peppers which reach one million SHU. For convenience, we divide peppers into sweet and hot, due to the different uses in the kitchen, they are considered different vegetables.
- fruit shape . The most cultivated among the sweet peppers is certainly the square, with a flattened tip, but there are peppers with elongated fruits, where the vegetable ends in a horn-shaped tip or round peppers as if they were tomatoes cherries. Hot peppers generally have more elongated shapes, such as the famous cayenne, but there are also round hot peppers, excellent for stuffed preserves.
- Fruit size. There are large fleshy peppers and small hot peppers, it is not a general rule but often the large fruits are for sweet peppers, while the hottest varieties are among the small ones.
- fruit color . The most common color is red, but yellow and green peppers are also common. There are also variations on orange and chili peppers turning black.
- Crop cycle. Not all plants are the same, there are varieties with a short cycle and peppers that require more time to ripen, even those with a tropical climate which, to be grown in Italy, must germinate in the heat so that during the months summer the plant is already formed and the fruit ripens properly.