The best varieties of sweet bell peppers: descriptions, characteristics and photos

What could be healthier, more aromatic and tastier than sweet (Bulgarian) pepper in a summer salad? Indeed, its pulp contains a huge amount of ascorbic acid (vitamin C), carotene (vitamin A) and vitamin PP. But to get a good harvest, you first need to choose the most suitable seed variety.

Next, let's look at the most popular = best sweet peppers. For your convenience, we will divide them into groups: by color, varieties and hybrids (marked with F1), ripening periods, and also decide which of them are all your favorite thick pepper varieties.

The most popular varieties of peppers for open ground and greenhouses

Note! The list of the best pepper seeds for open ground and greenhouses was prepared based on the degree of popularity of the names of varieties and hybrids, an analysis of reviews of experienced gardeners, as well as the personal opinion of the author.

The most popular and best varieties of pepper for growing in the open field and in the greenhouse can be called (all varieties in the lists are presentedalphabetically):

Important! remember, that collect seed (prepare seeds) can only with varietal peppers, hybrid seeds are not suitable for re-seeding. The fact is that their maternal traits are split, and you 100% will not get what you planted last year. However, hybrid peppers, usually, more resistant to disease and always bring decent and stable harvest.

Video: pepper seeds - how to choose the right varieties

The best varieties and hybrids of peppers with red fruits

By the way! The most popular varieties of sweet red peppers are (in terms of popularity): California miracle, Bogatyr and Swallow - three major hits. Also very common are such varieties of bell peppers as Star of the East, Kakadu, Belozerka, Atlant. In addition, Volovye's ear, Gift of Moldova, Winnie the Pooh, Claudio and others won the people's love.

Agapovsky

• The variety is early maturing. The period from full germination to technical ripeness is 99-120 days.
• For open ground and film shelters.
• The plant is compact, of medium height, highly leafy.
• The fruit is drooping, prismatic, smooth, slightly ribbed, dark green in technical ripeness, red in biological ripeness. The number of nests is 3-4.
• Wall thickness - 5.0-8.0 mm.
• Weight - 114-120 g.
• Productivity - 9.5-10.3 kg per sq.m.
• The taste is good, the aroma is strong.
• Universal use: fresh, in home cooking, for canning.
• Slightly affected by apical fruit rot. Resistant to tobacco mosaic virus.

Atlant

• Mid-season variety. The period from germination to fruiting is 130 days.
• The plant is sprawling, tall, 70-75 cm high.
• For open ground and foil greenhouses.
• The fruit is drooping, conical, highly glossy, the color is green in technical ripeness, in biological ripeness - red. The number of nests is 3-4. Fruit length - 18-20 cm, diameter - 13-14 cm.
• Wall thickness - up to 8-10 mm.
• Weight - 180-190 g.
• Productivity - 3.1-3.3 kg per sq.m.
• Recommended for fresh use, home cooking and canning.
• It tolerates adverse weather conditions well. Resistant to tobacco mosaic virus.

Belozerka

• Medium early grade. From germination to technical ripeness - an average of 114 days (according to other sources, 115-120 days).
• For open ground and film shelters.
• The plant is standard (half-stem), compact, 40-70 cm high.
• Fruits are pendant, aligned, cone-shaped with a pointed tip, smooth, light cream in technical ripeness, red in biological ripeness, 2-3 chambered.
• Wall thickness - 5-6 mm.
• Weight - 70-100 g (maximum up to 140 grams).
• Productivity -6-8 kg per sq.m.
• The taste of fresh fruits is excellent, marketability and transportability are high.
• Recommended for fresh consumption, canning and culinary processing.
• Resistant to verticillium wilt, Alternaria, tolerant to the tobacco mosaic virus.

Bison red

By the way! There is also a variety called "Yellow Bison".

• The variety is early ripe (95-105 days from germination to technical ripeness).
• Recommended for growing outdoors (southern regions) and greenhouses.
• The plant is semi-spreading, powerful, about 90 cm high.
• Fruits are elongated-cone-shaped, glossy, the length of some reaches 25 cm. The color is green in technical ripeness, and red in biological ripeness. Number of nests - 3-4
• Weight - 150-200 g.
• Wall thickness - 4-5 mm.
• Productivity - up to 10 kg per sq.m.
• The walls are juicy and sweet; they remain unusually tender both in unripe green fruits and in ripe dark red ones.
• Suitable for preparing fresh salads, frying, stewing and stuffing.
• Long-term fruiting will ensure regular harvest of fruits until late autumn.

Bogatyr

• The variety is mid-season. Fruit ripening occurs in 115-131 days.
• The plant is tall, spreading, 55-70 cm high.
• Recommended for growing in personal plots and in film greenhouses.
• The fruit is pendant, conical, slightly ribbed. The top of the fruit is ribbed. The color is light green in technical ripeness, and red in biological ripeness.
• The fruit wall thickness is 4.9-5.8 mm.
• Fruit weight - 75-100 g (maximum - up to 160 grams).
• Productivity - 2.1-4.3 kg per sq.m.
• Fresh fruit tastes good and excellent.
• For fresh use and canning.
• Resistant to tobacco mosaic virus. It is slightly affected by verticillary wilting and apical rot of fruits.

Viking

• The variety is early maturing. From germination to fruiting 105-115 days.
• For growing in the open field and under film shelters.
• The plant is semi-spreading, of medium height.
• The fruit is drooping, cylindrical, smooth, glossy, green in technical ripeness, red in biological ripeness. The number of nests is 3-4.
• Fruit wall thickness - 4-5 mm
• Fruit weight - 90-110 g.
• The taste is excellent, sweet, juicy, aromatic.
• Universal use: recommended for fresh use, in home cooking and for canning.

Winnie the Pooh

• Early ripening variety (107-111 days from germination to fruiting).
• For open ground and film shelters. Suitable for growing on a window.
• The plant is undersized, compact, 25-30 cm high with a bouquet arrangement of fruits. To obtain the maximum yield, the plants are planted thickened.
• The fruit is cone-shaped with a pointed tip, weighing 48-60 g. The color in technical ripeness is salad, in biological ripeness it is red.
• Wall thickness - 5-6 mm.
• Weight - 48-60 g (maximum - up to 70 grams).
• Productivity - 1.6-1.8 kg per square meter (maximum - up to 5 kg).
• Good taste. Universal purpose.
• Resistant to verticillary wilting and aphid damage.
• Suitable for transportation and long-term storage.

Cow's ear

• The variety is mid-season. The period from germination to the beginning of fruiting is 120-130 days.
• For open ground and plastic greenhouses.
• The plant is spreading, of medium height, about 70 cm.
• The fruit is corrugated, elongated-cone-shaped. The color in technical ripeness is dark green, in biological it is deep red. Fruit length - 12-16 cm.
• Wall thickness - 6-8 mm.
• Weight - 120-140 g (up to 250 g).
• Productivity - 3.2 kg per sq.m.
• The taste is excellent.
• Universal use: for fresh use, home cooking and canning.
• It retains its attractive appearance and turgor for a long time. Transportability is excellent.
• Fusarium resistant.

Hercules

• The variety is late ripening. The period from planting seedlings to fruiting is 135-145 days.
• For open and protected ground.
• The plant is semi-spreading, of medium height.
• The fruit is drooping, cuboid, 11-12 cm long, 10-11 cm wide. The color is red in biological ripeness, and green in technical ripeness. The number of nests is 3-4.
• Wall thickness - 5-7 mm.
• Weight - 150-160 g
• Productivity - 2.6 kg per sq.m.
• Excellent taste.
• Universal use (fresh, home cooking and canning).
• Fusarium resistant.

Gypsy F1

• The hybrid is early maturing.
• The plant is semi-sprawling, medium-sized.
• Fruits are drooping, cylindrical, 3-4-nested, 10 cm long, 6 cm in diameter, weight, glossy. The color of unripe fruits is yellow, ripe fruits are red. The number of nests is 2-3.
• Wall thickness - 6-8 mm.
• Weight - 100-150 g.
• Productivity - 3.7-4.5 kg per sq.m.
• Great taste.
• Recommended for fresh use, home cooking and canning.
• Resistant to tobacco mosaic virus.

East Star F1

Note! The Star of the East hybrid is also presented in the following color shades: White, Yellow, Golden, Red, Tangerine, Orange, Violet, Chocolate.

• An early ripe hybrid (105-110 days).
• For open and protected ground.
• The plant is medium-sized, semi-spreading, up to 70-80 cm high.
• Fruits are drooping, cuboid, glossy, creamy white in technical ripeness, with a transition to creamy red when ripe, red in biological ripeness.
• Wall thickness - 6-8 mm.
• Weight - 150-180 grams.
• Productivity - 7.0 -7.5 kg per sq.m.
• The fruits are juicy and have excellent taste.
• Resistant to tobacco mosaic virus and verticillosis. Suitable for long-term transportation.
• The purpose of the fruit is universal: for fresh use, home cooking and for canning.

The original transition of color and taste allows harvesting fruits at different stages of ripening.

Player

• The variety is early maturing (100-105 days).
• For greenhouses, tunnels, open ground.
• The plant is semi-spreading, medium-sized, 45-50 cm high.
• Fruits are drooping, large, cuboid, medium-silvery, glossy, light green in technical ripeness, deep red in biological ripeness. The number of nests is 3-4.
• Wall thickness - 9-12 mm.
• Weight - 130-150 grams.
• Productivity - up to 5-6 kg per sq.m.
• The taste is very high.
• Recommended for fresh consumption and canning, one of the best varieties for stuffing.
• Resistant to unfavorable growing conditions and temperature changes.

Cockatoo F1

By the way! There is also a hybrid Cockatoo Yellow.

• Mid-season hybrid. Fruits 130-135 days after germination.
• Recommended for growing in film and glazed greenhouses.
• Plants up to 1.5 m high, spreading, medium leafy.
• The position of the fruit on the bush is drooping. The fruits themselves are elongated-cylindrical, slightly curved, bright red. Fruit length reaches 25-30cm!
• Wall thickness - 6-8 mm.
• Average weight - 200 g (maximum up to 500 grams).
• Productivity - 2.5-3 kg per plant or 8-10 kg per square meter.
• The fruits are very tasty, sweet with aromatic pulp.
• Used for making salads, pickling.

California miracle

• The variety is early-mid-early (100-129 days from germination to the beginning of fruiting).
• The plant is determinate, low (up to 75 cm).
• Recommended for growing in film greenhouses and open field.
• The fruit is pendant, cuboid, smooth, glossy, green in technical ripeness, red in biological ripeness. The number of nests is 3-4.
• Wall thickness - 6-8 mm.
• Fruit weight - 80-128 g.
• Productivity - 3.5-4.4 kg per sq.m.
• Fresh fruit tastes good and excellent. The taste is sweet, the aroma is pronounced.
• Recommended for fresh use, home cooking and canning.
• Resistant to tobacco mosaic virus.

Claudio F1

• The hybrid is mid-season. The first fruits ripen 90 days after disembarkation of seedlings.
• For open ground, temporary cover films and greenhouses.
• The plant is powerful, semi-spreading, reaching a height of 0.7 to 1.2 m.
• The fruit is drooping, prismatic, glossy, fleshy, the color is green in technical ripeness, in biological ripeness - red. The number of nests is 3-4.
• Wall thickness - 6.5-8.0 mm.
• Weight - 100-250 grams.
• Productivity - 3.0-5.0 kg per sq.m.
• The taste is sweet with a slightly noticeable piquant bitterness, which has an excellent aroma.
• Recommended for fresh use, home cooking and canning.
• Heat resistant. Resistant to TMV (Tobacco Mosaic Virus).

Gingerbread man

One of the oldest varieties (early 80s).

• The variety is early maturing (107-111 days).
• For open ground and film shelters.
• The plant is compact, 30-40 cm high (according to other sources, 25-30 cm).
• Fruits are round, tomato-like, smooth, light green in technical ripeness, dark red in biological ripeness.
• Wall thickness - 8-9 mm (up to 10 mm).
• Weight - 80-90 grams.
• Productivity - 4.5-5 kg ​​per sq.m.
• Good taste of fresh and canned products. The fruits are juicy and tender.
• The appointment is universal.
• Resistant to top rot of fruit and mosaic. It is moderately affected by anthracnose, susceptible to fusarium wilt.
• Excellent keeping quality and transportability.

Red Bull

By the way!There is also the Orange Bull variety.

• Early variety (95 days from germination to the beginning of fruiting). According to other sources, it is medium early (the period from full sprouting to the beginning of the technical ripeness of the fruit is 95-108 days).
• For growing under temporary film shelters and in the open field.
• Forms a powerful bush up to 150 cm high.
• The fruits are large, 9 cm in diameter, cuboid, dark green in technical ripeness, bright red in biological ripeness. The number of nests is 3-4.
• Wall thickness - 6-8 mm.
• Weight - 200-250 g (maximum up to 350-400 grams).
• Productivity - 15.0-18.8 kg per sq.m.
• The taste is good and excellent, the aroma is weak.
• Recommended for fresh consumption, stuffing, freezing and canning.
• Resistant to tobacco mosaic virus.

Merchant F1

• The hybrid is early maturing (111-115 days).
• For open ground and film shelters.
• The plant is a standard, semi-spreading plant, 55-65 cm high (according to other sources, 75-85 cm).
• Fruits are drooping, broad prism-shaped (pyramidal), glossy, light green in technical ripeness, dark red in biological ripeness. The number of nests is 2-3.
• Wall thickness - 6-7 mm (up to 8 mm).
• Weight - 120-150 g.
• Productivity - 6.0-6.5 kg per sq.m.
• The fruits are juicy, sweet, aromatic.
• Recommended for fresh use, for home cooking and canning.
• Resistant to verticillium.

Swallow

One of the oldest (1974) and proven varieties.

• The variety is early maturing. 106-130 days from full germination to the first harvest of fruits in technical ripeness.
• Recommended for growing in film shelters and in the open field.
• The plant is semi-spreading, of medium height (48-60 cm).
• The fruit is pendant, conical, slightly oval, smooth. In technical ripeness - light green color, in biological ripeness - red.
• Thick-walled fruits: in technical ripeness, the thickness of the fruit wall is 5.2-5.5 mm, in biological ripeness - 6.1-7.1 mm.
• Fruit weight in technical ripeness is 53-79 g, in biological ripeness - 69-84 g.
• Fruit yield in technical ripeness - 2.5-4.7 kg per sq.m.
• Fresh fruit taste is good and excellent.
• Relatively resistant to bacterial wilting.
• Recommended for fresh use and in the canning industry.
• The fruits are used both in technical and biological ripeness.

Gift from Moldova

• Medium early variety (110-120 days). According to other sources, 119-124 days.
• For open ground and film shelters.
• The plant is compact, standard, 35-45 cm high.
• The fruits are drooping, conical, smooth, light green in technical ripeness, dark red in biological ripeness.
• Wall thickness - 4-5 mm.
• Weight - 50-70 grams.
• Productivity - 3.2-4.7 kg per sq.m.
• Taste qualities of fresh fruits are good. Fruits are sweet and juicy.
• Recommended for fresh consumption and conservation.
• Resistant to fusarium wilting and unfavorable weather conditions.

Fat Baron

• The variety is early maturing. From germination to technical ripeness of fruits - 90-100 days.
• For growing in open and protected ground.
• The plant is 100-120 cm high.
• Fruits are directed upward, prismatic, glossy, color in technical ripeness is dark green, in biological ripeness - dark red. The number of nests is 3-4.
• Fruit wall thickness - up to 8 mm.
• Weight - 200-500 g.
• Productivity - 7-14 kg per sq. m.
• The taste is good and excellent. The skin is tender. The aroma is strong.
• Resistant to tobacco mosaic virus.

Fat man

• The variety is mid-season (120-130 days from germination to technical ripeness).
• Recommended for outdoor cultivation and film greenhouses.
• The plant is semi-spreading, 50-55 cm high.
• Fruits are drooping, prismatic, slightly ribbed, glossy; unripe fruits are green, ripe fruits are red. Fruit length - 10-12 cm, diameter - 6.5-8 cm.The number of nests is 3-4.
• Wall thickness - 5.0-10.0 mm.
• Weight - 65-130 g (maximum up to 200 grams).
• Productivity - 4.0-4.5 kg per sq.m.
• The taste is excellent, sweet, very juicy, with a pleasant aroma.
• For fresh use and for the canning industry.
• The fruits are transportable.
• The variety is very responsive to irrigation.

Caliph F1

• Hybrid of very early ripening (100-105 days).
• For outdoor cultivation.
• The fruit is drooping, cuboid. at technical maturity, the fruits are milky white, at biological maturity, red. 10-12 cm long, 8-10 cm in diameter. The number of nests is 3-4.
• Wall thickness - 7-9 mm.
• Weight - 180-210 grams.
• Productivity up to 14 kg per sq.m.
• The appearance, marketability and taste are excellent.
• Resistant to top rot of fruits and tobacco mosaic virus, tolerant to verticillary wilt.

Other varieties and hybrids

And also less popular, but quite excellent varieties of red sweet peppers are:

• Antaeus;
• Denis F1;
• Goliath;
• Egyptian Strength (a very promising new variety that is gradually gaining popularity)
• F1 cube;
• Red shovel;
• Red giant (very fat);
• Red Baron;
• Lesya;
• Livadia F1 (a very promising new variety from the Partner company, which is gradually gaining popularity).
• Morozko;
• Pompeo F1;
• Purple bell (in technical - violet, in biological - red);
• Queen.

The best yellow (orange) varieties and hybrids of peppers

The best varieties of peppers with yellow or orange fruits for growing in open ground and greenhouses are (alphabetically):

By the way! The most popular variety of orange bell peppers is Big Mama, followed by Gemini, Orange Miracle, Golden Miracle and Orange Bull.

Note! Read more about varieties of yellow (orange) peppers. in this overview article.

Big Mama

• The variety is early maturing. The first crop is harvested 110-115 days after germination.
• For open ground and greenhouses.
• Plants in the open field are compact, 50 cm high, in the greenhouse they are more spreading - up to 100 cm.
• The fruit is drooping, cylindrical, highly glossy, dark green in technical ripeness, orange in biological ripeness.
• The walls are 7-8 mm thick.
• Weight - 150-200 g.
• Productivity - up to 7-8 kg per sq.m.
• Fruity sweet, juicy and aromatic.
• Resistant to diseases, tolerates low temperatures and lack of light well.
• Bears fruit for a long time, until the first frost.

Gemini F1

• Medium early hybrid.
• For growing in the open field and under film shelters.
• The plant is semi-spreading, erect.
• The fruit is drooping, cylindrical, glossy, green in technical ripeness, yellow in biological ripeness. The number of nests is 2-3.
• Wall thickness - 5.5-7.0 mm.
• Fruit weight 90-250 g.
• Productivity 3.0-5.0 kg per sq.m.
• The taste is excellent.
• By its purpose, the variety is universal: it is used both fresh for the preparation of salads, and for other culinary dishes and preservation.
• Heat resistant. Resistant to potato virus.

Golden miracle

• The variety is mid-season (115-130 days).
• For open ground and film shelters.
• Plants of medium height, semi-spreading.
• The fruit is drooping, prism-shaped, highly glossy, the color is green in technical ripeness, in biological ripeness - dark yellow. The number of nests is 3-4.
• Wall thickness - 7 mm.
• Weight - 185 grams.
• Productivity - 2.6 kg per sq.m.
• The taste is good.
• Universal use: fresh, for home cooking and canning.
• Relatively cold-resistant. Fusarium resistant.

Orange Wonder F1

• Early hybrid. From germination to technical ripeness of fruits 100-110 days.
• The plant is vigorous, with a compact habit, indeterminate; when formed in 2-3 stems, the height reaches 1.5-2 m.
• The fruits are cuboid, 11x11 cm in size, dark green in technical ripeness, orange and glossy in biological ripeness. The number of sockets is 3-4.
• Wall thickness - up to 10 mm.
• Weight - 200-220 g.
• Productivity - 8–12 kg per sq.m.
• The taste of the peppers is excellent, the marketability is high.
• Resistant to tobacco mosaic virus and tomato bronze.It tolerates temperature stresses well and has a high fruit set.

Orange bull

By the way! There is also the Red Bull variety.

• Early variety (100-110 days from germination to the beginning of fruiting). According to other sources, it is mid-season.
• For growing under temporary film shelters and in the open field.
• Forms a bush 80-110 cm high.
• The fruits are large, cuboid, green in technical ripeness, bright orange in biological ripeness. The number of nests is 3-4.
• Wall thickness - up to 10 mm.
• Weight - 250 g (maximum up to 300-400 grams).
• Productivity - 7.0-14.0 kg per sq.m.
• Recommended for fresh consumption, stuffing, freezing and canning.
• Resistant to tobacco mosaic virus.

Other yellow (orange) varieties

Note! Read about other varieties of yellow (orange) pepper in this overview material.

By maturity: the best early, middle and late-ripening varieties of pepper

Thus, we classify the previously described varieties according to the ripening time (orange and yellow fruited varieties are indicated in parentheses):

• Early and mid-early varieties (90-120 days) - Agapovsky, Belozerka, Big Mama (Orange), Bison red, Viking, Winnie the Pooh, Gemini F1 (yellow), Gypsy F1, East Star F1, Player, California Miracle, Gingerbread Man, Red Bull, Merchant F1, Swallow, Orange Miracle (Orange), Orange bull (Orange), Gift of Moldova, Fat Baron, Caliph F1.
• Medium varieties (120-135 days) - Atlant, Bogatyr, Volovye Ear, Cockatoo F1, Claudio F1, Fat Man, Golden Miracle (yellow),
• Late varieties (more than 135-140 days) - Hercules.

The best thick peppers

Most often, gardeners are looking for exactly thick varieties of pepper (with thick walls, from 5-6 mm). They are ideal for salads and fresh consumption, as they have the most juicy, fleshy and tasty wall.

They are also great for stuffing (but small or medium-sized fruits) and lecho (large).

As a rule, it is the thick varieties that are the most popular, which means that they have already been listed (the wall thickness is given in brackets):

• Agapovsky (5.0-8.0 mm);
• Atlant (up to 8-10 mm);
• Bovine ear (6-8 mm);
• Hercules (5-7 mm);
• Gypsy F1 (6-8 mm);
• Star of the East F1 (6-8 mm);
• Player (9-11 mm);
• Cockatoo F1 (6-8 mm);
• California Miracle (6-8 mm);
• Claudio F1 (6.5-8 mm);
• Kolobok (8-9 mm, maximum up to 10 mm);
• Red bull (6-8 mm);
• Merchant (6-7 mm, maximum up to 8 mm);
• Swallow (6-7 mm);
• Fat Baron (up to 8 mm);
• Fat man (up to 10 mm);
• Caliph F1 (7-9 mm).

Yellow and orange plump varieties:

All of the described varieties of yellow and orange peppers are fat.

• Big Mama (7-8 mm);
• Gemini (5.5-7 mm);
• Golden Miracle (7 mm);
• Orange miracle (up to 10 mm);
• Orange bull (up to 10 mm).

Well, now you know which varieties and hybrids of sweet pepper seeds are chosen by most summer residents and vegetable growers. You just have to decide which ones are more suitable for you, buy several varieties to try and sow. Good harvests to you!

By the way! About, how to sow peppers for seedlings correctly, You can find out from this article.