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Here's how to enjoy the rich, sweet flavorsof ripe red peppers

by Doreen G. Howard

Raising ripe, red sweet peppers takes patience, period. That's why they cost up to five times as much as green peppers and why some gardeners think they can't grow them. Even when they're grown from transplants, thick-fleshed and flavorful red peppers such as 'Pimento' and 'Red Marconi' take up to 100 days to mature. But some varieties turn red much sooner — in as little as 65 days. If you use these fast-maturing varieties and a few tricks of the trade, you can easily produce sweet, meaty red peppers in almost any climate.

QUICK TO COLOR

Most red peppers start out green. Some begin life yellow, purple or white. After reaching their maximum size, these peppers will develop red pigments in 10 to 28 days, if daytime temperatures are between 65 degrees and 75 degrees. In southern regions where temperatures exceed that range, peppers turn yellowish and may acquire an off-color pallor that is not attractive, a big consideration for market growers. Below the optimum temperature range, color development slows dramatically; below 55 degrees, it stops completely. If soil temperatures drop below 68 degrees, pigment production declines and eventually ceases.

Sweet peppers are considered warm-season crops (they are more sensitive to cold than tomatoes), but they actually thrive in a temperature band of 60 degrees to 85 degrees. Within this range, some varieties develop red pigments faster than others do — in as little as 14 days in the case of 'King Arthur,' a 5-inch-long, disease-resistant variety that's popular with Wisconsin growers.