grow red peppers

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If you live in a cold climate or if your growing season is short due to the rapid onset of summer heat, choose early ripening varieties like 'King Arthur.' Oregon State University researchers have found that 'Lady Bell,' 'La Bamba,' 'Merlin,' 'Ace,' 'Bell Boy' and 'Red Knight' will color rapidly (in about two weeks) in almost every climate. 'Ace' is one of the most reliable varieties, setting fruit even when it's too hot or too cold for other varieties. "It's a remarkable variety," says pepper breeder Rob Johnston, owner of Johnny's Selected Seeds. "We discovered it in the 1970s and were blown away by its earliness and productivity. In the 25 years since, there have been contenders, but nothing beats 'Ace.'" It is the first pepper to turn red in any garden, about 65 days after transplanting. 'Jingle Bells,' a miniature bell pepper and a favorite at farmer's markets, produces an abundance of tiny, 1 1/2-inch-round fruits in 65 days too.

Another early red pepper that Johnston likes is 'Round of Hungary.' "It's not large," he admits, "but it is distinctive-looking, with smooth ribs and a bright red like there's a light inside." Fully red about 75 days after transplanting, 'Round of Hungary' has great market potential, Johnston says. "Something this good should always bring more money than ordinary bell peppers." He also loves 'Lipstick,' a pimento-type pepper that is fully red at 73 days. "Both 'Round of Hungary' and 'Lipstick' are very sweet and tops in taste," he says.

Another big fan of 'Lipstick' is Tom Denison, a Corvallis, Oregon, market grower who devotes more than an acre of his fields solely to peppers. "'Lipstick' is an absolutely delicious pepper that is thick-walled, very early and open pollinated," he says. "I can get untreated seed, too, from Johnny's, which is important, because I am an organic grower." Denison finds that his customers — from farmer's markets to the local food co-op — prefer thick-walled peppers. He doesn't grow Ace,' which has relatively thin walls, for that reason. "In 1978, when we started bringing red peppers to farmer's markets, we gave away samples to get people to buy," says benison. "They had never seen them, and we had to convince them that these red peppers were not hot." Since then, although regular red peppers are ubiquitous, benison's special, sweeter and organically grown varieties still are preferred by his customers.

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