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Organic Pepper Seeds::Organic Green or Red Bell Peppers::Jupiter Pepper
Organic Green or Red Bell Pepper Comparison Chart
| Item Code |
Variety Name |
Disease Resistance |
DTM for Green |
DTM for Color |
Flavor/Heat (SHU - Scoville Heat Units) |
Outstanding for Cool & Short-Seasons |
Standout Characteristics |
| 2800 |
King of the North |
|
57 |
68 |
sweet |
● |
great for short seasons, improved HMS strain, heavy yielding, 3-4" peppers, blocky, thick-walled, 3-4 lobes, upright habit, sturdy plants |
| 2777 |
King Crimson |
CMV |
60 |
70 |
sweet |
● |
High Mowing exclusive, early, medium-size, blocky, 4 lobes, thick walls, uniform size |
| 2779 |
Sprinter F1 |
|
62 |
82 |
sweet |
● |
large, 4 lobes, good yielding, consistent, uniform fruit, compact plants, good leave cover, suitable for greenhouse/high tunnels/row cover |
| 2774 |
Jupiter |
TMV |
65 |
70 |
sweet |
● |
4-5" long, large, 4 lobes, thick walls, good for stuffing/freezing, plants are 3' tall, good leaf cover, widely adapted |
| 2775 |
California Wonder |
|
65 |
80 |
sweet |
● |
6 oz. large peppers, blocky, thick-walled, eve-bearing, fruit sits high on plant, plants are 24-30", widely-adapted, good to ship or freeze |
| 2793 |
Olympus F1 |
BLS (races 1-3) |
65 |
85 |
sweet |
|
4" wide jumbo peppers, slightly elongated, blocky, high yields, suitable for high tunnels, vigorous with good leaf cover, widely adapted, heat-tolerant |
Disease Resistance Key:
BLS Bacterial Leaf Spot (races indicated if known)
CMV Cucumber Mosaic Virus
TMV Tobacco Mosaic Virus
PVY Potato Virus Y
TSWV Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus
Organic Peppers - Growing and Seed Saving Info
Printable version of this page
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Peppers
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Peppers (Capsicum annuum) are long-season,
heat-loving annuals in the Solanaceae family
which includes eggplants, tomatoes, tomatillos, potatoes and ground cherries.
- Bells- Oblong lobed fruit
that is sweet and red or yellow when ripe, also eaten in the immature
green stage.
- Specialty – Long tapering
fruits are especially flavorful and sweet, often used as frying peppers
but also excellent for fresh eating.
- Hot – Small spicy fruits
often have thin walls that make for easy drying. Hot peppers can be used
fresh or dried and ground.
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Soil and Nutrient Requirements
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Peppers
prefer light, well drained, moderately fertile soil with pH 6.5-6.8. Use a
high phosphorus starter fertilizer when transplanting to give young peppers a
good start. Keep nitrogen levels in moderation, as high amounts can reduce
yields.
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Position
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Full sun
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Seeding Depth
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1/4”
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Seeding Rate
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670
plants/1000’ 9700 plants/acre (~11M
seeds/acre, ~2.75 oz), using 18” spacing, double rows, 18” apart on 6’ center
beds. M=1000
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Plant Spacing
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12-18”
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Row Spacing
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18-36"
or double rows 18” apart on 5-6’ centers.
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When to Sow
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Start
transplants 6-8 weeks before planting date. Sow seeds into flat ~4 seeds/inch
and then pot up into 2” or larger cells after first set of true leaves
appear. Optimal soil temperature for germination is 85°F. For growing
transplants, maintain temperature at around 75°F during the day and 65°F at
night. Harden off plants by slightly reducing temperature to 60-65°F and
reducing water for 2-3 days before transplanting.
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Other Considerations
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Plant
growth and fruit set is encouraged by use of plastic mulch to warm roots and
soil, especially when used in combination with floating row cover. Remove row
cover when temperatures are above 85ºF to avoid heat damage.
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Frost Tolerant
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No
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Drought Tolerant
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Yes
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Heat Tolerant
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Yes
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Seed Specs
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3,400-4,900
seeds/oz (4M avg). Seeding rate: 670 plants/1000’ (~800 seeds, ~ ¼ oz.),
9,000 plants/acre (~12M seeds, ~ 3 oz.), using 18” spacing, double rows, 18”
apart on 6' center beds. M= 1,000, MM=1,000,000
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Harvest
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Harvest
first peppers promptly to stimulate further fruit production. Peppers can be
harvested and eaten at either unripe (green) or ripe (colored) stage.
Colored peppers generally require 2 – 4 weeks longer
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Storage
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Store peppers
at 50° - 54°F and 95% percent relative humidity. Chilling injury occurs at
temperatures below 45°F.
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Pest Info
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- If plants are flowering but
fail to set fruit, the culprit (at least in northern regions) is likely
to be the tarnished plant bug, which particularly appreciates the sap of
eggplant and pepper flowers. Consider planting under row covers, or
where this is impractical, a spray containing several deterrents, such
as Beauveria bassiana (such as Naturalis™, see Supplies), pyrethrin,
neem oil, and/or an insecticidal soap (such as Safer Brand™) may be
effective.
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Disease Info
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- Peppers are commonly subject
to bacterial spot (Xanthomonas
campestris pv. vesicatoria) manifesting as leaf lesions that turn
dark brown to black with a central tan area. Affected leaves
eventually drop off. Fruit spots are brown to black with a warty
appearance. The disease persists on plant residue and seed, so practice
strict sanitation and purchase only disease-free seed. Copper fungicides
can be moderately effective, but for isolated outbreaks, it is best to
pull up infected plants immediately and destroy.
- The several viruses that
affect peppers can be difficult to distinguish from one another but
should all be treated similarly: pull up infected plants immediately to
prevent spread.
- In soils containing the verticillium
wilt fungi (Verticillium alboatrum
and Verticillium dahliae), practice long crop rotations to reduce
severity of the disease.
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Seed Saving
Instructions
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Self pollinated but can be up to 20% insect pollinated.
200-300 feet is sufficient for isolation between varieties. Peppers need to
be red (or whatever color they ripen to) and can be cut open and the seeds
dried on a plate or cloth. Use a 1/8" screen to help with cleaning.
Pepper seeds can remain viable for 3 years under cool and dry storage
conditions.
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