Forensicmom, I have grown a number of sweet peppers and have great success. All that I have grown I have started from seed. I am also in Zone 7A. The varieties that have worked well for me are Flavorburst, Great Stuff Hybrid, and Orange Belle Hybrid. My favorite is Costa Rican Sweet, and Flavor Burst (smaller but great flavor and early harvest) I purchase my seeds from Burpee. I start mine in a seed starter on or about the 16th of March under grow lights and transfer to 3' peat pots then into the garden arond the end of April. I harvested all summer and fall and picked around 50 peppers on the 3rd of December because a hard freeze was coming. Hope this helps.

Butch

Sweet pepper simply means it has no heat. If you looking for a sugary flavor you probably will not find it. The easiest to grow are the frying types like Melrose, or the pickling types like Sweet Banana. Cubanelle types are easier to grow than Bells, which are the most used sweet pepper. You are probably referring to bells since you mentioned the grocery store. They are usually used in immature colors, white, purple or black. Some of the modern hybrids have been developed to color up faster and are produced as ripe peppers in Yellow, Orange or red. The ones in the grocery are usually green house peppers, but you can grow them. It takes time and they are prone to disease and insects when grown in the open field.
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Agree with farmerdilla. Sweet peppers aren't supposed to be "sweet" as in sugar tasting, just NOT hot. It can be difficult to grow colored peppers "like you buy in the store" without a greenhouse which is why they cost so much more.

Variety and time on the vine to ripen is what makes the difference and they have to be protected from sun scald, diseases, pests, and injury while ripening. But they still won't be "sweet".

Most transplants that you find in nurseries are intended to grow as green bell peppers, not colored. Grow Italian roasting or frying peppers from seed for colored peppers.

Dave

I'm surprised to hear you guys saying that, especially several of you who are very experienced and well-known on these forums... I must be getting lucky or something, because I have nowhere near the amount of experience you do! Maybe something to do with the microclimate in my yard? I've grown several bells and pimentos which are pretty sweet and very flavorful, and color up fine (although they take awhile to change)... as nice as ones from the store in my opinion (not to mention the obvious benefits to growing at home)... Orange Bell, Chocolate Belle Hybrid, and Red Ruffled Pimento are my current favorites...

If yours keep rotting, maybe give them more space for air circulation? Or, if your peppers are rotting on the end first, maybe try adding calcium in the planting holes (crushed eggshells are a great source) to combat blossom end rot.

I have not been successful in growing bell peppers either.That is why I have switched cubanelle and gypsy, which are easier to grow, as Farmerdilla mentioned.
Most peppers will eventually change from green to red or other colors. But it takes long time for bells than chilie.
I think that some smaller sweet peppers turn colors sonner than bells. I am germinating some experimentally. But my favorite remains "CUBANELLE". They are very productive and to me much tastier than traditional bell. On the slightly hot side, jalapeno is also very easy to grow and very productive. chili peppers are even easier to grow.

Grow Italian roasting or frying peppers from seed for colored peppers.

We'll I'm on the other end of the climate spectrum and have to agree that I've had much better success with the non-Bell "sweet" peppers. My favorite is the Giant Marconi Hybrid, 10" long peppers that are very productive and will turn red, but like most veggies once you let them mature they will stop producing as they realize they produced mature seed and have completed their purpose in life....

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My sweet pepper experience seems to differ from many here. I grow many every year. 42 in the ground last year, plus four in containers. I try to grow only bells, but ordered a long skinny one last year by mistake (Golden Treasure). It was OK for salad and grilling, but I did not try to stuff one.

I have never grown a pepper that starts green and fails to eventually turn red. Some have turned yellow or orange first, but eventually all got to red. I grow some that start out colored (orange, yellow, or purple), but all I have grown eventually turned red.

I also have not found that letting early peppers turn color stops the plant from setting on more peppers. I never had a non-damaged pepper plant die from freezing that did not have immature peppers on it.

The only pepper I had rot on the vine without freezing was an orange one called "Orange Sun". It would start turning black inside by the time it got orange outside.

My favorite varieties: Ariane (orange to red), Brigadier (green to red), Early Sunsation ( green to yellow to red), Gold Standard (yellow to red), Purple Beauty (dark purple to red), and Tequila (light purple, or lilac to red). I ordered a new one to try this year (Sweet Chocolate, a brown pepper) from Sand Hill.

Brigadier, I use in mid-summer green when I need a green pepper, but wait until it turns red to stuff and freeze. The rest, if they start green, I wait until they color to grill, stuff, or chop for salad or bulk freezing. I try to harvest and use or freeze before they turn red, except the Brigadier that I like to use red.

I use them frozen all winter stuffed, and in chili, meatloaf, lasagna, and scrambled eggs.

tdscpa, thank you for sharing.

Certainly, it appearsn that you know a lot about sweet peppers.So I want to ask you few questions:

1- Do you check and control soil PH? If so, what is right?
2- what kind of ferlizers do you use, How often do you water them ?
3- Do you ever use epson salt ?
4- What is your typical summer weather (temp., humd., Night lows..)?
5- Do you cage or stake your peppers?
6- How far appart do you plant them?

Here in GA, I have heard a lot of gardeners who have not been very successful in growing bell peppers. I suspect that climate is a major factor.

Thanks so much for all the information. Some must not have understood what I said when I mentioned "sweet" b/c I wasn't talking about something sugary tasting in a pepper. But the bell peppers you buy in the stores near me are locally grown and they nice red, orange, yellow and green. The taste gets MUCH better with color. Orange is the sweetest. I don't like the taste of green peppers but I love the red, yellow and orange.

I will take fachetint's recommendations since he's in my area. I'll at least try some of those and see how they do. It's can't hurt to try.

I too have had poor success with bell pepper, but great success with Cubanelle. The trick for me is to get the plants to survive the intense heat of summer. Last year 20 plants were set out in spirng. Of these, 4 made it into Fall. I usually have about 40 to 50% survival. Of the 4 surviving plants, 2 were the Yellow Belle cultivar. In fact, I was 2 for 2 on the Yellow Belle. Maybe it was just luck. Nonetheless, more of these will be in the mix this year.

I don't have any major problems growing bell peppers in Georgia. All the photos were field grown and ripe. They are much more sublect to diseases than frying peppers or the cubanelle type, especially Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus and the mottle virus. Sunscald is also more prevalent. As they ripen, insects seem to be attracted to them. Best bells at this point. Gator Bell (green to red), Satsuma (green to orange), Golden Bell ( green to yellow) and Mavras ( black to red). Trialed Crispy for the first time last year and it performed well, but I like at least two trials before I add it to my standards list. Before retiring, I lived in Virginia, where bell peppers were easy. Grew Lilac, California Wonder, Purple Beauty, Chinese Giant,Blushing Beauty, King of the North etc. Only the Cal Wonder has performed satisfactorily here. Big Bertha and Super Heaviweight have been inconsistant, some years bragging peppers, some years nothing. The Summer Sweet series have been satisfactory, but over all would only receive a grade of "C"

I live in the Kansas City area and last summer was a great year for me for peppers. It was a cooler and wetter than normal summer. I didn't do much watering but I had great performance from Cal Wonder. A variety called King of the North which turned red, was not as productive. Quadrato Giallo di Asti had huge yellow peppers but had a tendency to start rotting. The red or "rosso" version did not do well at all. I had a large sweet paprika type that was very productive and kept us in constant supply of wonderfully sweet, juicy, crisp red peppers we used like bells and they were especially good in salads. I had a mini yellow bell that was rather citrusy tasting and very productive. I also had some smaller purple bells that were not very productive. Of course all the chiles did wonderfully. They seem to enjoy the heat even though it wasn't our usual 90°-100° summers. I had tons of Anaheims, Poblanos, black Hungarian, tabasco, about 22 different varieties. I also grew a red hot cherry pepper that turned out to be excellent for canning and a recipe I found off the Internet and before anyone gets the urge to lecture me, I checked the National Canning website and the recipe was approved safe. ;o) I also grew a sweet version of the cherry pepper. Not as productive. I'm looking forward to growing more peppers this year both sweet and hot. I've seeded about 100 different varieties this year and they are in the greenhouse.

I dont have any shaded area in my garden, so is there any way i can protect my peppers from getting sunscalded.They start out great, but as it gets hotter they seem to stop growing. I thought i might use a light row cover,think that might work?

Those of you having problems with getting a sweet bell pepper to ripen, try the Giant Marconi(sp?). We no longer grow any bell type peppers. Its now the Giant Marconi for us. I can't think of a negative. It tastes as good as or better than any "sweet" bell - very versatile in the kitchen, ripens red by mid/late Aug, thick walled, it really is a GIANT and its also very productive not to mention the Gaint Marconi is sooo cool looking.... We freeze them whole. We like it better than the cubanelle, which is thinner, smaller and not as sweet.

I had great success with 'Fat N' Sassy' bell peppers. They sweeten as they turn to red. These were highly productive with only 1 foot spacing. They are now a staple in my garden every year!
Kim

Here is a link that might be useful: Kim's Garden

My favorite so far is Gypsy. It is early and very productive. Great for the grill or raw. This year I am trying out Carmen which is another All American selection.

Another Zone 7A gardener here. We've had success with Red Knight from Johnny's (green to red) and Gourmet (green to orange). Have also grown Labrador (green to yellow) with mixed success. Red Knight and Gourmet are very productive, large, thick-walled bell peppers that are also slow to mature. Late September/early October is often our most productive period. For earlier peppers, I grow Gypsy. I don't know about soil test results, although DH does this every year, but a critical factor seems to be the thick, thick layer of leaf mulch that he spreads all over the garden every year. Also, we provide support for all of our pepper plants with those cone-shaped so-called "tomato" cages that are sold in all of the "big box" home/garden supply stores. I don't know what kind of miniature tomato plants those could be used for, but they are great for eggplant and peppers.

Cyrus:

Sorry for late reply.

PH is tested every year. It runs high here, naturally. I apply sulfur about every second year to reduce it to about 6.6-6.8. The next year it is usually back to about 7, then the second year, it is usually back to 7.5, and I treat again.

I also have my soil tested every year for fertilizer needed, but only need to apply N. I use urea (46-0-0). My soil seems to have a lifetime supply of P and K. Never use Epsom salt.

We don't get typical weather here in NW KS. Summer is almost always hot, windy, dry. But, then we get an occasional cool, wet one, like last year. Highs 100 or more, lows 70's, humidity low (Great American Desert).

I use short (2 1/2', 13.33" diam.) cages. Peppers are spaced 18" apart, watered by drip irrigation, as needed.

Tom

Great Tom. Thank you very much.
So I figure one conditionn that you have, not found many places and that is Low humidity, desert-like weather.
In such climates night temperatures drop quite a bit. So you have cool , low humidity nights and that is what sweet peppers like. PH,(6.6 -6.8 ) is what better than 90% of garden veggies can grow in fine.
This year I will have more varieties of sweet and hot pepper, about 10; will have mixed bells, cubanelle, poblano, jalapenos, habs, Hungarian wax, sweet banana, and some miniature hot peppers. I think I will have perfect Ph for peppers.

Cyrus

PS: Why your PH keeps going Up ?

Cyrus:

PS: Why your PH keeps going Up?

I'm not a soil scientist, but it is a natural condition of my area and on west through the desert states. It has to do with the "chemical condition", or attributes of the soil. The soil here has natural "buffers" that try to keep the PH high. So, to get to, and stay at, below neutral PH, I have to keep adding acid.

Perhaps most of the rest of the country has "acid rain" or conifers that acidify the soil, that we do not have. Or maybe just different soil "chemistry".

It is the counterpoint to people in other areas constantly adding lime to reduce the acidity of their soil (raise PH), and why I cringe every time I see some people attempt to prescribe fertilizer and other amendments, such as lime and wood ashes, to everyone who asks how to treat their garden.

Tom

Thanks for the info Tom.I learned something today.

What you mentioned makes sense, Soil has certain chemical changes going on, although slowly. You are right, Down here or most of easter USA, soil is generaly acidic and tends to get more acidic because of conifere and other trees. When I started my garden its PH was unde 5.7. I added lime and continue adding wood ash. Now probably it is around 6.5. Good for peppers and potatoes too. Last year I had very good yield on my cubanelle, jalapeno and chili peppers. I hope this year will be even better. This year I will have more varieties, including bells .
I Hope you will have a year of bumper crop too.

Cyrus

Tom, I live in northern MA, within walking distance of NH. Our area is rich in limestone, which makes our soil have too much lime in it. How can I reduce the lime and normalize the soil's PH so that the peppers will grow? Last year I tried some raised beds, but the coir that was recommended and put in actually caused my plants to die within a few weeks. But THAT'S a different problem, which I am solving next year by mixing in tons of well-rotted horse manure from a pile that is 4 years old.

BreaHouston: This thread is almost 5 years old. The general rule for ph adjusting is lime to raise it and soil sulfur to lower it. Takes a few months though... so add a little, test 3-4 months later and adjust accordingly.

Kevin