big bertha are not a giant variety
try the vegetable forum.
this forums is about vegetables that bigger then normal.
come see us when you pepper is over 2 lbs or longer then 16 inches.

The Big Bertha Hybrid Pepper IS something of an oddity with regard to the size of the bell shaped peppers it produces.

This variety produces HUGE peppers for me. However, the peppers are LONG (like the "European" style of bell peppers) and as big around as most regular bell peppers. These are usually listed as elongated bell peppers in seed catalogs.

Last year I had one that measured 9 inches in length--VERY LONG for a pepper.

Anyway, to answer your questions:

1)What potting soil should i use?

A: If you are planting this into the ground then any good garden soil is okay to use. You can add compost if you want, to add some nutrients to the soil. Use a LOW NITROGEN fertilizer if you fertilize. This will help to produce a good crop of peppers.

HIGH nitrogen fertilizers will produce LOTS of foliage and few peppers.

2)How much water?

A: The general consensus for most plants and gardens is that most plants do well receiving about 1-inch of rain per week.

If you have to water due to a dry spell then water the plant very well and DEEPLY each time you water. This will produce a deeply rooted plant that will withstand drought much better. Watering lightly will produce roots near the surface of the soil that will be more prone to dryness and heat.

3)Does it need sun or shade? Zone 8.

A: Full sun is best for peppers. Peppers love warm weather and should grow well for you in zone 8 as long as they get plenty of water.

Hope this helps,
Chris

I beg to differ that Big Bertha's are not (or can not) be considered a giant veggie.
They most deffinatley can be IF you treat them right.
Lots of sun, and constant watering (daily at least).
Over two lbs and longer than 16 inches can be easily topped. I didn't need to put that much extra into planting and feeding to reach that with Big Bertha's. They like nice and loose soil also.
I have found that almost any veggie (except perhaps the ones bred to be small) can be feed and coaxed into getting quite large. Give it a try.

the reason that big bertha can not be consider a giant vegetable is because the is no guinnes catgory for biggest bell pepper weight. To be considered a true giant a giant vegetable must be a competitive catagories to point that the giant variety is alot bigger than any vegetable that can be found in a supermarket or farmers market.
Under both conditions there being a competition for the biggest/heavist pepper or a variety being bigger then ones that can be bought in produce markets. bigbertha fails on both counts. guinness does have catagory for longest pepper.

What are some of the varieties of bell peppers used for giant peppers & where are the seeds available from. Last year I had several that weighed between .75 & .98 lbs with no special care.