Can’t Grow Bell Peppers? Here’s a Ringing Endorsement for Some Alternative Sweet Pepper Varieties

By Jill M. Nicolaus (critterologist) February 28, 2008

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I’ve struggled to grow bell peppers in my garden. Prolific varieties like ‘California Wonder’ produced small peppers for me. Other plants produced beautiful golden or red bell peppers, but only one or two per plant, per season. I tried many hybrids before realizing I had to learn to think outside the bell…

Although bell peppers seem puny and unproductive in my garden, the performance of other pepper varieties is outstanding. Some of these sweet peppers are similar to bells but are slightly smaller and more tapered. Like bell peppers, most sweet peppers turn red when fully ripe, although some varieties ripen to orange or gold.

My all time favorite sweet pepper is the hybrid 'Gypsy', a 1981 All-America Selections winner.[1] This beautiful, fist-sized pepper ripens from pale green to orange to red, creating a riot of color in my pepper patch. The plants are remarkably tough, even in our hot, humid summers. 'Gypsy' is sweetest when fully ripened to red, but I also pick a few at other stages for a mix of colors, especially when making sweet pickled peppers (see recipe below).

Bull's horn peppers are large, conical peppers with outstanding sweet flavor. I always had to make room for a few 'Corno di Toro' plants in my pepper patch. Productivity was low for me, however, so I couldn't count on these as a "main crop" type. Then I found a spectacular hybrid variety.

'Carmen', a 2006 All-America Selections winner, has all the sweet flavor and large size of the open pollinated bull's horn varieties, and in my garden the plants were just loaded with peppers. The peppers ripen fairly quickly (75 days to maturity, according to the packet) and are as thick-walled as some bell varieties. I've grown 'Carmen' for the past two years, and it's a variety I'll grow every year.

Ordinary sweet banana peppers aren't quite as large or thick-walled as the above types, but you might consider trying hybrid varieties. 'Bananarama' is a variety I've grown in my garden for several years, and it's a prolific producer of 8-10 inch, slender but sturdy peppers. They slice into beautiful rings for decorating salads or enhancing jars of mixed pickles.

By now, you may be wondering why so many hybrid peppers have made my list of favorites. When it comes to tomatoes, I rave about the unbeatable flavor of the heirloom and open pollinated varieties. I'm not willing to sacrifice sweet, juicy "real tomato" flavor for a little extra productivity or possible disease resistance. But with peppers, the hybrids seem to have all the advantages without those limitations. However, seeds saved from hybrid peppers won't come "true" to the parent plant, so new seed must be ordered each year.

'Sweet Pickle' is one heirloom variety of sweet pepper that I do grow every year. Often, I tuck a few plants along the front of my pepper patch. I also scatter clumps of them elsewhere in my landscape plantings. This variety is a wonderful "edible ornamental!" The multi-colored little peppers are held upright, just as on some ornamental hot pepper plants. The crisp, sweet peppers taste even more wonderful when they've completely ripened to red. Since the seeds aren't bitter, these peppers can be eaten out of hand -- right down to the stem -- or pickled whole.

Other non-bell pepper varieties that you might try in your garden include 'Aconcagua' (large Anaheim type), 'Giant Marconi' (2001 All-America Selection winner), and Italian frying peppers such as 'Jimmy Nardello's', 'Melrose', and 'Tollie's Sweet'. See the DG Peppers Forum for further discussion and additional information on growing peppers.

Last year, I did have some success with 'Big Red' hybrid bell peppers, so I'm not quite giving up. Every year, I'll continue to try a variety or three and plant out half a dozen bell pepper plants. But the mainstay of my sweet pepper patch will be my non-bell peppers. That way, I'm sure of a steady supply of delicious sweet peppers for salads, sauces, stir-fries, pickles, kebabs, salsas, and anything else II can think of.

I don't know why bell peppers don't like my garden. But with all these wonderful alternatives, I don't fret about it. If I get desperate for a bell pepper, I can drive to the grocery store.

[1] See the AAS website for descriptions of past All-America Selection winners.

[2] Ziedrich, Linda. The Joy of Pickling. Boston: Harvard Common Press, 1988. p. 134.

About Jill M. Nicolaus   Better known as "Critter" on DG, Jill gardens in Frederick, MD. This week, I've been cutting lavender, putting up pluots (plum-apricot fruits), and pulling weeds (always, LOL). I love being outside in the cooler morning -- coffee cup in one hand, watering hose in the other -- watching the birds and butterflies among the flowers.(Images in my articles are from my photos, unless otherwise credited.)

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Subject: Need advise Gypsy pepper.

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Posted by deerhorn (from Seward, AK) on June 19, 2008 at 9:16 PM:

My Gypsy plants are doing great but now that they are blooming, after two days the blooms fall off buds and all.
Help Please.

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on June 19, 2008 at 9:23 PM:

And there are no little swellings to indicate that peppers have started forming?

I can't think of any reason for them to abort at this time of year, but I don't know your local weather. Maybe you can ask the state extension service for advice...

Sorry, I just don't know! Ask on the pepper forum too, maybe somebody will have an idea.

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Posted by deerhorn (from Seward, AK) on June 20, 2008 at 1:52 AM:

The plants are about 12 inches tall, lots of leaves and have buds in all size ranges from just able to see to large.
The plants are in the house tempeture about 80, in containers about 2 times as tall as the plants also there are about 15-20 buds on each plant. (2)
Do the plants need some type of bugs to pollinate them, small paint brushes or nothing done to the flowers?
Before each flower falls of the stem and flower bud turn yellow then drop.
does this help explain better? Don

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on June 20, 2008 at 6:39 AM:

"in the house"

Yep, that explains it. The flowers need either wind or bugs to pollinate the flowers. The easiest way I've found is to play "bee" with a q-tip or a soft brush, just going from flower to flower with a quick dab. You might even be able to just shake the plants to pollinate the blooms -- I haven't tried that, because I've only ever had one or two peppers inside like that, so hand pollinating wasn't a chore.

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Posted by Ozark (from Ozark, MO) on June 21, 2008 at 8:49 PM:

I've got a pot full of hot peppers that we bring in the house in the cold months. It bears peppers twice a year.

When it's inside and blooming, I have my little granddaughter play "bee" by going from bloom to bloom rubbing them with the eraser end of a pencil. That works fine, and you can even see the pollen clinging to the eraser.

My Gypsy plants are in the garden, and they're loaded with peppers. Apparently they're much earlier than Carmen and Bounty, which don't have any peppers yet.

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on June 22, 2008 at 4:50 PM:

I like that eraser idea -- thanks, Oz!

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Posted by mylillie (from New Britain, CT) on April 25, 2008 at 10:56 AM:

Do you know what companion plants peppers like?

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on April 25, 2008 at 11:04 AM:

Not offhand, sorry. I know that when you "rotate" your veggie garden, you should consider peppers, eggplants, and tomatoes as part of the same "rotation." Maybe that means that peppers like the same companions as tomatoes? I've put peppers in front of a row of tomatoes (so that the tomatoes don't shade the peppers).

I'd suggest searching the forums for "companion planting" or "companion planting peppers" -- a lot of threads will pop up, and hopefully you'll find some good tips. :-)

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Posted by rosann1242 (from Citrus Heights, CA) on March 3, 2008 at 3:25 PM:

Where is the best place to buy seeds and/or plants? and when is the best planting time ? I live in the Sacramento, Calif. area, zone 9 Thank you Jill Rosann Martin

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on March 3, 2008 at 6:03 PM:

PlantFiles should have links to some vendors, and you can check them out in Garden Watchdog. I like Tomato Grower's Supply and Pinetree -- partly because their shipping prices aren't quite so high on small orders.

You're in a much warmer zone... ask around locally, but I'll bet you can plant peppers pretty much any time you please!

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Posted by jsw45807 (from Lima, OH) on March 3, 2008 at 3:08 PM:

Here are a few pepper growing secrets that might help you. Amend the soil with compost and dig the hole for your plant 3 or 4 inches deeper than you need it. Add 1 teaspoon of agricultural sulphur or rip the matches out of a matchbook (there's sulphur on the match heads). Cover the sulphur with the 3 or 4 inches of soil you dug down extra and plant your plant. When the roots of the plant reach the sulphur they will jump up and down and say "yippee." Well not exactly, but you'll know they reached it.

After you've planted the plant you can also scatter crushed eggshells around and work them into the soil. They will decompose and add calcium and other good minerals to the soil. This also works for tomatoes and helps them not get blossom end rot. Hard boiled eggshells do not work, but let the water cool that you boiled the eggs in and use it to water anything thirsty.

Red reflective plastic mulch is advertised to help tomatoes, but I use it with peppers and eggplant as well. I'm not sure how effective it is on it's own, but I grow tremendous peppers using it and it keeps weeds down.

Finally, mix 1 tsp. epsom salts in 1 quart water in a spritzer bottle. Spray your plants 1 month after you planted them and once a month during the growing season. This also works for tomatoes and eggplant as well. I also spray my plants with an organic foliage feeder like fish emulsion or kelp every month but I wait two weeks after I spray with epsom salts

Good luck!

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on March 3, 2008 at 6:27 PM:

Thanks for posting!

It sounds like you are growing some fabulous peppers! What varieties do you grow in your garden?

Egg shells and other organic amendments are probably a good thing to add to your soil, but may or may not help with blossom end rot... I've heard it's due to a calcium deficiency, but I've heard it's an uptake problem, so that no amount of adding eggshells or anything else to the soil will help much... But if it works for you, who am I to argue? :-)

Carolyn has written a good explanation of blossom end rot... there's a link on the resource "sticky" at the top of the tomato forum.

It's also a good idea to get your soil tested... then you'll know if you need to add sulphur (agricultural is probably best, as I'm not sure matches are still made with sulphur) or magnesium (epsom salts), etc.

I appreciate your sharing what works for you! I try something a little different with my garden each year... decide if it made a difference (either positive or negative)... and then try to figure out what I'd like to do differently next year!

:-)

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Posted by jsw45807 (from Lima, OH) on March 4, 2008 at 2:33 PM:

You are right that eggshells may not help entirely with blossom end rot. They would just address the calcium deficiency in soil, but not the humidity and fluctuating moisture issues. And you're right about having your soil tested. While compost is considered "black gold," it depends on what went into your pile.

The peppers I grow are Burpee 'Crispy' bell and 'Giant Marconi' anaheim. This year I am growing yellow and orange peppers for the first time in several years. I'm also growing jalapeno, serrano, sweet bananna and pablano. The babies are all started in the basement under lights. This way I can ignore the dad-gum ice storm we are having outside!

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on March 4, 2008 at 3:49 PM:

I hear you! The best antidote to a cold, rainy day is to spend some time playing with little seedlings... even if I'm in my cold, damp basement, LOL.

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Posted by Dutchlady1 (from Naples, FL) on February 28, 2008 at 9:12 AM:

I knew there were many varieties of peppers but didn't have a clue which ones would do well. Thanks for a fun and informative article.

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Posted by Dea (from Frederick, MD) on February 28, 2008 at 10:03 AM:

Great article Jill and your recipe is outstanding - made these before and you're right - it's a winner !

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on February 28, 2008 at 10:54 AM:

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the article. That pickle recipe is one reason my pepper patch is so big!

Dutchlady, you may well have good luck with bell peppers in FL, so try some of those too... For me, these non-bells are just more reliable performers. :-)

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Posted by planolinda (from Plano, TX) on February 28, 2008 at 7:08 PM:

thanks for another great article!--i love peppers and will enjoy trying that recipe--i am going to try to grow some too--seems like you can do so much with peppers-in with eggs, chili, spaghetti, salad, etc--

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Posted by Islandshari (from Kwajalein
(Marshall Islands)) on February 28, 2008 at 7:28 PM:

Jill thank you so much for making me feel less like a loser! My Bells give me one or two small crops and then die a slow and agonizing death! Now I can hold my head up once again and say "It happens to the best of us." Thanks for all the other suggestions, I will definately be trying them, and I also love that recipe...keep a jar in the fridge at all times.

Yokwe,
Shari

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on February 28, 2008 at 8:03 PM:

Shari, if you want seeds, feel free to Dmail me... I know I said "US only please" on the other thread for simplicity, but as long as it's not illegal to send you seeds, it should be pretty straightforward... you're at an APO address, right? That means that mailing shouldn't be an issue. :-)

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on February 28, 2008 at 8:05 PM:

I just ran your zip through a site that claimed it would tell me of any APO mailing restrictions... it said "fruits, plants, live animals prohibited" -- so presumably seeds are OK. If you want some, just post on the other thread, please. (As far as I'm concerned, it's a US address since your APO is in CA.)

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on February 28, 2008 at 1:16 AM:

When I placed my TGS (Tomato Grower’s Supply) order this year, I bought a bulk packet of ‘Gypsy’ hybrid sweet pepper seeds, so that I could share them at cost.

I have 10 bubble envelopes ready to go, each containing 1 packet of ‘Gypsy’ pepper (15 seeds) and a bonus packet of ‘Sweet Pickle’ pepper seeds saved from my garden. The seeds will go out to the first 10 people to post on this thread and get payment to me by the end of next week, one offer per person. US DGers only, please, to keep this simple.

You can either mail me $1.81 in loose postage (four 41 cent stamps plus one 17 cent stamp)
or make a $2.17 Paypal payment to me.
Please tell me which way you would like to pay. I will send you Dmail with my street address or with my PayPal address.


Cost details, for anybody who wants to know: My cost (not including shipping from TGS) worked out to about 5 ½ cents per seed, so I made up “sampler” packets of 15 seeds that people could have for the price of two first class stamps (82 cents). I am not making any money on these seeds, just offering to share them at a good price. Think of it as a mini co-op. (A packet of 30 seeds from TGS is $3.10 plus shipping.) A new bubble envelope costs me about 41 cents (another first class stamp), and return postage is 58 cents. PayPal charges 30 cents plus 3%, adding 36 cents to the total if you’re paying that way (slightly cheaper then mailing me postage in payment).

list of participants (will be updated as payment is received and packets are sent out):

1. Danita -- received, mailed 3/6
2. Debsroots -- received, mailed 3/6
3. bhaugh -- received, mailed 3/13 with mother of thousands
4. Jayne_a -- received, mailed 3/5
5. Sharkey -- received, mailed 2/29
6. Lindawalkabout -- received, mailed 3/5
7. Ladygardener1 -- received, mailed 3/5
8. liblew -- received, will mail 3/7
9. EPrince -- received, will mail 3/7
10. dreaves -- received, mailed 3/4

This offer is now closed I've got a couple of packs of 'Gypsy' left, but I need to catch up on all the SASBE's flying in and out of here before I take any more requests. Thanks!


This message was edited Mar 6, 2008 1:52 PM

This message was edited Mar 13, 2008 8:45 PM

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Posted by Danita (from Cobb County, GA) on February 28, 2008 at 3:45 AM:

Hi Critter,

Please put me on the list for Gypsy and Sweet Pickle seeds. I'll just pay through Paypal.

Thanks so much for the great offer!
Danita

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Posted by Debsroots (from Northwest, MO) on February 28, 2008 at 10:15 AM:

Put me on your list...I just sent you a dmail.

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Posted by bhaugh (from Norfolk, VA) on February 28, 2008 at 10:47 AM:

put me on your list please.........payment is on its way!!

thank you for the great article and the offer! can't wait to grow them......

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Posted by jayne_a (from Missoula, MT) on February 28, 2008 at 11:24 AM:

Please put me on your list for Gypsy and Sweet Pickle pepper seeds. I will send stamps this afternoon.
And thanks for the good article. I also have had limited success with bell peppers, but my Anaheims do great.

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Posted by Sharkey (from Marianna, FL) on February 28, 2008 at 12:25 PM:

Please include me on your list. I will send you a d-mail in a few minutes. Your article was great and the photos were beautiful!

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on February 28, 2008 at 12:51 PM:

Heya! I'm glad everybody enjoyed the article. You're going to love 'Gypsy'. I don't think I've heard of another pepper variety that's adapted to such a wide range of growing conditions. :-)

I've got a busy day here, so rather than do a lot of copy/paste, I'll send a "blast" Dmail with my snail mail and paypal address to everybody at the end of the day. Thanks!

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Posted by girlgroupgirl (from Atlanta, GA) on February 28, 2008 at 4:02 PM:

Hey Critter:
I thought I was just a poor pepper grower!! I have had a terrible time with almost all bells, and last year about no germination from my bull peppers.
Of course hot peppers are no problem at all - I can't stop them from coming on too fast!!!
But it is fresh sweet peppers I crave. I'll have to try some you grow.

GGG

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Posted by Lindawalkabout (from Holden, MO) on February 28, 2008 at 5:31 PM:

Hope I'm not to late to get on the list for Gypsy and Sweet Pickle seeds. I to have problems with Bell peppers, they just don't get very big and paper thin almost. I wouldlove to try these new peppers, thank you


Criiter, I'm sending a BE this weekend for your seed offer on your other artical, I will include stamps if thats ok, i don't use paypal. I'll toss in a couple of dollars cash to cover, it will be ok. then you can send back the basil and peppers seeds all in the BE that i will send. thanks again, another great artical : )


This message was edited Feb 28, 2008 3:37 PM

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on February 28, 2008 at 6:20 PM:

GGG, I'm assuming you want to be "in" on this offer then.

Linda, just include a couple of extra 41 cent stamps to cover the cost of the Gypsy seeds, and you'll be fine. Please make sure to mention both offers in your note so I don't get confused! :-)

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Posted by Lindawalkabout (from Holden, MO) on February 28, 2008 at 7:24 PM:

Thanks Critter. will do

Ya know a couple of years ago I remember someone talking about thin walls on bell peppers. This was on another organic group I was on. I thought I put the info down . I could not find it. But I'm thinkin it was Epsom Salt they put around the Bell Peppers for thickness. Ever hear of that or did that?

I know they put that around tomatoes

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on February 28, 2008 at 7:56 PM:

You might think about having a soil test done (call your local extension office) to see if your garden is actually low in magnesium before you start throwing Epsom salts around... A friend has got me thinking about all sorts of trace minerals lately; we'll see how far I actually get in analyzing and supplementing my garden "dirt!"

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Posted by ladygardener1 (from Near Lake Erie, NW, PA) on February 28, 2008 at 9:33 PM:

You got D-Mail, I'm interested. Thanks

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on February 28, 2008 at 10:35 PM:

Lady, I've got you covered.

GGG, on re-reading your post, it didn't look to me like you were interested in the packets of seed I've got ready to send out, just in growing the varieties I'd mentioned... If you want to be on the list for the 'Gypsy' seeds, please post again to specifically say so. Thanks.

I think we've had 7 offers spoken for so far. :-) I'll send out a group Dmail now. I know some of you Dmailed individually -- please forgive the group response; it's been a busy day.

:-)

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Posted by liblew (from Ashland, KY) on March 1, 2008 at 4:33 PM:

If you still have any, I am interested in the Sweet Pickle and Gypsy pepper seeds--I will send either with stamps or can pay by PayPal. Thanks,
Libby

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on March 1, 2008 at 9:26 PM:

Libby, you've got Dmail. :-)

two sets of seeds remaining...

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Posted by EPrince (from Downey, CA) on March 3, 2008 at 2:31 PM:

I am a novice when it comes to gardening and have always had difficulty with bell peppers, which I love. I am new to Dave's Garden so I am just learning how things work. I am interested in your offer but I have no clue what "Dmail" is. I would like to pay with stamps. Thanks! Jan

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Posted by bhaugh (from Norfolk, VA) on March 3, 2008 at 2:39 PM:

EPrince,
go up to one of critters posts and click on her name. it will take you to her home page. then click on send critterologist a d-mail.




may Princess Kathy get d-mail

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Posted by EPrince (from Downey, CA) on March 3, 2008 at 4:16 PM:

Thanks! I found it! :-)

Jan

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Posted by dreaves (from Hutto, TX) on March 3, 2008 at 7:48 PM:

Critter,

I didn't want to take someone else's opportunity to buy when I'm perfectly capable of paying retail. However, since it's been a few days and there's still an offer left, I'd love to have some of the Gypsy and a few Aji Dulce if you don't mind throwing them in the envelope. The 'Sweet Pickles' would be great too. They might be an alternative to the Mini Sweet peppers from the big-box grocery store. I can pay by PayPal.

Thanks!

David

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on March 3, 2008 at 8:34 PM:

David, you've got them!

I do have a couple of packets of Gypsy left, but until I get caught up with all the SASBE's flying in and out of here,
this offer is closed.

I hope 'Gypsy' and 'Sweet Pickle' do well for everybody. Don't forget to try the pickle recipe! If you don't want to deal with canning them, they'll keep fine in the fridge. :-)

This message was edited Mar 5, 2008 1:24 PM

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on March 6, 2008 at 2:56 PM:

All the postage has come in, and hopefully tomorrow the last of the seeds will go out! Thanks for a quick turnaround on this offer, everyone.

Here's a summary I posted with some notes about the way I grow peppers from seed: [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]

I hope everyone has fun with their seeds!

:-)

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Posted by ladygardener1 (from Near Lake Erie, NW, PA) on March 6, 2008 at 9:39 PM:

Jill, I'll be looking forward to getting these seeds, I plan on growing a few extra to give to a friend.

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Posted by Lindawalkabout (from Holden, MO) on March 7, 2008 at 1:32 PM:

Critter thanks once again for seedling information link of yours. I like the idea of soaking the pepper seeds first, it takes forever to sprout my way. And using Chamomile tea :) want plant or human wouldn't like that : )

This is the first year of grow lights and alreading I need to do some adjusting . So this is such good info. thank you.

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Posted by dreaves (from Hutto, TX) on March 7, 2008 at 6:59 PM:

Jill,

The seeds arrived in today's mail. Thanks! There will be a pepper planting party at my house tonight. This is batch two of the peppers. I planted the first round of 10 types at the end of January. I'll leave these on heat after they are repotted to help catch them up.

The seed packets are very nice! The plastic envelopes with the inside labels make it easy to identify and see the seeds. The label information is very complete, too. Thanks again.

David

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on March 7, 2008 at 7:02 PM:

I hope they do well for you! I do most of my seed packets that way... the label slips inside the plastic baggies don't fall off the way sticky labels sometimes do.

I left some seedlings on the mat last year after potting up and took others (of the same type) off. I thought the extra heat helped them during the first week or two, but after that it didn't seem to be making any difference, so I took them all off the heating mat.

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Posted by bhaugh (from Norfolk, VA) on March 17, 2008 at 8:11 PM:

Jill, I got the seeds in the mail today! Thank you soo much!! can't wait to get them planted.....


may Princess Kathy have pepper seeds to plant
:oP
I love Miss Robbi

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on March 17, 2008 at 11:31 PM:

Good! I hope the Mother of Thousand babies I sent along arrived in good shape... I did my best to find a good "window" in the weather for shipping, but you know how that is! If they don't make it, just let me know, and I'll try again another time. :-)

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Posted by Sharkey (from Marianna, FL) on March 18, 2008 at 12:00 AM:

Jill, I have had 100% germination on my gypsy pepper seeds you sent! They were planted on Mar. 4 and are about 1 1/2 inches tall and very healthy looking. I have them under lights and I'm really looking forward to seeing them mature. I think I'll leave the regular bells alone from now on--at least the seeds. Thank you, once again, for your kindness.

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on March 18, 2008 at 1:26 AM:

You're welcome!

I'm glad the seeds seem to be doing so well for everybody. Mine are coming up, too! I figured TGS would be a pretty sure bet as a source for good seeds.

:-)

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Posted by bhaugh (from Norfolk, VA) on March 18, 2008 at 8:44 AM:

The Mother of Thousands were in great shape! Thank you very much.......I will be planting all of these today. That should give them enough time to get good and strong to be planted outside the end of April!
Thank you again for your generosity!!! :o)

I Love Miss Traci
May Princess Kathy have peppers that grow

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on March 18, 2008 at 10:33 AM:

Oh, good! I sent some from two different plants that bloomed this winter (I didn't even know they had blooms until it happened, LOL)... one was more pink and the other a definite peach/orangey color. Wish I could post photos on this thread... I'll have to add pics to PF.

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Posted by bhaugh (from Norfolk, VA) on March 18, 2008 at 10:53 AM:

I didn't know that they bloomed either! Let me know when you get a picture posted, I'd love to see them in bloom.....


I love Miss Critterologist!
I Love Miss Cathy!
:oP
may Princess Kathy come along and see the Mother of Thousands in bloom!!

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on March 18, 2008 at 10:58 AM:

Check out this PF link: [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]

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Posted by bhaugh (from Norfolk, VA) on March 18, 2008 at 11:11 AM:

that is so cool! how long does it take them before they bloom?


I Love bluepoppy
I Love Miss Rachael
:o}

may Princess Kathy have bird nests in her trees

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on March 18, 2008 at 2:55 PM:

I've had mine for a couple of years, but I'm sure time to bloom varies.

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Posted by bhaugh (from Norfolk, VA) on March 18, 2008 at 3:50 PM:

To all of you who are wondering about my posts......

we are playing a game in the parking lot, called the Princess game. Each month there is a new Princess and we have to address her in every post that we make on DG. Along with that the Princess of the month makes rules that we follow to earn points to become the next Princess. Most people that have come across our posts either just read over them or come looking for us trying to join the fun we are having in this silly game. It has been a great way to get past the winter blues!!
I am sorry if this has caused any confusion on this thread, the bold lettering is for the game and has nothing to do with Jill's offer of seeds.


may Princess Kathy have lots of veggies in her garden this summer
:oP
I Love Miss Robbi
I Love Sharkey

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Posted by jordankittyjo (from Bessemer, AL) on March 18, 2008 at 3:55 PM:

HI MISS BECKIE

i love miss robbi
i lover critterologist

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Posted by jordankittyjo (from Bessemer, AL) on March 18, 2008 at 4:06 PM:

miss beckie, you didn't confuse me

i love miss joan

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Posted by Lindawalkabout (from Holden, MO) on April 1, 2008 at 11:12 AM:

Critter just wanted to let ya know my Gypsy and Sweet Pickle Peppers are up and doing great. Oh I can't wait to get them in the garden and more trying them out , yum. Thanks so much for all the seeds you sent, peppers and seeds for my BF gardens. (((BIG HUG)))

tc linda

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on April 1, 2008 at 11:23 AM:

Good to hear! I hope they all do well for you this year! :-)

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Posted by NatureWalker (from Binghamton, Twilight, NY) on April 9, 2008 at 10:03 PM:

Jill,

Do you have any seeds left over? I don't want to post here in the forums to let you know what happened to all of my plants & seeds during 2006. But they are all gone. What I miss too was your special seeds for that Italian Basil.

Can you assist? (enable???)

~* Robin

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on April 9, 2008 at 10:18 PM:

I don't have any extra Gypsy seeds left, but I can get a packet of Italian Basil out to you... please Dmail me with your address (no postage needed). :-)

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Posted by Lindawalkabout (from Holden, MO) on April 10, 2008 at 9:30 AM:

Critter another question on the Gypsy and Sweet Pickle Peppers you sent. Can the seeds be saved on these two peppers or being hybrid will not work? ths linda

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on April 10, 2008 at 10:53 AM:

'Sweet Pickles' is not a hybrid. The seeds are ones I saved from my own plants (been doing so several years now). If you want to be sure of them coming true, plant a couple away from other peppers so you don't get cross pollination (they're pretty plants in a flower border, so I usually just stick a few in a landscape bed).

I've never tried growing out saved seeds from 'Gypsy', but yes that one is a hybrid, so I'd recommend buying seeds for next year. From the good reports we're getting already on those little seedings, I think I might do a bigger bulk buy next year, like a co-op. :-)

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Posted by Lindawalkabout (from Holden, MO) on April 10, 2008 at 11:17 AM:

Great, thank you Critter. good advice on planting at a distance on a couple of the sweet pickle peppers and I will save the seeds as well.

Oh the co-op would be great : ).

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on April 10, 2008 at 11:21 AM:

We could probably do a few different varieties, too... unfortunately, 'Carmen' isn't cheaper in bulk (actually more expensive, which nobody could explain to me), but we can split packs like I did for a few folks this year.

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Posted by Lindawalkabout (from Holden, MO) on April 10, 2008 at 11:29 AM:

Sounds good. I'm growing Fish peppers this year to, got to keep the hot ones from the sweet ones. I'll have peppers all over the place, LOL.


I would like to try that Carmen pepper too. These co-ops are just the best for getting plants that probably would not be able to swing. I'm havin way to much fun here in DG with new plants on the homestead. Just lovin it!!!!!!!

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on April 10, 2008 at 11:39 AM:

I'm such an advocate for the flavor of heirloom tomatoes that I'm sure some folks raised eyebrows to see me "pushing" these pepper hybrids... but as far as I can tell, 'Gypsy' and 'Carmen' have every bit as much flavor and sweetness as their OP counterparts -- and they are much more vigorous and productive in my garden. So although I'm all about saving and trading seeds for a lot of what's in my garden, hybrid pepper seeds are something I'll keep on purchasing... A bulk seed buy will save me some $, too! With those minimum shipping charges, it can be worth doing a group order just so everybody doesn't have to pay $4.25 for shipping.

I've already got the packing and labeling figured out, LOL... and hopefully I'll be able to send some bonus 'Sweet Pickle' seeds with the co-op seeds, too. I probably won't do a whole lot of varieties in bulk packs, because counting and packing gets tedious after a while... Hmm, wonder who lives close enough that I could rope them into coming over for an evening of coffee, cookies, and counting seeds? :-)

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Posted by mylillie (from New Britain, CT) on April 25, 2008 at 11:01 AM:

To bad I missed this I just joined. Next time please inform me.

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on April 25, 2008 at 11:13 AM:

Welcome, Lillie! It looks like there's a lot of interest in a "next time," and thanks to a marauding mouse I had to restart my Gypsy peppers a couple of times this spring, so I'll probably do a little "group buy" or co-op sort of thing for next season so we can split some bulk packets from TGS. I'm sorry, but I probably won't manage to comb through all the threads where we've talked about it in order to Dmail everybody who's expressed an interest... I'll just post on the pepper forum. But I'll try to give it plenty of lead time, so hopefully everybody who's interested will get a chance, and I'll try to post a link on this thread also. :-)

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Posted by Lindawalkabout (from Holden, MO) on April 25, 2008 at 11:32 AM:

Critter could you do a D-m Blast to people on this forum when its time to order the pepper seeds. Not sure how blast works , I don't want to miss it. I will keep an eye open on the pepper forums

Peppers are doing geat. sown inside, did the grow light like you said , much better plants , thank you

Bronze Fennel is doing better and growing when I winter sowed , then inside. It is very pretty


Thanks again for all the great seeds you shared

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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on April 25, 2008 at 12:29 PM:

Linda, I'd rather just post on this thread and in the pepper forum.. I think that should reach most folks. If I do a blast Dmail, I'll inevitably miss some folks and cause bad feelings, and I don't want that.

I'm glad your seedlings are doing well! My bronze fennel (started several years ago) outside is about 6 inches tall now and growing fast... I love the feathery foliage!

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