From sweet and mild to sizzling hot, there's a pepper to suit every palate. Originally cultivated in Central and South America, peppers have become a common ingredient in regional cuisines across the world. Their high-octane flavor and five star nutritional profile make peppers a favorite in the kitchen.
Given the current widespread availability of specialty pepper seeds, an assortment of brightly colored, glossy peppers make an easy and rewarding centerpiece for a home garden. These five varieties offer a perfect balance of striking color and fabulous flavor.
Peach Habanero
This pretty little pepper packs a powerful punch! Habaneros are the hottest of the peppers commonly found at the grocery store or produce stand. Peach Habaneros ripen from green to a flawless, shiny peach. Plants grow to a compact 16 to 18 inches, making this pepper a great choice for a container garden. Matures in 95 to 100 days.
Bishop's Crown
Roughly as hot as a jalapeno, these peppers ripen from light green to orange, then finally to bright red. This plant offers attractive, dark green foliage, but its quirky, three-sided peppers steal the show. The mature fruit really does look like a little bishop's crown. Matures in 90 days.
Chocolate Beauty Sweet Bell
This very sweet, mild bell pepper matures from green to a deep chocolate brown. Its exceptional sweetness and unusual color make it a hit with kids and playful chefs. The fairly large fruit makes an attractive and unique serving bowl for dips and salsas. Matures in 85 to 90 days.
Giant Szegedi
These peppers provide striking color contrast in the garden, ripening from ivory or pale yellow to bright orange. Mild and moderately sweet, the firm flesh and large size make this an excellent pepper for stuffing and roasting. Matures in 85 days.
Blue Jay
A very entertaining bell pepper to grow, the Blue Jay starts off green, then turns lilac, purple, orange, and finally red. The fruit may be harvested at any stage. Sweet and crisp, this pepper is great in fresh salsa. Matures in 75 to 80 days.
All peppers require full sun. Seeds can be started indoors as early as ten weeks before the last anticipated frost. Seedlings will grow slowly until spring weather takes hold, and should not be transplanted until well after all danger of frost is past. Add a healthy portion of compost to the soil before transplanting, and leave about 18 - 24 inches between plants. Peppers are hungry plants, and will benefit from regular servings of additional compost or a balanced commercial fertilizer.
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