Pepper Varieties and Types

Pepper varieties can be divided broadly into sweet peppers and hot peppers, or chiles. I’ve listed some favorite sweet peppers below. For hot pepper varieties, click Here.

Sweet peppers range from the familiar bell pepper to pimiento and Italian ‘corno di toro’ (bull’s horn) peppers.

Left to Right: ‘Gourmet’, ‘Vidi’, ‘Alma Paprika’, ‘Lipstick’
…Click Any Image to See a Larger Version

Sweet Bell Peppers | Pimiento Peppers | Italian Peppers
Hot Pepper (Chile) Varieties | Growing Peppers

Sweet Bell Pepper Varieties

Pepper Varieties—‘Gourmet’
© Steve Masley…Click IMAGE to Enlarge

Green peppers are sweet peppers that have been harvested green, before ripening.

Most bell peppers turn red on ripening, but there are also yellow, orange, and even lavender-colored cultivars.

As the fruit ripens, it loses some of the sharpness of green peppers and becomes sweeter and more nutritious.

The bright pigments in peppers are not only beautiful, they’re part of the reason these fine vegetables are so good for you. Each pigment is an important phytochemical that helps protect cells from damage.

Green to Red Bell Pepper Varieties

Pepper Varieties ‘Vidi’ © Steve Masley
Click IMAGE to Enlarge

‘Vidi’ (F1 hybrid, 65-70 days green, 85-90 days deep red) is a thick-walled, succulent European red bell pepper that’s sure to be a favorite. I’ve grown them for 15 years, they’re the best for roasting and stuffing. Each plant produces 4-8 large, heavy peppers.

‘Wonder Bell’ (F1 hybrid, 55 days green, 70 days bright red) produces heavy yields of 4-lobed, thick-walled bells that are perfect for roasting, grilling, and stuffing. This early bell pepper produces well in cool-summer and northern gardens.

Pepper Varieties—‘Ace’
© Steve Masley…Click IMAGE to Enlarge

‘Red Knight’ (F1 hybrid, 57 days green, 77 days red, resistant to Bacterial Leaf Spot, Potato Virus Y, and Tobacco Mosaic Virus) produces delicious, thick-walled bell peppers on sturdy, disease-resistant plants.

‘Ace’ (F1 hybrid, 50 days green, 70 days bright red) is a very early bell pepper that produces heavy yields of medium-sized bell peppers. If you’re growing bell peppers in northern or alpine short-summer gardens, this is one of the best pepper varieties for you.

‘Lantern’ (F1 hybrid, 62 days green, 82 days ripe, resistant to Tobacco Mosaic Virus) is an early-yielding, European-style elongated bell pepper. Heavy, thick-walled, and delicious, it’s great for roasting. Large, sturdy plants have good leaf cover to minimize sunscald.

**Click Any Image to See a Larger Version**

Top of Page | Sweet Bell Peppers | Pimiento Peppers
Italian & Specialty Peppers | Growing Peppers

Bell Peppers of Every Color

Bell Pepper Varieties (Click IMAGE to Enlarge)
*‘Gourmet’* (Open pollinated, 85 days, resistant to Tobacco Mosaic Virus) is one of the best orange bell peppers I’ve grown. It produces 6-12 sweet, thick-walled, elongated orange bell peppers. Sets fruit early enough to color up before frost.
*‘Admiral Golden Bell’* (F1 hybrid, 85 days) produces thick-walled, 3-4” (7-10cm) yellow bell peppers. A great-tasting fresh bell pepper that adds a bright yellow color to stir-fries. Very tasty grilled.
*‘Valencia’* (F1, 85 days) produces brilliant orange, 4-5” (10-13cm) thick-walled bell peppers that are delicious grilled, roasted, or stir-fried. Adds a bright color cut in thin slivers and added to slaws.
*‘Islander’* (F1 hybrid, 65 days purple) produces purple peppers.

‘Golden Star’ (F1 hybrid, 62 days) produces thick-walled, 4 x 4” (10 x 10cm) yellow bell peppers. A great-tasting fresh bell pepper that adds a bright yellow color to stir-fries. Very tasty grilled.

‘Bianca’ (F1 hybrid, 65 days white, 85 days red ripe, resistant to Tobacco Mosaic Virus) produces blocky, white-to-pale-yellow fruit that eventually ripen to bright red.

‘Sweet Chocolate’ (58 days green, 78 days brown ripe) is an early chocolate-brown variety.

Top of Page | Sweet Bell Peppers | Pimiento Peppers
Italian & Specialty Peppers | Growing Peppers

Ethnic Sweet Peppers,
Specialty Peppers

Pimiento Peppers

Pimiento Pepper Varieties—‘Lipstick’
© Steve Masley…Click IMAGE to Enlarge

‘Lipstick’ (F1 hybrid, 53 days to green, 73 days to red ripe) produces 4” long, thick-walled, blunt-nosed peppers that are delicious raw in salads, sautéed, or roasted. Reliable, early producers even in cool-summer gardens.

‘Round of Hungary’ (Heirloom, 55 days to green, 75 days to red ripe) produces squat, ribbed fruit with thick, deep-red walls and a delicious, sweet flavor. Can be eaten fresh, sautéed, roasted, grilled, or dried for paprika.

‘Alma Paprika’ (Open pollinated, 80 days) is the pepper to grow if you want to make your own paprika. The blocky, heavy, 1-2” (2-5cm) fruit start out white, turn orange, and ripen to a deep red. The thick walls are sweet, but the ribs hold some heat. Harvest red, dry, and grind to make unbelievably flavorful paprika.

**‘Alma’ Paprika Peppers Go from Pale Yellow to Orange to Deep Red as They Ripen…Click Any Image to See a Larger Version**

Top of Page | Sweet Bell Peppers | Pimiento Peppers
Italian & Specialty Peppers | Growing Peppers

Italian Peppers

'Carmen' Bull's Horn (Corno di Toro) Pepper

‘Carmen’ Italian Bull's Horn
(Corno di Toro) Pepper © Steve Masley
Click IMAGE to Enlarge

‘Carmen’ (F1 hybrid, 60 days to green, 80 days to ripe red) is a ‘corno di toro’ (bull’s horn) pepper that produces 6” x 2 ½” (15 x 6cm) long peppers. Excellent for frying, roasting, or grilling, the plants produce early, even in cool-summer gardens.

‘Italian Sweet’ (Open pollinated, 70 days to red) produce thick-walled, sweet 8” (20cm) conical peppers. Good for sautéing, grilling, roasting, and sweet pickled peppers.

'Jimmy Nardello' Heirloom Italian Frying Pepper 1

‘Jimmy Nardello’ Heirloom
Italian Frying Peppers© Steve
Masley…Click IMAGE to Enlarge

'Jimmy Nardello' (Heirloom, Open Pollinated 70 days to red ripe) is an Italian heirloom frying pepper that's a local favorite in the San Francisco Bay Area. It produces an abundance of long, thin, wrinkled peppers that are slightly sweet, with citrussy overtones.

‘Italian Pepperoncini’ (Heirloom, Open Pollinated, 75 days to red ripe) produce long, thin, crinkled yellow peppers that ripen to red and sweeten on the plant. A classic pickling pepper.