Do you want to get your pepper harvest as early as possible? Pay attention to early ripening varieties! Such cultivars are ideal for regions with short summers and are suitable for everyone who wants to receive a continuous harvest (due to planting varieties with different ripening periods). We invite you to familiarize yourself with a selection of the most popular early peppers of various shapes and colors. Among them, you will find those that you will want to grow next season!
Which peppers are early ripening and what are their advantages?
The term “early maturation” can be confusing. As you know, this vegetable is divided into technical ripeness (the fruits have formed and stopped growing) and biological (the fruits have ripened and acquired color according to the variety). Peppers are often harvested at technical ripeness.
Days to maturity in the variety description is the number of days it takes for the pepper to bloom and be ready for harvest. At the same time, another 20-30 days pass from technical to biological ripeness.
- Early varieties and hybrids have a ripening period of 80 to 100 days (60-70 days before technical ripeness).
- Mid-season varieties ripen in 115 – 130 days (about 90 days before technical ripeness).
- Late varieties require 130-150 days (about 4 months until technical ripeness).
Early ripening varieties have a number of advantages for gardeners :
- Ready for early harvest. Early-ripening peppers have a shorter growing season. They will take less time to grow and develop than other varieties.
- Increased yield. Most early peppers bear fruit continuously. After the first wave of fruits, they produce another harvest.
- Possibility of early preparations. Because the peppers are fully ripe before other peppers, you can start making homemade recipes and hot sauces ahead of time.
Early-ripening peppers are cube-shaped
Pepper “Fiesta”
Large fruits weigh up to 180-200 g. The wall thickness is quite large, 7-8 mm. The color is elegant, bright yellow with a glossy surface. The fruits are dense, have a shelf life, and have good transportability. The variety is early ripening but is at the junction of mid-ripening and early varieties (mid-early). Ripens 100-110 days after emergence.
Advantages :
- The plant is resistant to verticillium wilt, blossom end rot, and viral diseases.
- Fast coloring of fruits.
- Suitable for both home gardens and professional greenhouses.
- The fruits are straightened and in good presentation.
Pepper “Maradonna”
The fruit is a classic cuboid shape with 3-4 nests, glossy. In technical ripeness the color is yellow-green, and in biological ripeness it is yellow. The weight of the fruit is 210-230 g, the walls are 7-8 mm thick. The bushes are semi-spreading, of medium height. Productivity in open ground is 6.2 kg/sq.m of marketable fruits.
Recommended for growing in open ground and under film covers.
Advantages :
- High taste qualities of fruits.
- Powerful bushes reach 80 cm in height.
Big Bertha Pepper
One of the largest early ripening bell peppers. The shape is elongated, oblong-cuboid, with pronounced 3-4 edges. Weighing 200-400 g, they can reach 20 cm or more in length. The fruits are thick-walled with a wall diameter of 8-9 mm. When ripe they turn bright red. The bushes are powerful, 60-80 cm high. It is recommended to use pegs for garter since the stems can break from large fruits or in bad weather.
Advantages :
- The variety is resistant to diseases.
- Perfect for making giant stuffed peppers.
Premature prism-shaped peppers
Flamenco pepper
The fruit is smooth with a glossy surface, and slightly wavy with a concave apex. At technical ripeness it is green, but when ripe it turns dark red. The pepper weighs 170-190 g with a wall thickness of about 8 mm. From the emergence of seedlings to the technical ripeness of the fruit, 90 days pass. Biological maturity on average occurs in 110-115 days. The Flamenco growth type is semi-standard, semi-spreading.
Advantages :
- Resistance to tobacco mosaic virus.
- High yield.
- High-quality fleshy fruits of marketable appearance.
Pepper “Medal”
Its prism-shaped fruits are medium-sized, only 42–49 g, ending in a blunt apex. The surface is slightly ribbed and wavy. Wall thickness 3–4 mm. The color is light green in technical ripeness, and red in biological ripeness. From emergence to ripeness, 90–112 days pass. The bushes are compact or semi-spreading, 150–170 cm high (in a greenhouse). They need support.
Advantages :
- High yield.
- Resistance to gray rot.
Early ripening peppers of a conical shape
Pepper “Othello”
The pepper is cone-shaped with a smooth surface and 2-3 nests. The average fruit weight is from 90 to 120 g. The wall thickness is up to 7 mm. The fruit has an unusual color: when technically ripe it is purple, but when ripe it turns brown. The bushes are vigorous, and compact, and grow 70-80 cm high. Productivity is 3.9-4.5 kg/sq.m. It takes 106 days from germination to technical ripeness. Perfect for use both fresh and for culinary processing.
Advantages :
- High yield.
- Friendly return of fruits.
- Self-regulation of bush branching.
Pepper “White filling”
The fruits are drooping, glossy, 2-3 chambered. The color in technical ripeness is light green with a yellow tint, in biological ripeness it is red. The weight of the fruit is 60-70 g, and the wall thickness is 5-6 mm. The yield under film covers will be 6.7 kg/sq.m. marketable fruits. The ripening period is 95-110 days. Used for growing in open ground and under film covers in private household plots. The bushes are low and close, 45-55 cm high.
Advantages :
- High taste qualities.
- Attractive appearance.
- Resistance to verticillium and tobacco mosaic virus.
- Friendly return of early harvest.
- Good binding at low temperatures.
Early ripening cylindrical peppers
Pepper “Gypsy”
The bushes are semi-spreading, and of medium height. Productivity in open ground is 3.7-4.2 kg/sq.m. The fruit is drooping with a glossy or highly glossy surface and 2-3 nests. The color in technical ripeness is yellowish, in biological ripeness it is red. Fruit weight 100-120 g, wall thickness 6-7 mm. The taste is high. Recommended for fresh use and home cooking, especially for pickling and preparing lecho.
Advantages :
- Resistant to TMV (tobacco mosaic virus).
- High taste qualities.
Gemini pepper
The bushes are compact, well-leafed, up to 60 cm high. Gemini fruits have thick, fleshy pulp and a very sweet taste. The color changes from green at technical ripeness to bright yellow when ripe. Fruits are up to 18 cm long, weighing 200-250 g, smooth and shiny. About 10 peppers can ripen on a bush at the same time. From germination to technical ripeness 85-90 days. Great for frying and stuffing. Also good fresh in salads and other dishes.
Advantages :
- Resistance to tobacco mosaic virus, tomato, and potato mosaic virus.
- Gives a bountiful harvest early.
- High taste qualities.
- Attractive appearance.
Early ripe trunk-shaped peppers
Pepper “Python”
In appearance, this pepper can easily be confused with hot varieties. The fruits are narrow and long with a pointed tip (trunk-shaped), and their length reaches 25-27 cm. The average weight of the “pod” is 60 g, and the wall thickness is 3 mm. From emergence to the beginning of fruiting 90-115 days. Recommended for cultivation in open ground and film greenhouses. Bushes up to 1 m high, semi-spreading, abundantly hung with fruits. The color of the fruit in technical ripeness is green, in biological ripeness it is red. The surface is slightly rough and glossy.
Advantages :
- Unique paprika flavor
- High yield.
Pepper “Jimmy Nardello”
Peppers are small, rather thin “pods” from 12 to 25 centimeters in length and up to 3 centimeters in diameter, with a blunt or pointed tip. “Pods” can be not only straight but also curved or even twisted. They have a wavy, slightly wrinkled texture. The skin is thin and waxy. Its color changes from green to bright red. The flesh is crispy and juicy. Ripening time is 90-100 days.
Jimmy Nardello peppers are delicious both raw and cooked. It has a mild, sweet, and fruity flavor and when cooked has a tender and buttery consistency. After heat treatment and drying, the “pods” become sweeter, piquant, and with noticeable smoky notes.
Advantages :
- One of the best peppers for frying.
- Rich taste.
- High yield.
