Two Red Peppers

Bell Pepper "Red Beauty"

I grew two types of red peppers this year: one hot; one not.  I'll talk about the one that's not first.  It's called Bell Pepper "Red Beauty."  I bought it as a very small plant rather than growing it from seed.  I planted it in mid-May and it started producing about a month ago.  But you should know that first the peppers are green and then they turn red.  It's perfectly fine to eat them when they're green, but I think they get sweeter once they turn red so I wait.  And these peppers are very sweet (they have 0 Scoville units, remember Scoville units?)  Red Beauty is an annual that requires full sun, grows to about 24" high, and the pepper is about 4-6 inches from top to bottom. 

Serrano hot pepper

The second red pepper I grew is the Serrano.  And it's hot.  Like Red Beauty, it starts out green and you can use it then if you want.  I mostly use serrano when I make salsa.  Full sun for these as well.

Neither of these peppers has been bothered by pests this year and they demand nothing in the way of maintenance.  Also, I like to plant them with other things in one container.  For example, I have my serrano planted in a container with basil.  Neither has seemed bothered by being paired together. 

Bookshelf:  Container Gardening Books