As the pepper ripens on the plant, it turns from yellow to orange and then red (unless the variety is bred specifically to grow another color like purple).īecause red bells are ripening on the plant the longest, they pack the most nutrition and have almost 11 times more beta-carotene and 1.5 times more vitamin C than green varieties. That’s why they are cheaper and more neutrally flavored than the orange, yellow, or red bells. Most people don’t realize that green bell peppers are actually just unripe fruits. You will often end up with lots of green bell peppers if you don’t plant early enough or provide enough extra warmth. Speaking of growing in northern climates with short seasons, it can be more difficult to ripen the peppers without enough heat days. Colored Green bell peppers are simply unripe that have yet to get their color. However, with frost protection and proper timing, I have successfully grown bell peppers as far north as Montana, New Hampshire, and Maine. They are only hardy outdoors year-round in USDA growing zones 9-11. There are pepper varieties adapted to colder regions, but in general, they prefer a 3-4 month growing window of temperatures consistently above 50-60☏. Today, the majority are found in grocery stores come from Florida, with some large-scale production scattered around California, Texas, New Jersey, and North Carolina.įortunately, they are produced on small-scale organic farms and in gardens in just about every growing region of the U.S., albeit their availability is limited to summer months.
USDA records indicate that the first commercial peppers were produced in the southern United States in 1925. Because they are widely adapted to both tropical and temperate climates, they have become a staple in the gardens of America, Europe, China, Africa, and beyond. The seeds were later spread around the world by Spanish and Portuguese explorers. Their chili pepper relatives date as far back as 5000 BC when indigenous people first collected seeds from a wild variety. Wild Ancient Origins Peppers have been around in some form for thousands of years.īell peppers originated in Mexico, Central America, and South America. Bell peppers are, however, relatives of hot chile peppers which originated in the Aztec culture some 5000 years ago. The name Capsicum comes from the Greek root “kapto” which means “to swallow” or “to bite.” It was originally called a pepper when Columbus misconstrued it as a relative of black pepper ( Piper nigrum), but there is no relation. When cooking, these seeds are easy to cut around and even save for future plantings in the garden. The fruits are hollow with many tiny seeds on the membrane of the inner white walls. You may have noticed that all of these plants have similar yellow or purple star-shaped flowers with five petals, which is a key attribute of the Solanceous tribe.Ĭapsicum annuum is a small bushy pepper plant that yields large, round, mild peppers with smooth outer skins and fresh crisp flesh. Plant History Tomatoes, eggplants, and potatoes are all related to bell peppers.īell peppers ( Capsicum annuum) are an annual member of the Solanaceae family along with tomatoes, eggplant, and potatoes.
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