table of contents
- Sweet pepper varieties
- Block peppers
- Cherry peppers
- Pointed peppers
- Tomato peppers
- Hot and hot: Chilli and pepper varieties
- frequently asked Questions
Mild sweet peppers, spicy peppers or hot chilli - they all belong to the capsicum species. We introduce you to the 55 best pepper varieties in each group that can be grown in the garden, in the greenhouse or on the balcony.
In a nutshell
- Sweet peppers, chilli and hot peppers belong to the pepper plants (Capsicum)
- Sweet peppers have no capsain and therefore no heat
- Measurement of sharpness in Scoville
- hottest chilli variety: 'Carolina Reaper'
- great wealth of colorful paprika varieties
Sweet pepper varieties
Paprika varieties can simply be left out Pull seeds from purchased peppers. However, not all bell peppers have germinable seeds and a high germination rate.
Block peppers
The aromatic-sweet, but mild block peppers are characterized by their large fruits, weighing between 120 and 200 grams, depending on the variety. These pepper varieties have a large cavity on the inside, divided into three to four chambers, and are therefore easy to fill. Proven varieties include these:
- 'Ariane': orange-red, early ripening fruits with a good aroma, very productive, ideally suited for keeping in pots
- 'Aurelio': large, red fruits weighing up to 380 grams, robust and resilient, very productive, early harvest from July
- 'Bendigo': red, approx. Fruits weighing 140 grams, direct sowing from April, harvest time between August and October
- 'Bontempi': red, medium-sized fruits, resistant to moisture and cold, resistant to tomato mosaic virus
- 'Brownie': dark brown, sweet-aromatic fruits, thick-fleshed, harvest time between June and September
- 'California Wonder': red, very aromatic fruits, harvest time between August and November, very good for keeping in pots (e. B. on the balcony)
- 'Coletti': yellow fruits weighing between 150 to 180 grams, sweet and aromatic, harvest time between July and September, resistant to tobacco mosaic virus and other viruses
- 'Fiesta': yellow, large fruits, harvest time between July and October
- 'Goldflame': yellow, aromatic fruits, harvest time between August and October
- 'Ice Age': orange-red fruits weighing up to 150 grams, fruity-sweet, high-yielding, early harvest time, suitable for keeping in pots
- 'Marta Polka': yellow, thick-fleshed and very high-yielding pepper variety from Poland, well suited for outdoor cultivation
- 'Mavras': deep purple to dark red fruits, harvest time between August and October, suitable for greenhouses and outdoors
- 'Neusiedler Ideal': can be harvested green or red, harvest time between mid-July to October
- 'Sweet Chocolate': thick-fleshed, chocolate-brown fruits, very suitable for outdoor use, harvest time between August and October
- 'Yellow California Wonder': yellow, aromatic fruits, high-yielding, harvest time between July and August, well suited for greenhouses
- 'Yolo Wonder B': red, fleshy fruits weighing up to 150 grams, harvest time between August and October, for outdoors, greenhouses and pots
Cherry peppers
For cherry peppers (Capsicum annuum var. cerasiforme) the small fruits, only between two and four centimeters in diameter and around five grams in weight, are typical. The pepper varieties themselves are very productive and resilient, and they can also be cultivated outdoors, in a greenhouse or in a tub. Proven varieties include these:
- 'Cherry Bomb': Hungarian variety with slightly hot, red fruits, high-yielding, well suited for greenhouses and pots
- 'Coccinella': medium-hot cherry chilli with comparatively large, bright red ripening fruits, robust and resistant
- 'Yellow cherry': quite hot variety from Kosovo, for outdoor, greenhouse and bucket culture, high-yielding
- 'Hot Basket': medium-hot, thick-walled and red ripe fruits, harvest time between July and October
- 'Red Cherry': red, sweet and piquant fruits, robust and resilient, high-yielding, harvest time between July and October
- 'Sweet Cherry': Hungarian variety with sweet, mildly spicy fruits, not spicy, very warmth-loving, therefore ideal for the greenhouse
Note: Cherry peppers are also often referred to as "cherry chilli". The small fruits can be mild or spicy, depending on the variety, and are suitable for pickling or for the starter plate for filling (e.g. B. with cream cheese).
Pointed peppers
Pointed peppers are, as the name suggests, pointed at the lower end and significantly smaller and narrower than the large block peppers. The different varieties are between eight and 15 centimeters long and weigh between 80 and 120 grams. Popular pepper varieties for home-growing are, for example, these:
- 'Agio': Hungarian variety with a fruity-aromatic aroma, orange-red to red ripe fruits, very good suitable for outdoor cultivation, resistant to tobacco and tomato mosaic virus, harvest time between August and September
- 'Atris': so-called “bullhorn peppers” with red, up to 20 centimeters long and thick-fleshed fruits, harvest time between July and September
- 'Coronor': orange-colored, sweet-aromatic fruits
- 'Daisy': orange-red, very sweet snack peppers with few seeds, high-yielding, robust and resilient, harvest time between August and October
- 'Feher': red ripe fruits, can be harvested yellow, well suited for early outdoor cultivation, harvest time between July and September
- 'Gypsy': Hungarian variety with spicy, red ripe fruits
- 'Hunor': Hungarian pointed peppers with a sweet, mild taste, harvest from August, very suitable for pail culture
- 'Luigi': Italian snack peppers with sweet fruits and few seeds, up to 15 centimeters long, robust and high-yielding
- 'Roter Augsburger': well-tried, very robust and ideally suited for outdoor cultivation with sweet, red fruits, early harvest from July
- 'Toscana': when ripe, bright red, sweet-aromatic fruits, well suited for growing in pots, harvest time between June and October
- 'Zlata': robust variety, very suitable for outdoor cultivation, fruits ripen from green to red, mild-spicy in taste, harvest time between August and October
Note: Since the varieties are smaller, pointed peppers ripen faster than the larger-fruited block peppers. They also contain fewer seeds.
Tomato peppers
Outwardly, tomato peppers are reminiscent of tomatoes, as the fruits are also flat, round and ribbed. Most varieties have a sweet, aromatic and juicy taste, as is typical of sweet peppers. There are also some varieties with a mild heat. Well-known and popular types of tomato pepper are for example:
- 'Pritavit': Hungarian variety with red, thick-walled fruits, mildly fruity and sweet taste, robust and resistant to paprika mosaic virus, suitable for outdoor cultivation, harvest time July to October
- 'Szuszanna': Hungarian variety with red, juicy-sweet fruits, fruit weight approx. 100 grams, robust and high-yielding, harvest time between July and August
- 'Topgirl': red, medium-sized fruits with thick-walled flesh and a slightly spicy, sweet taste, robust and very resistant, harvest time between August and October
- 'Yellow Stuffer': yellow, very large fruits with few seeds, harvest time between July and October
tip: A rare specialty is the historic 'Paradeise' variety, which was produced as early as the 17th century. It was bred in the 18th century and is therefore characterized by a sweet, apple-like taste.
Hot and hot: Chilli and pepper varieties
- 'Anaheim': comes from New Mexico, very productive, large, elongated and thick-fleshed pods, ripe red, mildly aromatic hot, Scoville value 100 to 500
- 'Elephant trunk': up to eight centimeters long, thin fruits with a bright yellow color, medium hot, well suited for outdoor cultivation
- 'Gelber Feuerkuss': old variety with yellow ripening fruits, medium hot, well suited for container culture or a protected location outdoors
- 'Georgia White Pepper': unusual white fruits, ripen very late first green, then red, high-yielding and early ripening, mildly spicy to slightly hot
- 'Hungarian Hot Wax': Hungarian variety, fruits ripen from yellow to red, Scoville value between 5000 and 10,000
- 'Jalapeno': well-known Mexican group of varieties with fleshy, mildly spicy red or yellow fruits, tasty even when green, high-yield, Scoville value between 2500 and 5000
- 'Joe's Long': with fruits up to 30 centimeters long, one of the longest types of pepper, ripening red, spicy and hot in taste
- 'Lemon Drop': fruity-hot chili with Scoville values between 15,000 and 30,000 and a light citrus aroma
- 'Leutschauer Schotenpfeffer': old, very hot paprika variety from Slovakia with red fruits, well suited for pickling, Scoville value 1000 to 1500
- 'Lombardo': fruits that ripen in red, up to ten centimeters long, have a mild, spicy taste, ideal for keeping in pots
- 'Orange Thai': up to six centimeters long, thin pods with an orange color, aromatic and very hot, very suitable for drying
- 'Poblano': Vegetable chili with a Scoville value between 1000 and 1500, Mexican variety with fruits that ripen from green to red to dark brown, thick and up to 14 centimeters long
- 'Peperoncini': old Italian variety, approx. three centimeters long, red ripening fruits, well suited for drying, Scoville value 100 to 500
- 'Sweet Cayenne': approx. 15 gram heavy, red ripening fruits with a mild aromatic taste, well suited for fresh consumption, ideal for keeping in pots
- 'Thai Yellow': yellow fruits up to ten centimeters long with an aromatic spiciness, for greenhouses or conservatories, productive
frequently asked Questions
Hot peppers and chilli, like the mild sweet peppers, both belong to the capsicum genus and are closely related to each other. While chillies are usually very hot fruits with a Scoville value of more than 500, peppers are rather light to medium hot. They are therefore milder in taste, and hot peppers also often form the larger fruits. However, the two terms are often used synonymously.
In fact, there is no difference in meaning between “chili peppers” and “hot peppers” because they are the same plants. Only that "pepperoni" is the Germanized term for the Spanish "pepperoni" and has the same meaning - namely "pepper pods".
With a Scoville value of well over 1,000,000, the 'Carolina Reaper' variety has been the hottest chilli in the world since 2013. It comes from the American breeder Ed Currie. Individual pods even reached values of more than 2.2 million units. This variety can also be grown in Germany, but is not recommended due to its extreme heat. In second place is the 'Trinidad Moruga Scorpion' variety, the fruits of which are about the size of a golf ball.