A red bell, delicious enough to be on my grow-every-year list. Only two bell peppers make that list. The other pepper is Yellow Green Monster, a bell I plant for The Sps.
All seeds grown in the high wind, lower rain prairie, Midwest, in macro-climate zone 5(ish). Average dewpoint in summer is around 60. Soil is a loamy clay. Although my preference is organic, I have used commercial fertilizers from time to time. Growing Days approximately 135. Gardening Personality: Relaxed, experimental, purist about very little. We practice High Intensity gardening.
The Quadrato d’Asti Rosso has been a favorite in my garden since 2018. For one primary reason, the rich, sweet flavor. I find bell peppers generally bland, this pepper is the lone exception. The fruit is what you would expect for a bell pepper. Four lobed and thick walled, yet not overly thick. Most fruits are about 5 inches long in August and get a bit smaller as the temps turn colder towards fall. The plant is typical for production of bell pepper plants in my garden, I’d rate it average. I have red fruit to harvest from this plant at the end of August and then until frost. It is not an early ripening pepper. Seed number is average as well.
The seeds germinate easily, in 3-4 days using my hotbox method. The seedlings are strong, hardening in this high wind environment easily, and I’ve never had a serious issue with disease or pests at any point in the life cycle of the plant. I plant pepper plants about a foot apart, as they seem to do better when they can hold hands. I rate the Quadrato d’Asti Rosso plant as Very Healthy and Hardy.
Per a soil test I did last year, and the location of the pepper patch, I plant each pepper with approximately a handful/1/4 cup of a mix of compost/manure, eggshells, balanced all purpose fertilizer and extra Potassium. The extra potassium is per my soil test results and not something I would recommend generally. My soil is also low on Boron and Zinc, so my plants receive a boost of B and Zn once the plants begin to flower.
Feel Free to Follow me on Youtube as I track my garden throughout the upcoming growing season.
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