Greetings! As fall is kicking into gear, we are heavy in the midst of garden cleanup over here at the woodland garden, like every other gardener in the northern hemisphere probably is at this time of year. While many of the veggies have died back or stopped producing, the peppers are still going like gangbusters. This has definitely not always been the case; in fact, I am very happy to say that this year was very different, our best pepper year ever. While most of the peppers I started from seed did really well, today I’d like to share with you one of the most delightful peppers we grew: the Lively Italian Sweet Yellow Pepper. Here is a little sneak preview (all except the red one came from my single Lively Italian plant).
I purchased the seeds from High Mowing Organic Seeds, one of my favorite seed sources. This pepper is described on their website as: “Large, tapered, golden-yellow fruits with sweet, juicy flesh on vigorous plants. Prolific and reliable, performing well in the open field across a variety of climates and ripening well even in our northern Vermont fields. Bred by Tom Lively of Lively Organic Farm in Eugene, OR and further selected by High Mowing.”
Way back in February, I started the seeds and they germinated within the expected timeframe, with the aid of a heat mat. I use a heat mat for starting most, if not all, of my seeds. The seedlings got off to a great start and I transplanted one of them to the garden. It seemed to flourish after transplant. When I say flourish I mean, it was a lush, full plant. I was excited and anticipated a bountiful harvest of these interesting peppers. Days, weeks went by and nothing….
The plant took quite a while for peppers to develop and even after the peppers showed up, they were green for a long time. And thinking back, there was only one lonely pepper on, for a very long time. I began to think the plant was just not that prolific and I probably would not grow it again. Sadly, this seems to be the case with most of the sweet bell types that I’ve ever grown. Almost without fail I have MUCH more success with hot peppers. In fact, this year I have cayennes, jalapeños, hot wax, and serranos coming out my ears, as it were. I’m giving them away to anyone who will take them.
Back to the Lively Italian, that one pepper finally matured to the beautiful yellow color promised by the name and by the plant’s specifications. What a gorgeous long yellow pepper! I was very happy, even if I’d only gotten that one pepper. It was unlike any other pepper I’d ever grown. It was beautiful and flavorful and I would just enjoy it for what it was, even if it was the only one the plant produced. The flavor and texture were very similar to a standard yellow bell pepper: mild, sweet, and flavorful. Here is a later pepper that I pulled off the plant and measured. I think it was (and will be) the largest one I’ve pulled off. Yes, I had to actually measure it, at the risk of it sounding like a fish catching tale.
What seemed like a few weeks later, I noticed several other long green peppers on. Well now! This was a nice turn of events. The plant just took off in what seemed like all of a sudden and I’m still harvesting peppers from it. I wouldn’t say it produced as much as, say a cayenne plant might, but it surely out-produced all the other sweet bells that I grew this year (or any other year, for that matter). Given that, I’m pretty sure this pepper will be a staple in my garden for years to come. In fact, I’ve saved seeds from one of the peppers.
I feel like this plant is a game changer for me when it comes to bell peppers, given the struggles I’ve had in years past with these types. How about you – do your bell peppers grow well or do you find it to be a struggle? What is your favorite pepper to grow? Let me know, if you have some time to comment!
Until next time, this is Angela signing off with a friendly reminder to get out there and play in the dirt 🙂
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