A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 pepper complaint

You might remember that I have mentioned that my kitties prevent me from starting certain things inside, especially peppers, even hot! And so last year I just bought bell pepper plants and did fine with them. I bought a few 4 or 6 packs of red, orange and yellow. Well this year I cannot find 4,6 packs of colored bell peppers anywhere! I have gone to 6 garden centers and called another 6 today and none have multipacks of colored peppers. One place has 6 packs of mandarin peppers which might be acceptable for a few. I can buy single packs of larger peppers in the desired colors but it would cost me about $50 to buy 2 dozen peppers and that is too much money! I am just so upset I don't know what to do! ). I can't understand why nurseries do not have more selection. they all have the same green bells and habaneros and jalapenos and it makes me pretty !

Can you put seedlings on top of the fridge? That's what I do, and it's warm up there. Great for seeds.

Yeah, I did seeds too, last couple of years,
cause no one sells them around here either...
*I guess not alot want to take the time with
them or maybe think they are fussy or something*

And the colored one's have more "good stuff" in them than the plain colored one's..
The brighter the fruit, the higher in good for you stuff in it...

Tamara...the green bells will turn red if you leave them on the plant long enough. At least you can have reds this year!

I might have to buy green but I think they aren't as nice as the actual red varieties (?). I called another place today that said they had colored peppers in single packs but if I bought a full flat of plants/flowers it would be only $19.33 total. So I drove there and when I got there the person had been way off. they had no bell 4/6 packs at all. they offered me a free 1 gallon pot but I felt bad taking it as it was worth $15. I should have taken it yes, but I just felt it was too much reimbursement for driving 6 miles. Anyway, I called another one after that and nothing. I have 2 left in the entire area. After that I will buy a couple 6 packs of green and spend whatever I can on single yellow and orange. I also need 2 more hot peppers. I was told by the garden center I went to last year when I called them this winter, that they would have colored bell peppers and serrano. So I didn't start any. I just am very broke this spring from a large cut in pay in the last year. And so I was so fed up today I cried for a couple minutes about it. I just felt so drained. Not that it is the end of the world, but you feel so disappointed and alone when you can't find what you need. Wish me luck for the couple remaining places.

Deborah, once you start your seeds on the fridge where do you put them for light?

Tamara...I don't know, but I think a red bell is prety much a red bell. That is to say, a green allowed to ripen. I could be wrong, there could be some slight taste difference.
As to the $15 dollar, 1 gallon pot, I would have snatched it up without any remorse. What an outrageous price for something grown from a seed just this year. I would be so mad. Sorry they made you feel bad, but remember, only honest people who have a conscience feel bad about taking advantage of other people, who was taking advantage of whom? Okay, I'll shut my trap. Best of luck. I tried to germinate a dozen "carnival mix" bells this year, hoping to get some purples, yellows, etc, but only 4 grew out of that batch, so who knows if I'll get any "rainbow."

You're not wrong. Red peppers are just fully ripened green ones. They're the same plant!

Bell pepper Varieties:

'Bell Boy'—high yielding bell pepper plant producing green fruit that is red when mature.

'Jingle Bell'—productive plant producing miniature bell peppers that mature to red or yellow.

'Orobelle'—sturdy plant producing large blocky peppers that are golden when mature.

'Purple Beauty'—compact plant producing green peppers that mature to a dark purple and keep their color when cooked.

Ok all, I did find 6 packs of gold peppers today, Hallelujah! I bought 12 and I also bought 12 green. I have one red chili (not very descriptive, can't find serrano!). I will now buy a single jalapeno and a couple orange and red bells. I just don't understand why every place has the exact same thing! They all have habanero and Hungarian wax and banana peppers and green bell. WTH? I wish garden centers were better. The good ones are better than Walmart and the like but so expensive and still have about the same thing.
Another thing that bugs me is why they don't sell pansy flats again in the fall. Well I can see I am a second away from philosophising about our cookie cutter world. So I will just think about planting those peppers!

Those are the exacttttttt peppers that were
at this garden center I visited today...
Same exact ones...
I was hopin' to find an Orange and Yellow one's at least for my oldest...
I started some seeds, but they are about an inch tall right now.. :rolleyes:

Do you have lowes near you? They had a pretty good selection of hot peppers, including Tabascos, and a few Bells.