Greenhouse Peppers: Top varieties
Introduction
Peppers are one of the most commercially important greenhouse crops in North America, offering growers strong returns, year-round production potential, and a diverse range of market opportunities — from large-format bell peppers for retail and foodservice to colourful mini peppers for the fast-growing snack market.
At Paramount Seeds, we carry a comprehensive range of greenhouse pepper varieties across all major colour classes and types. This guide highlights our most popular varieties for commercial greenhouse production.
What Makes a Great Greenhouse Pepper?
Commercial greenhouse pepper production demands varieties that perform consistently over a long season. Key traits growers look for include:
- Fruit size and uniformity: Consistent fruit weight, shape, and wall thickness are critical for retail and foodservice specifications.
- Colour development: Clean, vibrant colour at maturity is essential for market appeal.
- Fruit quality: Thick walls, firm flesh, and excellent shelf life are non-negotiable for commercial markets.
- Plant vigor and balance: Strong, balanced vegetative growth supports high yields over a long season.
- Disease resistance: Resistance to Pepper Mild Mottle Virus (PMMoV), TMV, and Phytophthora is important for reducing crop risk.
- Yield: High marketable yield per square meter directly impacts profitability.
Bell Peppers
Bell peppers remain the dominant pepper type in commercial greenhouse production, grown as high-wire crops and harvested at the green stage or allowed to ripen to their mature colour. Coloured bell peppers command a significant price premium and are the primary focus of most commercial greenhouse operations.
Orange Bell Peppers
Milena F1
A popular choice, orange bell pepper. Milena delivers exceptional fruit size, outstanding colour uniformity, and excellent shelf life. It produces large, blocky, deep orange fruit with thick walls and a sweet flavour profile highly valued in retail and foodservice markets. A strong, balanced plant with good disease resistance makes Milena a reliable choice for long-season high-wire production.
Delirio F1
A high-performing orange bell pepper with excellent fruit uniformity and strong plant vigor. Delirio delivers consistent fruit size and vibrant orange colour throughout the season, making it a dependable choice for commercial growers targeting premium retail markets.
Red Bell Peppers
Sprinter F1
A top-performing red bell pepper with excellent fruit size, strong colour development, and reliable yields. Sprinter delivers consistently large, deep red fruit with good wall thickness and shelf life, well-suited to long-season greenhouse production.
Procraft F1
A versatile red bell pepper that can be harvested green or allowed to ripen to a deep red. Procraft delivers excellent fruit uniformity, strong plant vigor, and consistent performance across a wide range of growing conditions — a popular choice for growers supplying both green and red pepper markets.
Zamboni F1
A reliable red bell pepper with excellent fruit quality and strong yields. Zamboni delivers uniform, deep red fruit with good wall thickness and shelf life, well-suited to commercial greenhouse production.
Yellow Bell Peppers
Bachata F1
A premium yellow bell pepper with excellent fruit size, vibrant yellow colour, and strong plant vigor. Bachata delivers consistent fruit quality throughout the season and is a popular choice for growers targeting premium retail and foodservice markets.
Berkeley F1
A reliable yellow bell pepper with good fruit uniformity and consistent yields. Berkeley delivers attractive, well-coloured fruit with good shelf life and is well-suited to commercial greenhouse production.
Purple / Specialty Bell Peppers
Tequila F1
A striking purple bell pepper that adds visual impact to retail displays and mixed pepper packs. Tequila produces large, blocky fruit with deep purple skin and delivers consistent yields in greenhouse production — an excellent choice for growers looking to differentiate their product offering.
Islamorada
A specialty bell pepper with strong market appeal and consistent performance in greenhouse production. A popular choice for growers seeking variety in their pepper lineup.
Mini Peppers
Mini peppers have become one of the fastest-growing segments of the fresh pepper market, driven by strong consumer demand for convenient, snack-ready produce. They are typically sold in mixed colour bags at retail and command strong price premiums. For greenhouse growers, mini peppers offer high yields per square meter and excellent returns.
Tricolour Mini Pepper Range
The Tricolour system is a matched set of red, orange, and yellow mini pepper varieties bred for uniform fruit size, vibrant colour, and excellent eating quality — designed to be grown together for a perfectly matched mixed bag offering.
Trirosso F1 — Mini Red Pepper
Our most popular mini pepper variety. Trirosso produces uniform, deep red mini peppers with excellent eating quality, sweet flavour, and outstanding shelf life. The red component of the Tricolour system.
Triora F1 — Mini Orange Pepper
The orange component of the Tricolour system. Triora delivers vibrant orange mini peppers with excellent uniformity, sweet flavour, and strong yields, matched in size and shape to Trirosso and Triyello.
Triyello F1 — Mini Yellow Pepper
The yellow component of the Tricolour system. Triyello produces bright yellow mini peppers with excellent eating quality and consistent fruit size, completing the full Tricolour range for retail mixed bag production.
Lunchbox Mini Peppers
The Lunchbox range offers a slightly larger mini pepper suited to snack pack and lunchbox applications, available in orange, red, and yellow.
Lunchbox Orange Mini Pepper
A popular mini pepper with a slightly larger fruit size than the Tricolour range, delivering sweet, crunchy fruit with excellent shelf life and strong consumer appeal.
Lunchbox Red Mini Pepper
Sweet, firm mini peppers with excellent colour and shelf life. A reliable choice for snack pack and retail applications.
Specialty Peppers
Helios F1 — Habanero Pepper
A high-yielding habanero pepper with excellent fruit uniformity and strong plant vigor. Helios delivers the intense heat and fruity flavour that habanero markets demand, with consistent fruit size and colour. Well-suited to greenhouse production for specialty and hot pepper markets.
Yum Yum Golden Pepper
A sweet, elongated specialty pepper with golden-yellow skin and excellent eating quality. Well-suited to fresh market and specialty retail applications where unique variety and flavour are valued.
Pepper Rootstocks
Grafting peppers onto vigorous rootstocks is an increasingly common practice in commercial greenhouse production, offering improved plant vigor, better disease resistance, and higher yields over long seasons.
Bedrock F1 (RZ 52-04)
Our most popular pepper rootstock. Bedrock delivers exceptional plant vigor, strong Phytophthora resistance, and excellent compatibility with a wide range of commercial bell pepper varieties.
Foundation F1 (RZ 52-03)
A reliable pepper rootstock with strong vigor and good disease resistance, offering a dependable grafting option for growers looking to improve plant performance and longevity.
Variety Overview
| Variety | Type | Colour | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milena F1 | Bell | Orange | Premium retail, foodservice |
| Delirio F1 | Bell | Orange | Retail, long-season production |
| Sprinter F1 | Bell | Red | Retail, foodservice |
| Procraft F1 | Bell | Green / Red | Dual-market (green & red) |
| Zamboni F1 | Bell | Red | Commercial greenhouse |
| Bachata F1 | Bell | Yellow | Premium retail, foodservice |
| Berkeley F1 | Bell | Yellow | Commercial greenhouse |
| Tequila F1 | Bell | Purple | Specialty retail, mixed packs |
| Islamorada | Bell | Specialty | Specialty retail |
| Trirosso F1 | Mini | Red | Retail mixed bags, snack market |
| Triora F1 | Mini | Orange | Retail mixed bags, snack market |
| Triyello F1 | Mini | Yellow | Retail mixed bags, snack market |
| Lunchbox Orange | Mini | Orange | Snack packs, lunchbox market |
| Lunchbox Red | Mini | Red | Snack packs, lunchbox market |
| Helios F1 | Habanero | Orange | Specialty, hot pepper market |
| Yum Yum Golden | Specialty | Golden Yellow | Fresh market, specialty retail |
| Bedrock F1 (RZ 52-04) | Rootstock | — | Grafting, long-season vigor |
| Foundation F1 (RZ 52-03) | Rootstock | — | Grafting, disease resistance |
Production Tips for Greenhouse Peppers
Planting and Spacing
- Transplant pepper seedlings at the 6–8 true leaf stage, typically 8–10 weeks after sowing.
- Standard spacing for bell peppers in high-wire systems: 2.5–3.0 plants/m² (approximately 35–40 cm in-row spacing).
- Mini peppers can be grown at slightly higher densities due to their smaller plant habit.
- Train plants to 2 stems per plant using the V-cordon system for bell peppers.
Temperature and Climate
- Optimal day temperature: 22–26°C (72–79°F). Optimal night temperature: 18–20°C (64–68°F).
- Temperatures above 32°C (90°F) can cause flower drop and poor fruit set. Shade and ventilation are critical during summer.
- Peppers are more sensitive to cold than tomatoes — avoid temperatures below 15°C (59°F) during the growing season.
Pollination
Unlike tomatoes, peppers require insect pollination for good fruit set. Bumblebee hives are the standard pollination method in commercial greenhouse pepper production. Maintain one hive per 500–1,000 m² of growing area and replace hives regularly to ensure strong pollination activity.
Nutrition
- Peppers have a high potassium demand during fruit development. Maintain a K:N ratio of approximately 2:1 during fruiting.
- Calcium is critical for preventing blossom end rot — ensure adequate supply and avoid large fluctuations in irrigation frequency.
- Boron deficiency can cause distorted fruit and poor fruit set. Regular foliar boron applications are recommended.
Pest and Disease Management
- Aphids: Implement biological control programs using parasitic wasps (Aphidius spp.) and predatory midges (Aphidoletes).
- Thrips: Use predatory mites (Amblyseius cucumeris) and sticky traps as part of an integrated pest management program.
- Phytophthora: Use resistant rootstocks (Bedrock, Foundation) and ensure excellent drainage.
- Pepper Mild Mottle Virus (PMMoV): Use resistant varieties where available and implement strict hygiene protocols.
Final Thoughts
Greenhouse peppers offer commercial growers an excellent opportunity to diversify their production and capture strong returns across multiple market segments — from premium coloured bell peppers to the fast-growing mini pepper snack market. At Paramount Seeds, we carry the full range of pepper varieties to suit every production system and market requirement.
Contact our team to discuss variety selection, rootstock options, and seed availability for your upcoming season. We’re here to help you grow with confidence.