There are a large number of pepper varieties available to the home gardener, so choosing the best pepper varieties to grow in the garden is important. Seed companies and state college experiment stations devote tremendous effort to the development of disease-resistant, highly productive varieties that are tailor-made for different climactic conditions. Some of these new varieties may be better than the ones gardeners traditionally grow. Seed and live bedding plant catalogs offer a far wider choice of varieties than seed and plant displays at local nurseries and retail shops. Catalogs are also the most dependable source of new varieties, and many of the seed companies offer what they call proprietary cultivars, varieties that are sold exclusively by one company. Often, these proprietary cultivars are hybrids, second-generation crosses that must be hand-pollinated each year. Seed catalogs also offer better access to the All-America Selections, which are varieties chosen by experts as the all-around best. Read the complete story here.
