Sweet Pepper 'Red King' – Red Bell Pepper (Set of 3 or 6)

Sweet Pepper 'Red King' is a heat-free bell pepper bred to crop heavily from a compact plant.

Red King carries large, glossy, thick-walled blocky fruit that ripens from green to a deep red. Plants make sturdy, bushy growth of around 45cm to 60cm, so they fit a large patio pot, a grow bag or a raised bed as easily as a greenhouse border. Fruit is sweet and crisp with no heat at all, which is why these are the peppers to grow if children are going to eat them.

Peppers need warmth to ripen in Britain. A greenhouse, conservatory or a very warm sheltered wall is the honest recommendation; outdoors in a poor summer the fruit may stay green and small. Plant out only once all risk of frost has passed, water evenly to avoid split fruit, and feed with a high-potash liquid feed once the first fruit sets. Stake the plants, because fruiting stems flop. Capsicum is recorded as an irritant to skin and eyes and is listed as harmful to animals, so wash your hands after handling the plants and keep pets away from them.

Cultural Information

• Common Name: Sweet pepper, bell pepper
• Fully Grown Height and Spread: 45cm to 60cm tall by 35cm to 45cm wide
• Growth Habit: Compact, bushy, upright annual
• Perfect For: Greenhouses, polytunnels, sunny sheltered patios, containers, kitchen gardens
• Foliage: Mid-green, oval, plain
• Flowering Time: Summer, small white flowers before the fruit sets
• Planting Position: Full sun in a warm sheltered spot. Grows well in patio containers
• Soil Type: Fertile, moisture-retentive, well-drained
• Hardiness: Not hardy. Killed by the first frost and set back by any cold spell, so plant out only once frost has passed
• Maintenance: Stake the stems as fruit sets, water evenly, feed with high potash once the first fruit forms, pick regularly
• Seasonal Interest: Summer and autumn
• Type: Tender annual vegetable, grow your own