- Authors: Savchenko L.S., Nastenko N.V., Kachainik V.G., Gulkin M.N.
- Year of approval: 2013
- Bush height, cm: 70-80
- Growth type: medium-sized
- Fruit shape: cuboid
- Fruit weight, g: 200-245
- Fruit color: in technical ripeness dark green, in biological ripeness dark red
- Ripening terms: early
- Ripening month: Aug. Sept
- Yield: high
Little Red Riding Hood is an unexpectedly courageous and hardy variety. Strong, faceted fruits with expressive shoulders. The bush is compact, strong, does not need a garter.
Description of the variety
Little Red Riding Hood is a compact variety with bright cuboid or blocky fruits. This form of peppers is a separate type of selection direction. It is appreciated for its stability, ease of transportation, and showiness. The Red Riding Hood variety was bred by Aelita and included in the State Register in 2013.
Characteristics of the appearance of plants and fruits
The bush is of medium height, 70-80 cm, half-stemmed, with spaciously growing, spreading branches. Leaves are medium and large, light green, slightly wrinkled. The fruits are oriented downward.
Fruits are medium-sized, 200-245 grams each, cuboid. On average, the fruits weigh 180 grams. The walls are thick, but not excessively - 7-8 mm, inside there are 3-4 seed chambers. The peel at the stage of biological ripeness is red, lacquered, in the technical stage it is dark green.
Purpose and taste
The taste is excellent. Red Riding Hood peppers are juicy, aromatic, sweet, with a delicate spicy bouquet. The variety is ideal for preparing stuffed peppers. He has a comfortable, stable, like a faceted glass, shape, the walls are juicy, but moderately thick - there is enough space for the filling. Also, Red Riding Hood peppers are sent to fresh dishes, used to prepare any types of preservation and frozen for the winter in whole or cut form.
Ripening terms
The variety is early maturing, the harvest is removed 110-115 days after the emergence of mass shoots. When sowing seeds in March, fruits can be obtained in August. The average harvest time is August-September.
Yield
The yield is excellent. Under film shelters, 8.5-9.5 kg are removed from 1 sq. m. The yield may vary depending on the care.
Growing regions
The variety has no restrictions on growing regions. It is recommended to plant it in the North Caucasus and the Far East, Siberia, the Urals, central Russia and the northwest. Agricultural technology will differ slightly from region to region.
Landing scheme
A distance of 30 cm is maintained between the peppers and in the aisles. For ease of maintenance, the aisles are made wider. For 1 sq. m 3-4 plants are planted, some gardeners manage to grow 10 bushes per 1 sq. m.
In mixed plantings, pepper goes well with onions and garlic, corn, basil, dill, chamomile, nettle, dandelion, marigolds. In neighboring beds, you can grow tomatoes, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes. Do not plant cabbage, mustard, beans, beans, fennel, potatoes, beets nearby.
To get a large and tasty harvest of pepper, you need to take care of the seedlings in advance. When growing pepper seedlings, you need to correctly determine the sowing time, pre-sowing seed treatment, prepare the necessary container and soil.
Growing and care
The variety is intended for growing in open and closed ground, as well as under temporary film shelters. The culture is quite cold-resistant.
Sowing seeds - in March. Before planting, the seeds are kept in a solution of potassium permanganate for 2 hours, then washed with running water and either sown immediately or soaked in warm water for 2-3 days. In the latter case, the seeds will sprout faster.
When the second true leaf appears, the seedlings dive. It is advisable to do without picking - any damage to the roots for peppers is traumatic. Therefore, many gardeners prefer sowing in peat-humus pots or tablets.
Seedlings are fed once with a complex mineral fertilizer for vegetable crops.
At the age of 60 days, in late May - early June, the seedlings are transplanted to a permanent place.
In greenhouses, plants are formed into two stems, breaking off all excess shoots. But if there is no time, the plants can not be formed, the bushes are compact enough, and even the smallest bushes set fruit.
Little Red Riding Hood, like all peppers, loves timely watering and feeding.
It is watered only in the evening, before flowering - by warm sprinkling, after flowering - at the root. Peppers need high humidity, so if the air is dry during the day, it will be useful to spray the plants with a weak Epin solution - only in cloudy weather.
You can feed with organic matter (diluted bird droppings, extract of banana skins), complex mineral fertilizer. Fertilizer is applied once every 2 weeks.
To harvest a tasty and rich harvest of pepper, you need to comply with all the conditions of agricultural technology, and proper care begins with planting plants. Before planting pepper in open ground, it should be prepared. It is also important to take care of the seedlings and planting space in advance.
Soil requirements
The best soil for planting is loose loam. The soil must have good mechanical properties, dry out quickly, and be resistant to sticking and compaction. The acidity of the soil is 6.0-7.0. Pepper will withstand moderate salting of soil, it is one of the most tolerant crops, but alkaline soils are best avoided.
For good growth of pepper bushes and active fruiting, you need to regularly apply mineral and organic fertilizing to the soil. It is necessary not only to choose the right formulations, but also to use them at the right stage in the development of culture. The frequency of top dressing is always individual. It depends directly on the composition of the land on your site. The poorer the soil composition, the more often you will need to feed the pepper.
Disease and pest resistance
Little Red Riding Hood is a pepper with good immunity. It is enough to observe agrotechnical methods: competent crop rotation, autumn harvesting of the site, timely inspection of plants, watering only with warm water. If last year diseases of the nightshade were noticed on the site, this season they carry out regular treatments with "Fitosporin".
Pepper is one of the most common vegetables in home gardens. This culture is quite stable and unpretentious. However, under certain conditions, this plant can suffer from infections and harmful insects. Before treating peppers for diseases or pests, you need to find out the cause of the problem, otherwise the treatment may be ineffective.
Review overview
Reviews are mixed. Like any variety, Little Red Riding Hood cannot live up to all expectations. For example, some gardeners found it insufficiently cuboid and thick-walled. From the officially released seeds of the company "Aelita" grew more cone-shaped peppers, juicy enough, but not what was stated in the photo.
The rest of the variety is more praised than criticized. He is especially liked by the inhabitants of Siberia and the Urals for their endurance. The fruits of the pepper are very effective: wide, weighty, strong, firm. Plants for experienced gardeners are completely unpretentious, bear fruit perfectly without pinching and in thickened plantings, tolerate watering deficiencies, the crop is removed from them several times.
