Sweet peppers come in a wide range of shapes, sizes, colours and growth habits. While they are all classed as sweet peppers, understanding the different types helps growers choose the right variety for their space, growing conditions and how they plan to use the harvest.
Sweet peppers can broadly be grouped by fruit shape, plant habit and intended use. Below is a practical guide to the main types of sweet peppers commonly grown in the UK, with examples from the GrowSeed range.
Bell peppers are the most recognisable type of sweet pepper. They produce large, blocky fruit with thick walls and a crisp texture, making them ideal for stuffing, slicing and fresh eating.
These varieties usually need a little more warmth and time to mature but reward growers with high-quality, heavy fruits.
Examples include Red King F1, Californian Wonder, Mavras F1, Crispy F1 and Purple Beauty.
Long sweet peppers produce elongated, tapered fruit with thinner walls and a sweeter, more aromatic flavour. They are particularly well suited to roasting, frying and Mediterranean-style cooking.
These peppers often crop heavily once established and are a popular choice for greenhouse growing.
Examples include Diablo and Long Red Marconi.
Compact and snack-size sweet peppers are bred for smaller spaces. Plants stay short and bushy while producing generous crops of smaller fruits.
These varieties are ideal for containers, patios and smaller greenhouses and are often recommended for beginners.
Examples include Popti F1, Afterglow F1, Lunch Box Sweet Peppers, Lemon Dream and Tangerine Dream.
While all sweet peppers start green, many varieties mature to vibrant colours such as red, yellow, orange or purple. Colour is not just visual – it also affects sweetness, flavour and nutrient content.
As peppers ripen and change colour on the plant, their natural sugars increase, resulting in a noticeably sweeter taste. Fully coloured peppers also tend to have higher vitamin content than green, unripe fruits.
Examples from the GrowSeed range include Lemon Dream (yellow), Tangerine Dream (orange), Purple Beauty (purple) and Red King F1 (red).
Allowing peppers to fully colour on the plant improves sweetness and flavour but does require a longer growing season and consistent warmth.
Some sweet pepper varieties are bred to crop earlier or more reliably in cooler UK conditions. These are particularly useful where summers are shorter, light levels are lower or greenhouse space is limited.
Examples from the GrowSeed range include Afterglow F1 and Popti F1.
These varieties are often chosen by growers who prioritise dependable results and steady cropping over maximum fruit size. They are also well suited to container growing and smaller protected spaces.
When choosing sweet peppers, it is worth considering how much space you have, whether plants will be grown in containers or under cover, and how you plan to use the peppers in the kitchen.
Many growers choose to grow a mix of types, combining large bell peppers with compact or snack-size varieties to spread harvests and make the most of available space.