King of the North Pepper Seeds

King of the North pepper seeds grow into upright, erect plants reaching 19–24 in, bearing red fruit about 3-4 in, blocky bell fruit. Heat category: Sweet. It is especially suited to cool-summer gardens, salads, stir-fries, stuffing, salsa, green or red harvests, and seed saving from confirmed open-pollinated stock. Maturity is 70-79 Days.

Minimum seeds per packet: 25 seeds.

About King of the North

King of the North is a sweet bell pepper grown as Capsicum annuum L. Plants have an upright, erect habit and reach 19–24 in; support is listed as stake. The principal mature or market color is Red, with fruit described as about 3-4 in, blocky bell fruit. Reproductive classification: Open-Pollinated (OP). Maturity: 70-79 Days. Names associated with this variety include King of the North Bell Pepper, Pepper Seeds - Sweet - King of the North.

• Scientific name:Capsicum annuum L.
• Life cycle:Annual
• Planting season:Spring
• Growth habit:Upright/Erect
• Plant height:19–24 in
• Sunlight:Full sun
• Seed depth:1/4 in
• Germination:7–14 Days at 75–90 °F
• Spacing:18 in between plants; 24 in between rows
• Soil:Loamy; pH 6.0–6.5
• Water:Moderate
• Support:Stake
• Reproductive type:Open-Pollinated (OP)
• Fruit:Red; About 3-4 in, blocky bell fruit
• Heat:Sweet; 0 SHU

History and seedkeeping context

Cornell documents King of the North as an early sweet bell pepper suited to cooler summer conditions. Cornell’s variety database specifically lists resistance to tobacco mosaic virus. The cultivar’s northern adaptation is a performance description, not a promise that it will set fruit under frost or chronically cold soil.

Disease resistance is limited to tobacco mosaic virus because that is the pathogen named in the source. The cultivar record is presented at the level supported by the surviving evidence. Botanical identity, maintained seed-lot traits, documented breeding records, and regional food use are kept separate so that uncertainty is not turned into a stronger origin claim than the sources can support.

The available sources do not establish a named person’s tribal identity. Cornell Cooperative Extension describes good-sized fruit on plants about 18 to 24 inches tall, with separate green and red harvest timing. Cornell sources give stage-dependent timing: about 57 days for green fruit and 75 days for red fruit in one Cooperative Extension record, while other Cornell and archive records report about 65 to 70 days.

Fruit, flavor, and kitchen use

Harvest green bells for salads, stir-fries, stuffing, salsa, roasting, and freezing, or leave them to turn red for a sweeter fully ripe stage. Sweet, crisp bell pepper according to Cornell Cooperative Extension. Sweet does not mean every fruit tastes identical; harvest stage and growing conditions still affect texture and sweetness. King of the North is especially useful for cool-summer gardens, salads, stir-fries, stuffing, salsa, green or red harvests, and seed saving from confirmed open-pollinated stock. Flavor and eating quality are described as sweet, crisp bell pepper according to Cornell Cooperative Extension. Sweet does not mean every fruit tastes identical; harvest stage and growing conditions still affect texture and sweetness. Heat classification: Sweet; listed range: 0 SHU. Pungency can shift with genetics, weather, water stress, and ripeness.

How to grow King of the North

Start King of the North indoors about 8 to 10 weeks before the last expected frost. Sow 1/4 in deep in a warm, evenly moist seed-starting mix; expect 7–14 Days near 75–90 °F. Provide strong light as soon as seedlings emerge, pot up before roots become crowded, and harden plants gradually before transplanting after nights are reliably warm.

Plant in full sun with loamy soil near pH 6.0–6.5. Space plants 18 in apart and rows 24 in apart. Maintain moderate moisture, mulch after the soil warms, and avoid excessive nitrogen. Install stake early where the upright, erect plant or fruit load warrants it. Mature height is 19–24 in.

Season care

• Warmth matters most during germination; keep King of the North seed warm without leaving the medium saturated. • Harden seedlings gradually and wait for warm nights before transplanting, because cold soil and wind can stall peppers for weeks. • Install stake before branches carry a heavy crop, and keep moisture even while fruit is setting. • Harvest at the color stage suited to the recipe, but leave fruit fully mature on selected plants when saving seed. • Use 70-79 Days as a planning range rather than a guaranteed calendar date; weather and transplant stress can shift first harvest.

Harvest and maturity

70-79 Days from transplant to first representative harvest; the same value is used in every description. Peppers can often be used at an immature green or transitional color, but fully ripe color is required for mature seed.

Saving seed

Peppers are largely self-pollinating but insect movement can produce crosses. To save King of the North true to type, grow several healthy representative plants, isolate them from compatible pepper varieties or use blossom bags or cages, and remove clear off-types before flowering. Allow selected fruit to reach full biological color, handle hot fruit with gloves, remove the seed, dry it in a thin labeled layer until fully hard and dry, then store it cool, dark, and dry. Keep the harvest year, source, isolation method, and selection notes with the lot.

Common questions