How to Grow Bell Pepper 'Gourmet Gold'
Capsicum annuum 'Gourmet Gold'
Bell Pepper 'Gourmet Gold' is a reliable warm-season variety prized for its sweet flavor and vibrant color. Gardeners grow it to enjoy fresh fruit in salads or cooked dishes while benefiting from its resistance to common viral diseases.
📷 Wikipedia: Capsicum annuumStarting Bell Pepper 'Gourmet Gold': indoors or direct sow?
🏠 Start indoors 8 weeks before your last spring frost, then move the seedlings outside.
Transplant seedlings outdoors only after all danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed up sufficiently.
Soil, care & harvest
Prepare loose, fertile soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. Since peppers are frost-sensitive warm-season crops, start seeds indoors 8-10 weeks before the last spring frost. Sow seeds about 1/4 inch deep in biodegradable pots; they typically germinate within 10 to 14 days once soil temperatures are consistently warm.
Space plants 12 to 18 inches apart in full sun. Although this variety grows only one to three feet tall, staking young plants provides stability against wind. Water deeply 1 to 2 inches per week to maintain consistent moisture, and apply organic mulch around the base to retain water and suppress weeds.
Monitor for aphids, flea beetles, pepper maggots, and cutworms by inspecting leaves regularly; hand-pick pests or use row covers early in the season. Watch for bacterial leaf spot, anthracnose, and blossom end rot by ensuring good air circulation and proper watering. Harvest fruits 70 to 75 days after transplanting when they reach their full size and desired color.
When to Plant Bell Pepper 'Gourmet Gold'
Planting windows vary by USDA hardiness zone. Look up yours by ZIP code.
| Zone | Start Indoors | Direct Sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | May | — | September – August |
| Zone 2 | April – May | — | September |
| Zone 3 | April | — | August – October |
| Zone 4 | March – April | — | August – October |
| Zone 5 | March | — | August – October |
| Zone 6 | March | — | July – September |
| Zone 7 | February – March | — | July – September |
| Zone 8 | February | — | June – August |
| Zone 9 | January | — | May – July |
| Zone 10 | January | — | May – July |
| Zone 11 | January | — | April – June |
| Zone 12 | January | — | April – June |
| Zone 13 | January | — | April – June |
Companion Plants for Bell Pepper 'Gourmet Gold'
✓ Good companions
Repels aphids, spider mites, and thrips while potentially improving pepper flavor
Help break up soil around pepper roots and don't compete for nutrients
Provides ground cover and living mulch while utilizing different soil layers
Repel nematodes, aphids, and whiteflies with their strong scent
Repel aphids, thrips, and other pests with sulfur compounds
Deters aphids and spider mites while attracting beneficial insects
Attracts beneficial insects like hoverflies and parasitic wasps
Share similar growing conditions and can help deter hornworms from each other
✗ Keep away from
Produce juglone toxin that causes wilting and stunted growth in peppers
Compete heavily for nutrients and may stunt pepper growth through root competition
Releases allelopathic compounds that inhibit pepper growth and development
Nutrition Facts
Per 100g serving (USDA FoodData Central)
