This year I grew these amazing purple bell peppers. Called Islander peppers, they start out as any sweet pepper would, rather unassuming, but as you can see these are no ordinary peppers.

Plan on a 70-day growing cycle, sow the seeds indoors when the weather outside is still cool. They take regular water and are not particularly sensitive to over or under-watering unless it is systemic. The plant will produce multiple peppers and will produce additional peppers as they are harvested.

The pepper will start with a stunning streaked purple appearance and as it grows will transform into a deep purple. This is a traditional thick-walled bell pepper, sweet and enjoyable raw on a salad or cooked. However, I will caution that when cooked the brilliant purple coloring will diminish, so I prefer them raw.

I like vegetables like this Islander pepper because they are a fun alternative to what is found in most markets. I can and do grow traditional bell peppers but in a garden like mine where space is constrained, I have to ask myself if it is worth growing something that I can buy which is good quality and affordable. That reason is why I will not commit space to popular vegetables like bell peppers unless I find something truly unique. With, literally, thousands of varieties of sweet and hot peppers, pick varieties that spark your imagination rather than what you are accustomed to seeing in the market.