🌱 Origin & Story
King Arthur was developed by Seminis (now part of Bayer Crop Science) and introduced in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It was originally marketed under the name "Fat 'n Sassy" — a name that honestly described the pepper pretty well, even if it didn't survive the rebrand.
Seminis built King Arthur to be the definitive open-field bell pepper for home gardeners and market growers alike. They loaded it with disease resistance, bred for wall thickness and blocky uniformity, and made sure it could handle real-world growing conditions — not just greenhouse perfection. It became one of the most widely recommended bell peppers in North America, and it's held that position for decades.
There's a reason extension offices and Master Gardener programs keep recommending it. It just works.
🍴 Flavor & Fruit
Big, blocky, four-lobed bells — 4.5 x 4.5 inches, weighing 6–8 oz. Thick walls, smooth skin, and a satisfying crunch that you can hear across the kitchen. Fruit starts deep green and ripens to a glossy, saturated red.
Green-stage flavor is clean and classic — the crisp, slightly grassy bell pepper taste that defines the category. Let it ripen to full red and you get genuine sweetness with that rich, roasted-pepper depth underneath. The thick walls mean these hold up beautifully on a grill, in a stir-fry, or stuffed and baked without collapsing into mush.
This is the pepper that reminds you why bell peppers are a staple and not just a filler vegetable.
🌿 From Our Garden
We grow King Arthur because when someone asks for "a bell pepper plant," this is the one we want to hand them. It doesn't need babying, it doesn't need explaining, and it produces armloads of beautiful peppers from midsummer until frost shuts it down. It's the variety that earns its space every single year without drama.
📅 Your Oklahoma Season
Plant after mid-April, or May 1 for extra caution. Tulsa's average last frost is early April. Peppers want warm soil — 65°F minimum at root depth — so patience pays off here.
Expect first flowers in late May to early June, with green peppers ready to harvest from mid-June through July. If you're waiting for full red color, add another 2–3 weeks past the green stage. Heavy production runs through September and into October, often extending until first frost in early November.
Bell peppers love Oklahoma heat more than tomatoes do. Fruit set holds well into the 90s, though extreme heat above 100°F can cause some blossom drop. It recovers fast when temperatures moderate.
💧 Care for Optimal Health
Water deeply twice a week at the base. Consistent moisture is critical for thick-walled peppers — erratic watering causes blossom end rot and misshapen fruit. Mulch 2–3 inches to stabilize soil moisture and temperature.
Feed regularly once fruit begins to set. Peppers are steady feeders, not heavy feeders — consistency matters more than volume.
DIY mix: 2 tbsp fish emulsion + ½ tsp kelp per gallon, every 2–3 weeks.
Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers once flowering begins. You'll get a gorgeous bush with no peppers.
☀️ Oklahoma Heat
King Arthur handles Tulsa summers with confidence. Bell peppers are warm-season crops that actually thrive in our heat — they produce more reliably here than in cooler climates. During extreme heat weeks above 100°F, afternoon shade cloth (30–40%) and deep morning watering help prevent sunscald on exposed fruit.
🛡️ What to Watch For
King Arthur carries serious disease resistance — one of its biggest advantages over heirloom bells:
• Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) — resistant
• Potato Virus Y (PVY) — resistant
• Tobacco Etch Virus — resistant
• Pepper Mottle Virus — resistant
• Bacterial Leaf Spot races 1–3 (via Bs1 gene) — resistant. Note: newer BLS races (4+) are not covered.
Other concerns:
• Aphids — 2 tbsp neem oil + 2 tsp dish soap per gallon.
• Hornworms/fruitworms — hand-pick or Bt (1 tsp/gallon, evening spray).
• Blossom end rot — calcium at planting (gypsum or eggshells) plus consistent watering. Prevention only.
• Copper fungicide for fungal issues after prolonged wet weather — follow your product label for exact rates.
🍽️ In the Kitchen
Stuffed: King Arthur was practically designed for it. The blocky, uniform shape holds filling perfectly, and the thick walls stay firm through baking.
Grilled: Halve or quarter, brush with oil, grill until charred. The walls caramelize without falling apart.
Raw: Thick, crunchy strips for dipping, salads, or just eating straight off the cutting board. Red-ripe King Arthur is sweet enough to snack on like fruit.
Roasted: Broil whole until blackened, steam in a bowl to loosen skins, peel, and you've got the best roasted red peppers you've ever put on a sandwich.
🪴 Why Our Starts?
Peppers are slow starters — they need warm soil, consistent moisture, and patience to germinate and establish. We handle those first six weeks with proper lighting, careful watering, and hardening off so you transplant a stocky, root-established plant that's ready to produce. King Arthur rewards a strong start with heavy, reliable harvests all season long.
