I was going to tell you about this Gypsy Hybrid Pepper I grow. (Normally I don't grow hybrid stuff, but this is one great pepper. Excellent raw in a salad or fried up with onion and mushrooms.)
However, on the Burpee site it say it cannot ship plants to your state???? It does not say the seeds cannot be shipped. Let me know if you would like to try them.
QuoteSweet Pepper Gypsy Hybrid
Customer Favorite
Very prolific frying pepper.
All-America Winner. Very prolific frying pepper that goes great fresh in salads as well. Tapered fruits grow 4 1/2" long by 2 1/2" wide, and mature yellow to orange to red. Harvest starts about 65 days after plants are set out
Sorry, state laws prohibit shipping plants to Alaska, Hawaii, Arizona, California, Nevada.
Plants ship in spring at proper planting time.
Here in Florida they produce year round. As long as you pick the peppers the plant produces.
(http://www.burpee.com/images/en_US//local/products/detail/b51607.jpg)
Olds
EDIT they never get to a hard red as Momma is out in the garden eating them~~! LOL~~!
Ya know what Olds...(but yet another idiotic question) I think we get them here (in CA) at the "fancy markets"...they look the same...are they different? Little small...muti colored peppers...
And while I may have your attention...caterpilars? They are eating our stuff alive (big suckers too)...don't want to use pesticides...any ideas?
You can order seeds for these peppers from Burpee Seed Company. Here the link: http://www.burpee.com/product/vegetables/pepper%2C+sweet/sweet+pepper+gypsy+hybrid+-+1+pkt.+%2830+seeds%29.do Without seeing the peppers you are talking about I cannot say if they are the same.
Not knowing what type of caterpillar(s) you are dealing with I would suggest trying Thuricide. It is about as close to organic as you are going to get. Mixture is 4 tsp per gallon--MAX! You can apply it up to the day you harvest. Mix only the amount you are going to use in 2 hours.
Below are a few of the common caterpillars / worm you will have to deal with.
Looper caterpillar
(http://www.bogbumper.co.uk/images/looper1218.JPG)
Cabbage looper caterpillar
(http://www.weidners.com/pics/caterpcabbagelooper.jpg)
Adult of Flax looper caterpillar
(http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/biosystematics/invertebrates/invertid/images/Orthoclydon%20praefactata1.jpg)
Adult Castor Oil Semi-Looper
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2144/2403287010_ac514209cf_m.jpg)
Tomato Hornworm -- it is a big worm.
(http://thaney.com/tomato_hornworm_2003.JPG)
This image is a Tomato Hornworm where a predatory wasp has laid it eggs on it. This is why it is important to plant the type of flowers that attract these types of wasp.
(http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g154/naturehouse/HornWormNew.jpg)
Predatory wasp
(http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/05OtcmH6mN1Hj/610x.jpg)
(http://www.geocities.com/brisbane_wasps/images/B1463s.jpg)
Adult Tomato Hornworm
(http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/field/hornworm_tomato_adult.jpg)
Olds
Olds...it's that big mama tomato hornworm...but invaded the herbs as well...they are big ugly suckers...got on the peppers and basil...not so much the chillis....but man they are scary beasts...
They never look scary on the bottom of my soles ;)
Just smushy ;D
If they have eggs on them then place them in a jar (lid off) with whatever they were eating. This will help the cycle of the wasps.
I'm going to order those Old's. Thanks for the tip. We can only get those by special order up here and they are spend y.