ready to pick peppers?

Question

Hello, just bought "ready to pick pepper" plant from Dobbies, and was looking for advice on when to actually pick them? I have one red pepper on the plant and 3 green. I presume the red one is ripe? and the green one is in its early stages? the red pepper is approx 2 inches in length?? can i leave it to grow longer or is it just a small type of peeper that will grow on plant. The label i have states "harvest" from may to october. Please can anyone provide any more information and also suggest a type of pepper plant i can grow that will produce much bigger peppers? Many thanks...

Answer 1

Fruits may be harvested at any size desired. Green bell varieties,however, are usualy picked when they are fully grown and mature, 3 t0 4 inches long, firm and green. When the fruits are mature, they break easily from the plant. Less damage is done to the plants however, if the fruits are cut rather than pulled off. The new, coloured bell pepper fruits may be left on the plant to develop full flavor and ripen fully to red, yellow, orange or brown; or they may be harvested green and imature. Some (including "white," light yellow, lilac and purple) are colours that develop in the immature fruit and that should be harvested before actually ripening, when they turn red.
Hot peppers are usually harvested at the red-ripe stage; but green chilies, the immature fruits, are also required for some recipes. Hot pepper flavor varies more from variety to variety than was previously appreciated.

Professional Gardner.

Answer 2

The red ones are fully ripe. With most peppers you can pick them either red or green, or anywhere in between. The riper they are, the more nutrients they will have and the flavor is usually better, not necessarily hotter. Heat is influenced more by how much water and sun they get, not the ripeness.

If you're looking for a bigger pepper (yours sounds like either a jalapeno or a cayenne), go for one of the chilis, bananas, or a poblano. Some chilis can be as long as 12 inches.

Answer 3

if you think about all the peepers in a super market ... the used to be only one picked at different times ... now the plant breeders have made it so you can have ripe peppers in an assortment of colours

Answer 4

i grow chilis and peppers, red ones are hotter, can pick them when you like, try planting the seeds then you don't have to buy the plants anymore, just bring them in during winter and most of all, enjoy!!!!