How Do You Know When to Harvest Ripe Peppers?

My pepper plants always take so much longer to produce than I'm expecting. Depending on which pepper variety you're growing, you're looking at 70 to 150+ days before you pick your first peppers, and that's under ideal growing conditions.

Individual peppers will ripen on the same plant at different times. You want to pick peppers as soon as they're ripe so that your plant will keep growing more peppers for you.

So how do you know when a pepper is ready to be picked?

How Long Do Peppers Take to Grow?

Hot peppers typically take longer to ripen than sweet peppers. Check the back of the seed packet for the pepper variety you're growing to get a better idea when you can expect your peppers to start producing mature peppers.

Here's a quick overview of how long popular pepper plant types take to produce once they're transplanted to your garden (so we're not even talking about growing a pepper plant from seed!):

• Shishito peppers need just 60 days to produce.
• Banana peppers, cayenne peppers, and biquinho peppers are typically ready about 70 days after planting.
• Poblano peppers, bell peppers, and anaheim peppers take about 75 days.
• Jalapeño plants usually take about 80 days to give you peppers.
• Serranos need 90 days.
• Habanero peppers take 100 days.
• Super hot peppers like Carolina Reapers can take 150 days or more!

Feeling impatient? Remind yourself that the flavor of homegrown peppers is definitely something worth waiting for! And keep an eye out for these 3 signs your peppers are ready for harvest.

The Skin Has Turned the Color of the Mature Pepper

Most pepper varieties start off green and then turn a different color as they ripen, so it's a good idea to know the final anticipated color of the type you're growing. Mature peppers might be bright orange, yellow, red, brown, or purple. When you see a fruit turn the right color, you know you're good to pick.

A ripe bell pepper, for example, will turn yellow, orange, or red. A ripe habanero pepper will become orange or red. I recently grew some datil peppers that first turned a beautiful purple and then orange when they were fully ripe.

Once a pepper has reached its full size, it typically takes anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks for it to then turn to its mature color. If you're growing a hot pepper, it's typically at its hottest when it's just starting to turn its mature color.

The Pepper Has Reached the Right Size

Some peppers are most commonly picked when they're still green and immature. Jalapeños are the perfect example of this (they'll turn bright red when fully ripe). Instead of looking for a color change, you can check the anticipated size of the fruit on the back of your seed packet to know when your peppers are ready for harvest. Once the fruits have reached that size, give them another week or two and then harvest.

Jalapeños are often picked when they're about 3 to 4 inches long, while a bigger pepper like a poblano will be about 3 to 8 inches long and 2 inches wide. Don't expect homegrown peppers to be quite as large as the ones you see at the grocery store.

Another indication of ripeness is how easy the peppers are to pluck from the stem. If you pull on a fruit and it's still firmly attached, give it some more time. The flesh should also feel nice and firm if you give the pepper a gentle squeeze.

Your Peppers Have Streaks Down their Sides

If if looks like your peppers are getting stretch marks, they actually are. And these marks are a clear sign your peppers are ripe and ready to be harvested!

Marks on a pepper's skin are called "corking", and they develop when a pepper grows so fast its skin can't quite keep up. Not all peppers show corking; it's most common in hot peppers like jalapeños. Some hot pepper enthusiasts insist that peppers taste best if they have at least a couple marks.

Harvest your peppers when you see signs of corking, and you'll know you picked your peppers at the peak of their ripeness.

Can You Pick Green Peppers?

Peppers ripen in stages, and you can technically pick the fruit at any stage once it's fully formed, unless you want to save seeds for next year (then you need to wait for the mature color).

Green peppers are 100 percent edible; they're really just the less mature versions of their colored selves. They're typically a little less sweet, perhaps a bit more bitter, and for hot peppers, less fiery. That's because they won't contain as much capsaicin as their mature counterparts. They also won't contain the same antioxidants because the color comes from various carotenoids and flavonoids.

For some peppers, the consensus is that they actually taste better when they're underripe. This is why you see green bell peppers, green jalapeños, green shishitos, and green serranos at the grocery store. Other peppers have a notably better flavor once they're fully ripe, as is the case with habaneros.

Should You Harvest Peppers if Frost Is on the Way?

If a freeze is in the forecast, then—ready or not!—it's time to harvest any remaining peppers on your plant since frost will turn them mushy. (You can always dig your pepper plant up and bring it indoors to overwinter.)

Plan ahead when you're a couple weeks out from your first anticipated frost of the season so that you can encourage as many fruits to ripen as possible on each pepper plant. Prune any flowers and top off the plant by cutting stems above the ones supporting fruits. This tells the plant to put all its energy to finishing the fruiting process.

If you have to pick a pepper before it's fully ripe, it'll continue to ripen on your countertop as long as it was fully developed on the plant. Fruits that haven't grown to full size yet will not continue to ripen off the plant.

What's the Best Way to Harvest Peppers?

First things first, put on a pair of gloves to harvest hot peppers to avoid getting capsaicin oil on your skin. (Trust me, it doesn't feel great!) If you forget to wear gloves, make sure to wash your hands immediately after picking peppers (definitely before you rub your eyes!).

You can harvest a ripe pepper by hand by gently tugging it upwards. It should pull away easily. That being said, you do risk breaking the branch and damaging the plant. It's best to grab a clean pair of pruners or scissors and clip the stem above the pepper, leaving a bit of stem attached. Keeping the stem prevents the pepper from drying out quite as quickly.

Harvest your peppers as soon as they're ripe to encourage your plant to keep producing for you. You can actually reduce your overall fruit yield if you leave peppers growing for too long since they drain resources from the plant.

How Many Peppers Will My Plant Produce?

It really depends on the type of pepper you're growing. You might only get 5 bell peppers per plant but 50 jalapeños. If it's the plant's second year growing in your garden, it'll likely be more productive than the first year.

How to Use Up All Your Peppers

I'm not into canning or pickling, but I do like to quick-pickle my peppers. Here are some of my favorite ways to use up large pepper harvests.

Hot Peppers

• Whip up some garden-fresh pico de gallo.
• Broil and then blend your peppers with some tomatillos for homemade salsa verde.
• Experiment making your own hot sauce.
• Make jalapeño poppers.
• Dry them and then crush them for easy crushed red pepper for your next pizza night.

Sweet Peppers

• Make pickled peppers to toss onto salads, sandwiches, and stews throughout the year.
• Toss them onto your next stir-fry.
• Stuff them.
• Blister them on the stove or in an air-fryer. This is my favorite thing to do with shishitos.

How to Store Peppers

Store any remaining peppers in a loosely covered container in the fridge for a week or two. It's best to avoid washing them until you're ready to enjoy them.

To store peppers from your garden long-term, it's best to freeze them or hang them up to dry. Peppers dehydrate quickly since they're full of water. Drying peppers often gives them a smokier flavor. If a pepper is way too spicy for your liking, consider drying it and then crushing it with a pestle to make your own crushed red paper flakes.

Enjoy Your Pepper Harvest!

Don't stress about when to harvest peppers. Maybe harvest some green peppers and let a couple ripen fully to see which stage of ripeness you prefer. Either way, I hope you enjoy the peppers you spent months growing!