When to Harvest Peppers: Jalapeño, Banana, and Bell Timing
Pick jalapeños at 2.5 to 3.5 inches while firm and dark green, banana peppers when glossy and 4 to 6 inches, and bells when fully colored and thick-walled.
Published by ThriveThyme
pepper harvest jalapeno
When to Harvest Peppers
Harvest peppers when they reach typical size for the variety and the walls feel firm. Green jalapeños are ready at about 2.5 to 3.5 inches. Banana peppers are ready at 4 to 6 inches while still yellow. Bell peppers can be eaten green or left until they turn red, yellow, or orange. Most peppers take 60 to 80 days from transplant.
Peppers stay edible through several color stages. Heat in jalapeños often increases as they mature and redden. Cut the stem with scissors. Pulling can break branches. See the jalapeño planting guide, when to pick banana peppers, and the pepper plant page.
Jalapeños
- Ready when dark green, firm, and 2.5 to 3.5 inches long, usually 70 to 80 days from transplant.
- White corking (small stretch marks) means the pepper matured in heat. It is ripe, not damaged.
- Leave peppers on the plant to turn red for a sweeter, hotter fruit, or to smoke as chipotle.
- Pick often. A stripped plant sets more fruit.
It is not too late to keep harvesting jalapeños in August. New fruit will size until nights stay below about 55 F. Starting new plants from seed in August is too late in zones 7 and colder.
Banana and Bell Peppers
Banana peppers are ready when they are smooth, glossy, and yellow to pale orange. They get sweeter as they turn red. Harvest before the walls wrinkle.
Bell peppers are thick-walled when fully sized. Green bells are mature enough to eat. Colored bells need 2 to 3 more weeks on the plant and have more sugar. Expect about 70 to 90 days from transplant depending on variety.
How to Harvest
Cut the stem, leaving a short cap on the fruit. Wear gloves with hot peppers and keep hands away from your eyes. Store in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 weeks. Peppers also freeze well after a quick wash and dry.
Next Steps
Pick every few days so plants keep flowering. Before frost, harvest every pepper that has sized up, including green fruit. Then plant garlic in the open bed.