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Why are some of my peppers ripening (getting red) when they're VERY tiny?

F

flexy123

I have a bunch of Jalapenos and Serranos outside in Southern Spain, extreme sun all day long.
 
I harvested some Serranos yesterday because it is my understanding that nice and red means they are ripe.
SOME of the peppers are hideously tiny, I am talking 1/2" or smaller, but bright red. Why are they ripening when they're not grown tall?
What can I do to prevent this so they grow taller before they get red?
 
What kind of temperatures have been in your area? Chile plants may always put out a few small pods, but tend to do so more when the plant is ending production for a period of time. In areas of extreme heat, for example, they will shut down production during the hottest parts of the summer, then pick back up when things start to cool down closer to the autumn. They also start to shut down production in the late fall, in preparation for winter. If you have had temps above 90F (30C) consistently for daily highs, your plants might be signaling a summer production shut down. Don't worry about this, as they will start again later. In the meantime, if your temps are very hot, you might consider getting them a bit of shade, such as via shade cloth or dappled shade from a tree.
 
If extreme heat is not going on in your area, then it could be a nutrient deficiency.
 
geeme said:
 
That has never been my experience, so it's interesting to hear this from you. 
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When the plant is small, the peppers tend to be smaller, in my experience. I think it may haveto do with the dual growing of size and trying to reproduce are clashing.
I've also seen pods stop growing and it appears to be directly related to not getting enough steady moisture. This year I'm trying to get the roots to search further down in the soil for water rather than waiting for rain water to hit the upper root system. It seems to be working on the jalapenos so far, which are my test plants this year.
 
If you want your plants to increase in size that need to be fed very well if they are going to be allowed to produce pods at the same time. Nothing is free and you sacrifice plant size for pods or vice versa. If pods are not ultra important then pluck the flowers and do not allow it. A good plant size later along with good nutrician will make up for the pod sacrifice made now.
 
juanitos said:
the first peppers on the plant can be weird. wait a couple weeks.
or you got mislabeled peppers.
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geeme said:
 
That has never been my experience, so it's interesting to hear this from you. 
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I can second this, I saw it in my garden too, some plants setting smaller size first pod(s) (also deformed, sometime).
 
Yes, I do have extreme heat...right now basically 95ish every single day. I already put a shade cloth up there. I guess I will see.
 
By the way, those are "experimental plants", they're in their second year now. (I assumed that peppers only last one year and then you replant new ones. I mean I did this with other seedlings, but those plants are the same as from last year. But the harvest last year didn't produce that large fruit either, the Jalapenos I'd say normal but the Serranos really very tiny). I also had the impression (sorry, I am quite new to this still :) ) that those I harvested which were green (Jalapenos) were not ripe...so I'll probably harvest those only when they're all red. Also, the Jalapenos from last year had VERY little heat ;( )
 
Chile plants are perennials where they grow natively. So if your environment doesn't normally get to freezing or below, they will be perennial for you. If your environment does normally get to freezing, you can do what many of us do and bring them inside for the winter. I've kept chile plants going for multiple years, as have others. 
 
Yes, jalapenos are red when ripe - and taste better, IMO. I still like green jalapenos, mind you, but I like them even better when ripe. Size and ripeness do play a factor in the amount of heat in a pod. But don't let the size entirely fool you, as some small ones can be surprisingly hot. The more ripe a pod is, the more capsaicin it will contain. But also keep in mind that there are several varieties of jalapenos that are not really hot; you may have gotten one of those. 
 
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