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harvesting How do you know when to harvest... turning red to early? Deformity?

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USFMD82

So, I have had my plants in a large container about a month now, and they have flourished greatly, the numbr of fruit that has harvested off bloom has greatly increased, and they are getting much more sun.. however I am noticing that this morning I have 2 peppers (1 cayenne, and on Jalepeno) are already turning red, and they are still small, I was actualyl hoping ot get the jalapenos to be large and green when I pick them to core them and stuff with cream cheese. no ideas on the Cayenne yet but all them are still way to small to be ready for picking, and I dont want all my jal's to go red before picking.. what do I do in this instance?

Also some of the peppers (1 or 2) are deformed, not perfect looking, any iea what caused this and do I just throw these out?

I think I might end up taking these and just harvesting for seeds for next season, I am gonna do a majority of these in a upside down container and hang them up along the roof in the back get plenty of sun, out of reach of critters, but not bees and good insects..
 
Still wondering this.. Also I noticed my jalepenos are not as big as the ones I get in the store.. any idea why this would be?
 
My guess is, that you are getting winter sun. Ripening can be induced by fall or winter sun patterns. Also plants will usually produce smaller fruit when in a container.
I am assuming that you uprooted them from soil?
That can cause abnormalities in itself if there is fruit forming when they are moved.

They should level out and behave normally after some time in the containers.
 
Some of your peppers will be smaller than others, although I don't know why you would prefer any of them green to red. Ripe peppers have so much more flavor. The deformed ones may be from insects or disease. Can you post a picture to help with the diagnosis?

As to the jalapeños, there are a lot of different varieties, and some will be bigger than others. Some of the folks here have also said that peppers grown indoors over the winter are often smaller than those grown outdoors. I don't know if it is a temperature or a light thing or something else all together.
 
cheezydemon said:
Also plants will usually produce smaller fruit when in a container.
Click to expand...

I definitely don't agree with you there Cheezy, unless the plant is way to big for its container and/or stressed.
 
I agree your peppers may be a different kind than you see at the store. Sometimes I wonder what they actually do to some of those peppers. My experience is that when I see some of my pods not growing I usually pick them off and eat them. That gives the other pods a chance to grab the extra nutrients and grow Thats just my opinion And I am no pro just trying to get a good chilllie
 
I have 6 pepper species growing in one large rubbermaid container perhaps it is to small for the plants.. I will take pics when I get home. The reasoning for wanting the jalepeno peppers to be larger and green is because my intended use for them is to core them out and fill them up and roast them.. some people call it Atomic Buffalo turds. I actually planted the Jal plants from pepper seeds from the jalapenos I got at the store last time. Here is a pic to let you know what i am talkign about (I beleive this is old hat to you all thouhg)

Cored_Chiles.jpg

DCP_4657-1.jpg

ABT_AFTER.jpg
 
I should have been more specific potowie..."When a plant is ripped from the earth and placed in a container that is too small, the fruit will usually be smaller."

Better?

And we never get tired of seeing turd pics! Don't be so modest. Also check out the thread on the popper pans that some people have bought/made. It would save you from having to stand them up with skewers.
 
I started the seeds in a damp paper towel, transferred them to a solo cup filled with miracle grow (oops) then once tehy outgrew those I transplanted them into the Rubbermaid container with no more miracle grow. and they have grown pretty tall and have many peppers on it but they arent nearly as big as the ones the seeds were harvested from.

The sun they are getting is the hot florida sun, it has been a bit chilly the past 3 days or so here but not at all to worry about frost conditions.

Thanks on the ABt pics, I have a stand, however foudn that the peppers I had forthe stand wrer to large, and this makeshift stand worked nicely for the time being, I have seen quite a few ideas though.. really good stuff, everyoen loves them when I make them, so my 6 pepper stand is never enough
 
I have always wondered about growing in Florida.
I am in Ky and everything grows really well here, peppers, pot, herbs, you name it.

It seems like things would grow way better in Florida IF you had good soil. I 'd almost like to truck a few tons of "bluegrass" soil(no the grass isn't blue) down to say.....Naples and see how stuff does.

I guess the soil there isn't great so you are limited to containers?
My wife went to college in Sarasota and we have been back a few times. Palms and Aloe don't like the same soil as peppers.(do they?)

It also seems like peppers could grow all year round. Is that the case?
 
You're likely not getting enough light to support large fruits at this time of year. My early peppers are often smaller too.
 
If the peppers you bought at the store were hybrids, the seeds you got from them wouldn't breed true. What you usually get a plant that is more like one of the hybrid parent plants.
 
Totally agree with Pam, Alot of the time we forget alot of these seeds have been crossed at some stage or another. :onfire:

Scorpion Chilli 'Hot in hot out'
 
They are being grown in containers because I live in a rental so no tearing up the ground. The soil was bought fresh from the store.. earth-grow I think it was. Where in sarasota did seh graduate, New college? I was takign classes at the USF campus at Sarasota last year.

I dunno about not getting enough light, you know more then me so im inclined to chalk it up to that but they are getting sun all day coupled with traditionally warm temperatures.

If it is a hybrid or whatnot, how would I find this parent plant.. I mean tehy look like they got a good size but not big enough to support filling the role of ABT. Have not been home so havent been able to get pics yet
 
You'd be best to start with seeds from a known variety. There is a contest this year for largest Jalapeno which will hopefully reveal which types are the largest.
How many hours of light approx. are your plants getting?
 
USFMD82 said:
If it is a hybrid or whatnot, how would I find this parent plant.. I mean tehy look like they got a good size but not big enough to support filling the role of ABT. Have not been home so havent been able to get pics yet
Click to expand...

Unless you know the name of the parent plant, you can't. Oh, you could try crossing the peppers you have and seeing if you get lucky, but that would take a lot of time and pollinating. There are plenty of seeds for large jalapenos in on-line catalogs, just look at the Biker Billy thread.

And, as has been pointed out, it might be something like the light and not the genetics of the seed at all. This time of year the sun is at a steeper angle and the daylight hours shorter.
 
USFMD82 said:
They are being grown in containers because I live in a rental so no tearing up the ground. The soil was bought fresh from the store.. earth-grow I think it was. Where in sarasota did seh graduate, New college? I was takign classes at the USF campus at Sarasota last year.

I dunno about not getting enough light, you know more then me so im inclined to chalk it up to that but they are getting sun all day coupled with traditionally warm temperatures.

If it is a hybrid or whatnot, how would I find this parent plant.. I mean tehy look like they got a good size but not big enough to support filling the role of ABT. Have not been home so havent been able to get pics yet
Click to expand...

She went to Ringling school of Art and Design.

As for finding the parent plant...I guess a private detective might help, But adopted peppers usually don't try to find their orininal parents until they are a little older.;)
 
cheezydemon said:
I have always wondered about growing in Florida...It seems like things would grow way better in Florida IF you had good soil...I guess the soil there isn't great so you are limited to containers...It also seems like peppers could grow all year round
Click to expand...

Cheezy...I lived on Marco Island just southeast of Naples for 5 years back in the early 80s. There are several major vegetable farms there, Tomato Growers is out of Fort Myers (~40 miles north of Naples), Duda and Sons are all around Naples. The soil must be good for growing. They have dykes around each field that are probably 6-10 feet tall and all is irrigated. As a game warden, I spent plenty of time on and around their property (had keys to all gates).

The biggest problem southwest Florida has is salt water intrusion...if there is not enough fresh water (from rain)flowing to the gulf, an imbalance is created and the salt water flows/seeps inland. And yes, they do grow some crops year round, didn't really pay attention to what was growing. Was looking for alligators and poachers.
 
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