harvesting Will they ripen?

[Buzzkill]

This is my first time growing hot peppers so I don't know if I'm doing it right. I bought red and orange scotch bonnet seeds and started growing them in late spring in my garage with a grow light (halfway decent beginners grow light from amazon that has different spectrums for grow/harvest modes). It was really slow going so I moved them outside in early to mid summer. I'm getting a BUNCH of peppers on the plants, but now it's October (in Virginia) and I'm wondering if they are going to ripen and change color before it gets too cold for them. I don't have the ideal yard for them; they get full sun, but either early light on one side of the house, or late sun on the other (I'm afraid I'll damage them if I put them in the wheelbarrow to move them around during the day. Should I leave them where they are, move them around and take my chances, or move them into the garage with the grow light where the temperature is moderate?

Thanks! (and I saw there's a tutorial on overwintering which I will be checking out!)

 

[MarcV]

Will they ripen? Don't know...
What I do know is that those aren't scotch bonnets but jamaican mushroom peppers, a capsicum annuum variety. It's a common mistake. Doesn't mean they are no good though

 

[Buzzkill]

Will they ripen? Don't know...
What I do know is that those aren't scotch bonnets but jamaican mushroom peppers, a capsicum annuum variety. It's a common mistake. Doesn't mean they are no good though

That's weird. I still have the seed packets I bought (online...I won't mention the site but I thought it was a big one for ordering seeds, plants, all sorts of pepper telated stuff, including how-to's). There are definitely two different varieties I'm growing. One is close to habenero shape and one is a lot closer in shape to a pattypan squash. I think I got both carieties in my pics.

Could one be a scotch bonnet? I really wanted to grow scotch bonnets to taste the difference between them and habeneros since I can't find any near me....and to make jerk chick with the authentic pepper, lol.

 

[Buzzkill]

That's weird. I still have the seed packets I bought (online...I won't mention the site but I thought it was a big one for ordering seeds, plants, all sorts of pepper telated stuff, including how-to's). There are definitely two different varieties I'm growing. One is close to habenero shape and one is a lot closer in shape to a pattypan squash. I think I got both carieties in my pics.

Could one be a scotch bonnet? I really wanted to grow scotch bonnets to taste the difference between them and habeneros since I can't find any near me....and to make jerk chick with the authentic pepper, lol.

Pattypan looking ones are definitely looking like the jamaican mushroom pepper. I had to look it up. Thank you for that. At least I get to try a new pepper!

 

[MarcV]

Actually I should give them a try myself... I've grown many scotch bonnets but no jamaican mushroom yet

Found some pictures in the scotch bonnet pepper aficionados facebook group from someone who tries to explain the difference...

The shape of the calix is the most obvious, it is clearly larger on the mushroom. The mushroom will also grow only one fruit per node.

 

[HellfireFarm]

From your description of what you did, I'd say you took them out too late. Mine go outside before the end of April, after the average last frost date. Your average FIRST frost is about a week away so you probably want to bring them in soon.

Chinenses need a good long summer to ripen, generally the sooner you get them outside, the better they'll do.

As for indoor growing, I'm still working that out but there's some good help on that around here.

 

[Buzzkill]

I have an update!! They ripened!!! So far I harvested seven (of what I think are) scotch bonnets and one of the jamaican mushrooms! There have been some unusually warm days recently to give them full sun, but being in the garage is where they ripen crazy fast. I read somewhere they produce their own ripening gas so less airflow is better.

Soooooooo, there's three pounds of chicken soaking in jerk marinade right now. I can't wait!!

Also, the mushroom peppers are pretty darn hot, too! I'm do not sorry for the mixed up seed packets lol!

(Sorry, the pics are pretty bad. I'd already harvested, but there are more almost ready to snip so I zoomed in on one scotch bonnet and one mushroom pepper)

 

[CaneDog]

Nice!

 

[MarcV]

Noticed that too, when I take a plant inside that is carrying peppers that seem to take forever to ripen, the peppers start to ripen right away!