growitall
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Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2010 11:48 am
Location: oregon

question about red bell peppers

Hi all, new here.
This has been a great gardening year for me, I am in zone 8.
I have several pepper plants loaded with peppers and only one pepper has ripened. I planted only red bell peppers because they are the only ones we can eat, so they MUST ripen to red.
Is there anything I can do to hasten the process?
The low temp here is scheduled for 50 for at least the next week, will they continue to ripen as long as the temps stay above 50?
Thanks
Janet

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Gary350
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Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:59 pm
Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.

I have planted Red bell peppers a few times mine always turn red late summer and fall. I don't know any secret to make them turn red sooner. It seems to me the cooler the weather and the shorter the days the more red peppers I get.

growitall
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Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2010 11:48 am
Location: oregon

Thank you. I guess that means I am in for a lot of red peppers.

DoubleDogFarm
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Joined: Sun Mar 28, 2010 11:43 pm

Janet,

Are your peppers in the high tunnel? and I still would like to see it :wink:

If they are, you could build a low tunnel over the peppers inside the high tunnel. A little extra heat.


Eric

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lorax
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Location: Ecuador, USDA Zone 13, at 10,000' of altitude

The other option is to ripen them the same way you would green tomatoes. If your bushes cack it in the frost, you can harvest the peppers green, wrap them in newsprint, and place them in a warm, dry place with an apple or similar. They'll redden up. They'll also ripen although more slowly in sunlight on the windowsill. :D

chris082004
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Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:38 pm
Location: NY

If you leave them on the plant they will need sunlight and more heat to rippen. I have never harvested them and leave them to rippen like tomatoes but it's worth a try I suppose. Let me know if you decide to do that and if it works.



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