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Do you save pepper seeds? Do you let the fruit get mature first? I usually pick bell peppers before they actually get mature. I assume they will change color when mature, but I pick them green. Do you think that the seed from these peppers would even be viable?

Dunno, I'm waiting on my peppers to get ripe before I harvest them. I have ghost peppers that I am still waiting on to ripen, and I have a bunch of habaneros starting to ripen up as we speak. I am waiting on some cayenne and jalapenos as well.

I had one or two peppers fall off immature, the seeds looked normal to me. I only set them aside, placenta and all... so they just shrunk up and I just tossed it. That's what happens when I don't pay attention lol

So, I haven't really tried to plant the seeds from a green pepper yet.

The older the pepper the more mature the seed. I always save from ripe peppers. If you pick them too early the seed may not germinate.

Do you need/want some pepper seeds? I would be more than happy to send you some.

Dono

Some of the stores have a section where they reduce food like peppers that are stating to get old. When I see some big red or yllow peppers for like 50 cents I buy them for the seeds! I have had some nice peppers from those seeds!

Bobberman wrote:Some of the stores have a section where they reduce food like peppers that are stating to get old. When I see some big red or yllow peppers for like 50 cents I buy them for the seeds! I have had some nice peppers from those seeds!

Would the seeds continue to ripen as the fruit would after the fruit has been picked? Because most of those peppers were probably harvested early. ......Curious.......

Peppers keep better than tomatoes so they pick them when they are more ripe I think! The seeds have grown good for me from the stores! I buy squash of all types and plant the seeds!

Do you need/want some pepper seeds? I would be more than happy to send you some.

I won't be needing any seed. Thanks gix.

I do not start my own peppers nor tomatoes. I will either swap for some or just buy nursery plants. I was just curious how you collected the seed. My son says he decides early on which plants are going for seed, and never picks the fruit. When frost threatens, he pulls the whole plant and throws it in the shed, fruit intact. When the fruit gets real ripe then he will harvest the seed. Around here its hard to get a pepper real ripe in our short season.

I am thinking that with any variety of plant, you will likely get better seed if you let the fruit/seed get real mature on the plant before collecting it.

I think your son has the right idea.

Last year, when I overwintered two of each variety hot and sweet peppers I grew, I dug the whole plants and shoved the rootballs in plastic grocery bags. They sat like that lined up in the unheated garage with a stoplight over them until the garage temp went down to subfreezing -- but I was able to protect for a while with a heavy plastic sheeting draped over the shop light and collapsed cardboard boxes surrounding them.

I watered them carefully and the remaining green fruits grew a little more and ripened until I had to hard prune, pot up, and bring them inside.