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Yesterday, I noticed that some of the skin on my peppers is turning black! I originally thought it was Blossom End Rot, but the black areas are still hard (not soft, like I have had in past years) and you can't tell any difference other than the coloring. These peppers are supposed to be changing to orange and yellow, not black! What is going on? Or is this how BER starts???

Orange Bell Pepper: Good as Gold Italian Pepper: Any thoughts/suggestions?

Relax! Nothing is wrong with your peppers. It is a common, strictly cosmetic thing for peppers to get dark purplish or blackish streaks on them. In my experience, blackish discoloration on otherwise healthy peppers is entirely normal. It's especially common on Jalapenos, but occurs in bell peppers also. It does not affect taste or keeping quality.

Phew!!! I had a lot of BER last season, especially on the Italian peppers for some reason, so I wasn't sure if this how it started. I have never had peppers do this before! Very interesting....obviously, you don't see this in the supermarket.

Do you know how long it takes for a pepper to change color? They just keep getting bigger, but not changing color, and I hear they are supposed to be sweeter once they change color.

SLC wrote:Phew!!! I had a lot of BER last season, especially on the Italian peppers for some reason, so I wasn't sure if this how it started. I have never had peppers do this before! Very interesting....obviously, you don't see this in the supermarket.

Do you know how long it takes for a pepper to change color? They just keep getting bigger, but not changing color, and I hear they are supposed to be sweeter once they change color.

It depends on the variety, but I've found that it can take many weeks for a bell to turn color once they stop growing.

To be honest, I decided not to grow bell peppers this year because it takes so long for them to turn color. I don't particularly like green bells (too bitter), and I feel like the plant holds off on producing more peppers if there are already a few on the plant that are just sitting there waitig to turn color. Also, in my experience, any of the later peppers that form (like any but the first two or maybe three) are pretty small, and even then they probably won't fully ripen before my first frost.

I love sweet bell peppers, but they're so frustrating to grow...

Mattie, you should try Carmen Sweets. They get red really quick and are good for the first flush, but PROLIFIC for the fall flush! I'm talking loads of red sweet peppers. They are long and pointy like some hot peppers, but there NO heat.

I've had good results from Lipstick sweet peppers. Very early, medium sized.

We got really early ripe fruit from Sweet Chocolate bell, but the second flush got really bad BER.

I'm like you. I don't like green peppers, but LOVE red peppers. They sweet chocolates were really good. Very sweet!

They all roasted and canned well!

OH! And Marconi!

mattie - it helps to start peppers early. I start mine from seed indoors at the end of January. You are right that having peppers staying on the plant to ripen, slows the plant down from producing more. Once the are full sized they will ripen on the window sill like tomatoes, just slower. So I keep mine picked. You may also need to try a different variety. I don't find my green bells bitter, though the red ones are sweeter and milder.

Hmm... Carmen and Marconi are both hybrids. Are there any OP varieties like that?

Kaibi Round is an OP "early" red bell, but it's not as early as the smaller sweets.

I've not had very good results with keeping seeds from any peppers. The first year I saved seed, they readily crossed with Chiles. They looked like bells, but they were HOT! They were all hot. I looked that next year for some tents to put over the entire plant, but just never got around to getting them. I've not had great luck with peppers from seed. I don't have the setup for them. That changes this year! I'm SFS committed!!!

Lipstick is an OP heirloom.

Eta:
I seem to remember my Marconi being OP, heirloom. I had orange and red.

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I'm really interested in the smaller sweet peppers that ould turn color more quickly!

Rainbow...are you saying that you can pick a bell without any flush and has stopped growing, and it'll turn red/orange/yellow after you pick it?

I like sweet bananas and mini bells. Sweet bananas are prolific and last a lot longer than bells do for me. Mini bells are sweet but fussier for me to grow.

Rainbow...are you saying that you can pick a bell without any flush and has stopped growing, and it'll turn red/orange/yellow after you pick it?

well honestly, sometimes yes, sometimes no and I'm not sure what makes the difference. Chili peppers do this more readily than bells, but I have had green bells ripen up after being picked.