How big will cute stuff red peppers grow?

[Soph1989]

Hi there,
I can't find anthing onine on how big the little red peppers will grow? Mine are still very small and green but will they still get bigger once they've tured res? I've attached a picture of my first one, hopefully it gets bigger than it is now

[imafan26]

According to Burpee it is a mini pepper so it will only to be about 3 inches.

[kayjay]

I got six 'cute stuff' seedlings back in the spring. 3 went in the ground (which aren't doing too well), 2 went in 3-gallon containers (on the left in this pic) and 1 went into a 4.75-gallon container. The latter is huge. The plant and its peppers are almost as big as the California Wonder beside them. The Calwonder is on the right.

20160723peps3.jpg (57.28 KiB) Viewed 621 times

I have to confess, though, I use Miracle Gro. There were no organic fertilizers at my little hardware store and I don't have a car.

I was trying to get a picture of the big pepper on the plant, and then I said "to heck with it" and cut it off to get a better picture. The banana is for scale.

20160724cutestuffgreen.jpg (32.94 KiB) Viewed 621 times

Who knows, maybe it would have gotten bigger! But to answer the OP's question, I'm pretty sure they reach full size before they start ripening. And that can take forever. That's been my experience, anyway. I can see why red peppers are sometimes 3 times the price of green ones at the grocery store.

[Soph1989]

Oh wow, that looks great! I'm using fertilizer with chemicals as well, unfortunately. It's what I could carry home with me it's getting bigger and bigger so I'm happy it does seem to be taking a while to grow but that's okay as long as I get some before winter! What do you do with yours when it starts to get cold out? Do they do well indoors?

[imafan26]

Once peppers color up they will have a shorter life span, but they will be sweeter. Allowing peppers to color on the bush does slow down overall production. Peppers are good pot plants provided they have a pot that is the right size for them. Not all peppers are long lived. Bell peppers are capsicum anuum and usually have a short lifespan compared to peppers of other species which can live for years.

California wonder get about 4" x 3.5", so cute stuff will only be slightly smaller.
There are bigger peppers which I prefer since I don't get as many peppers before the plants die. Bigger peppers = smaller yield but for most bell types, I only get 5-8 peppers anyway because of disease.
https://bonnieplants.com/product/big-be ... ll-pepper/

The only bell pepper that has lived more than a year for me was the locally bred Kaala which has more disease and nematode resistance but it is a mini at 1-2 inches long.

[kayjay]

Hi Soph. It would be helpful if you put your location in your profile. That way, people in your area (or familiar with your area) can give you better advice. I'm near Toronto, Canada. I could bring all of those container peppers inside if I wanted to, but they're too big and heavy, so I think I'll just be bringing one of the small cute stuff and a mini orange bell that isn't in that picture. I've successfully overwintered hot peppers, but never sweet bells. I'll give it a try, it can't hurt.

[Soph1989]

Imafan26: Ohh okay, I will be sure to harvest it quickly once it turns if I do decide to wait. I don't want to slow down the production too much. The number of diseases that plants can get and individual care for them all is a little overwhelming but I'm slowly getting to know it, I'm currently reading about preventing them so I know what to watch for as my little ones grow.

Kayjay: done! Thank you. I'm close to Toronto as well, just East of Toronto. Mine is getting a little awkward to move around too, and I have to start measuring how much water I water it everyday so I don't over water it through the summer and the winter. Maybe a cup and a half? Ill have to check. For sure, it's worth a shot. thank you!

[Soph1989]

I've decided to wait and see how big it will get and it's getting there and still no color so I'm going to be proud of myself eating that one with credit to you guys

[kayjay]

Looks nice! I rarely use a whole large grocery store pepper in one shot, so the smaller ones are just fine by me.

BTW, turns out Soph and I bought our 'Cute Stuff' pepper seedlings at the same store! Small world, eh?

[Soph1989]

Yeah! Th e small ones would be good enough for one per meal.
It is a small world