red pepper or green pepper?

[Anny]

How do I know if my pepper plant is a red pepper plant or a green pepper plant?? They were gifted to me early in the season. I'm hoping they are red peppers but I don't know.

Some one told me if you just leave them on there long enough it will turn red...is that true? Or do red pepper start out red?

I have a good sized green pepper or two growing on the plant right now they are about ready to pick...but should I wait for them to turn red??

HELP! I'm clueless.

 

[GardenGirl]

If it is a bell pepper then the green will go to yellow then to red (I think it is in that progression, I could have it backwards). The longer on the plant the riper they get. I think I was cautioned once by my dad that the longer the fruit sits, the longer it is exposed to the elements, disease, and pests, so be prepared to lose some fruit if this is true. Maybe someone else here can shed better light about leaving the fruit on longer.

 

[Anny]

Yup it is a bell pepper I guess I should have mentioned that hehe

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Most peppers (there are a few yellow ones) start out green and then turn whatever mature color they are (red, yellow, orange, purple, etc).

If you leave the peppers on the plant they will eventually turn red. You should pick fruits regularly to ensure that they keep producing. Remember you can also enjoy them green!

 

[bills]

I wonder why they sell seeds for red peppers, if the green peppers will eventually end up red anyways?:/

Some marketing guru, think that one up?

 

[patandchickens]

Well, probably some varieties are better in the red stage than others; ditto for green stage.

Note that if you harvest them mainly as green peppers you will likely get a larger total harvest than if you let most or all of them ripen (the first ripening fruits tend to shut down flowering and thus further production), so there can be a bit of a tradeoff.

Pat, who prefers allowing jalapenos to ripen to red/black instead of eating them green like the rest of the world, although where I live now this may not be so much of an option anymore