They come in green, yellow, red and even purple: the peppers. For those who grow them themselves, here is an explanation of how peppers are harvested correctly.
Whether in a salad, stuffed, steamed or grilled - peppers simply taste great, and of course the best from your own garden. It doesn't even have to come from the classic garden. After all, you can also grow peppers and other vegetables on the balcony. With the right care and fertilization of the peppers, you will also get a lot of fruit here.
It doesn't matter where you grow peppers and which pepper varieties you have chosen - the harvest time is usually always the same. When exactly you can harvest your peppers and how best to do it, we will explain in more detail below.
When does the pepper harvest start?
The pepper is a plant where you can benefit from a very long harvesting period. You can already harvest the fruits when they are green in colour. But then they are not fully ripe and therefore taste a bit bitter. The sweetish aroma develops later. Normally it takes about three weeks until the green has turned into the final color and the maturation is complete. The ripe fruits are usually yellow, orange or red. However, there are also peppers with a purple tint.
Usually the harvest season begins in August and then continues into October. If you cover the plants a little on colder nights in autumn, you can still harvest fruit after the first frosts. This allows the harvest time to be extended by another three to four weeks.
Here's another reading tip: Prefer paprika - That's how it's done
Tips for harvesting peppers
➤ Tip 1 - Harvest only fully ripe fruit:
Peppers should always be harvested when they are fully ripe, because only then do these vegetables have their maximum flavor. So if you can only see small green spots on the pods, you should wait a day or two and then harvest.
➤ Tip 2 - Harvest peppers in the morning:
Peppers have the most nutrients in the morning.If possible, it is best to harvest the pods in the early morning.
➤ Tip 3 - use sharp tools for harvesting:
You should always use sharp tools to separate the fruit. The stalks of the pepper plant are so robust that you cannot simply tear off the fruit by hand. In addition, the stalk should always remain on the fruit during harvest. It is therefore best to use scissors or a grafting knife for harvesting.