When to pick peppers. Harvesting peppers – is it really better to pick them green? What's going on, "sick"

In gardens and cottages, growing peppers is just as popular as growing tomatoes. Basically, these are sweet (bell) peppers, but spicy lovers often plant bitter ones. The harvesting of the two varieties is different. Therefore, it is worth understanding all the nuances.

Different degrees of ripeness of legume vegetables

Different varieties have different ripening periods. Some are early, others are later. But both of them have two types of ripeness: technical and biological. Technical ripeness occurs 50-60 days from the moment the seedlings are planted (depending on the variety). The fruits are large in appearance, juicy and plump, but the color is not yet intense and has not reached the color indicated on the package. That is, mostly green or slightly yellow.

These vegetables can (and should) be picked for further consumption, storage or processing. But biological ripeness occurs approximately a month after technical ripeness. Such fruits are brightly colored, have a persistent characteristic aroma, and are filled with the maximum amount of vitamins and other useful substances. They are picked for processing or consumption. But such fruits do not last long. They are used first.

When and how to harvest sweet peppers

As soon as the first large fruits appear on the stem, they can already be picked and consumed. This moment comes from the beginning of August. Mass collection occurs in August and September. Important nuances when picking pepper:

The fruits are harvested at technical ripeness with constant regularity.
Carefully trim the peppers with scissors, along with the stalk, and do not pick them with your hands. The fragile stem of the plant can be easily damaged, so it should be supported.
Harvest after 5-7 days, as new fruits grow. The harvesting principle is similar to that of cucumbers.
Leaving large peppers on the bush for biological ripening, new fruits will not be able to develop en masse, and the overall yield will decrease.
When frost occurs, you need to remove all peppers from the garden. Since this plant does not tolerate sub-zero temperatures.
You can pick all the fruits from the plant, sort them by stage of ripeness and store them in cool rooms.

Bitter is not always nasty. Hot pepper harvest

Lovers of bitterness and a fiery feeling in the mouth often deal with bitter pepper, growing it in their plots. This vegetable has the same stages of ripeness as the sweet representative of the species.

It should be remembered that by picking off the pods when they are technically ripe, you can get medium-hot fruits. This way the necessary bitterness is regulated: by picking off small green peppers, we get a slightly spicy vegetable. And red, ripe, long peppers are the hottest and most bitter. It is in biological ripeness that bitter peppers need to be stored, unlike their sweet relatives.

Thus, when growing peppers in open ground, you need to regularly collect fruits at the technical stage of ripening in order to obtain maximum harvest volumes.

When to start harvesting peppers depends on what variety they are and what you are growing them for.

Types of pepper ripeness

Peppers have two different types of ripeness - technical(in which the fruits must begin to be collected for storage, transportation or sale) and biological(true ripeness in every sense, it is also called physiological). At technical ripeness, the fruits are usually greenish (from dark green to almost white) or yellowish, although there are exceptions. Fruits become bright - yellow, orange, red, brown, purple, etc. - when they reach biological ripeness.

Collection and storage of sweet peppers

It is especially important to remember these two different ripeness levels when growing sweet vegetable peppers. If you did not harvest the sweet pepper on time, and biological ripeness has already arrived, the fruits should be used immediately after being removed from the branch, because they lie very poorly. But fruits collected in a state of technical ripeness can be stored in suitable conditions for up to two months and allowed to ripen as needed. Take the pod out of the refrigerator or cellar, put it in a lighted place - and soon it will change color to mature.

Collection and storage of hot pepper

Hot pepper, on the contrary, is usually harvested in a state of biological ripeness: the walls of its pod are thinner and not so fleshy, they dry out more easily than rot, especially since the pungent substance they contain also serves as a light preservative. The riper the pod, the more of this substance it contains.

Knowing this, you can kind of control its pungency (in case you use whole pods, for example, when pickling other vegetables) and collect fully ripened fruits for those family members who like it spicy, and for those who are too spicy does not like - in a state of technical ripeness.

Before discussing the collection and storage of pepper, it is necessary to clarify what kind of culture we are talking about. Our gardeners grow two types of peppers - sweet and bitter. Their agricultural technology is similar in many ways, but there are also differences, especially when it comes to harvesting.

Sweet pepper (syn. bell pepper, capsicum)

The maximum amount of vitamins and other useful substances is contained in fully ripened peppers. But everyone knows that ripe fruits of sweet varieties are stored very poorly - they have to be immediately eaten or processed. Therefore, it is recommended to collect pods that are not yet fully ripe and are in the phase of so-called technical ripeness.

The state of technical ripeness usually occurs 2 - 2.5 months after emergence. At this time, the fruits have already reached the size characteristic of a particular variety, but do not yet have the proper color. The terms of technical ripening are individual for different varieties and should be indicated on the seed bags.

Peppers that have reached technical ripeness can last up to two months or even more. At this time, they gradually ripen without losing their nutritional and commercial qualities.

To move from one phase of ripeness to another, that is, from technical to biological, pods need from several days to two and a half weeks. The duration of the process depends on many factors, but, first of all, on the ambient temperature. The higher it is, the faster the ripening occurs. Therefore, in order to store pepper for a long time, it is necessary to provide it with 7 to 10 ° C during the ripening period, and about zero after its completion.

The onset of biological ripeness of peppers will be indicated by a change in their color - it becomes brighter, the way fruits of a given variety should be. Another sign is a characteristic cracking sound that is observed when pressed. It does not occur in unripe pods.

Typically, peppers are collected selectively, once or twice a week, as they are ready. Total harvesting is carried out only when there is a threat of frost, which this crop cannot tolerate at all. The calendar dates for the start of harvesting largely depend on where the plants are grown - in a greenhouse, hotbed or open ground.

The finished fruits should be cut extremely carefully, with the stalk intact, so as not to damage the very fragile branches. It is best to use a special pruner or scissors for this purpose.

To store sweet peppers, it is necessary to select healthy fruits that are not damaged. The easiest way to do this is to spread the pods in a thin layer in some cool and well-ventilated area, such as a basement. After about a week, sick and weakened specimens will definitely show themselves - they will begin to rot.

For disinfection, it is recommended to treat healthy peppers with copper sulfate - just dip them in a one percent solution and then dry them directly in the air. It is most convenient to store them in boxes with a capacity of no more than 10 kg, which can be either wooden or made of other materials. The walls and bottom can be lined with wrapping paper, or you can wrap each pod in it separately.

If the temperature in the basement does not exceed 10 °C and the humidity is between 90 and 95%, the fruits will ripen within a month. Then you should lower the temperature to zero degrees - this will extend storage for another two months.

If you have enough space in your basement, you can store peppers directly on the stems. To do this, selected bushes with fruits are first sprayed with a one percent solution of vitriol, pulled out along with the roots and hung upside down.

You can also store peppers in the refrigerator. To do this, they are placed in plastic bags with small holes for air access. It should be borne in mind that red varieties last longer than green ones.

Hot pepper (syn. hot, red, chili)

Otherwise, bitter peppers are collected and stored. They should be harvested only after reaching full maturity, when the pods acquire their true color - red, orange or yellow.

Hot peppers are stored quite differently from their sweet relatives. The tissues of these varieties contain sharp and pungent substances, which largely determine their specific taste. The riper the fruit, the more bitterness it contains, which acts as a natural preservative. Because of it, the pod is practically not subject to rotting - it does not deteriorate, but gradually dries out. If you want a pepper that is not very hot and hot, then it can be removed from the branch unripe.

Hot peppers are most often stored dried - whole pods in boxes or boxes. But you can grind them and pour them into glass jars or paper bags. Some housewives tie each fruit by the tail with a thread and tie it into a bundle. It is convenient to hang such bundles somewhere cool and protected from light.

There is another interesting way to store hot peppers - in vegetable oil. To do this, ripe, well-washed pods are placed in a glass vessel and filled with refined oil. After a couple of months, it forms a kind of aromatic tincture.

To obtain a good pepper harvest in a greenhouse, care must be taken to ensure that the fruits ripen early. But in central Russia, it is not always possible to fulfill our plans, since daylight hours and weather conditions do not allow culture to actively develop.

General information

Peppers ripen faster if the bushes are located at a distance from each other. In this case, the plants receive the optimal amount of light. If you purchased tall varieties, it is better to place them in the central part of the greenhouse; low-growing varieties should be placed along the edges of the building. Unthickened plantings are easier to ventilate and the risk of fungus is minimized.

Determination of maturity

Peppers in a greenhouse have several degrees of maturity. There are 2 main varieties: biological and technical ripeness.

Biologically ripe peppers differ in color. She may be:

orange;
red;
yellowish;
brown;
lilac.

Ripe peppers cannot be stored for a long time. The maximum shelf life is 2 weeks. Therefore, the vegetable must be immediately removed and processed.

The technical ripeness of peppers means that they should be picked slightly unripe. Such fruits have a yellowish or greenish color, tolerate transportation well and are stored for a long time if optimal conditions are created for this.

When the vegetable is picked unripe, it can be stored for more than 2 months. It is better to place the fruits in the refrigerator or cellar.

You can also use wooden boxes with newspaper or paper on the bottom. Peppers should be laid out in layers, sprinkled with sand. To increase shelf life, each vegetable can be wrapped in thick paper.

Different types of growth of peppers (video)

Harvest dates

Peppers in the greenhouse are harvested based on technical or biological maturity. Biological maturity involves the achievement by the fruit of all the characteristics inherent in the fruit species - color, size, shape. Technical ripeness involves only the formation of the fruit. Usually it occurs after 2 months. The interval between the biological and technical maturity of pepper is a month. Sometimes it can reach 20 days - it all depends on the variety.

Harvesting Rules

The first harvest can be obtained in mid-August, and the last one before winter. Peppers are harvested mainly when they are in the technical and biological stage of ripening. At this time, the optimal amount of useful elements, including vitamins, salts, and sugar, is concentrated in the fruits. It’s easy to tell when it’s time to start picking peppers by the sound: ripe vegetables begin to crackle.

If you collect fruits at the technical stage of maturity in a greenhouse, you need to act selectively. Harvest vegetables at intervals of 7 days. Peppers should be trimmed along with the stalk. This way you will increase the shelf life of vegetables, and the pepper will retain its beneficial properties.

What rules should be followed during harvesting?

You should not damage the peppers, as they are fragile by nature.
If you delay harvesting, crop growth may stop.
During the growing season, an average of 4 fruit crops can be harvested.

When frost hits, you should collect the remaining peppers and get rid of vegetables that are unsuitable for storage. Sort the fruits by ripeness level. This way you will understand how long it will take for certain vegetables to ripen.

Storage periods and rules

Pepper, like many other vegetables, has a low shelf life. If stored incorrectly, it will rot in two days. If properly stored, these vegetables can remain in good condition for a month longer than eggplants or tomatoes. For long-term storage, you need to choose the strongest peppers. The fruits should not have mechanical damage - dents, cracks.

Storage ability also depends on the type of pepper. If you choose the right type of vegetable, it will last a long time.

Bags with a thickness of more than 120 microns or boxes can be used as storage containers. They transport and sell vegetables in plastic packaging. There should be a perforated membrane on the side wall of the container.

It is best to store vegetables in the basement. First, they are laid out in boxes and baskets or bags in 2 rows, and then placed on shelves. It is important that the ambient temperature is 10 degrees and the humidity is about 85%. Vegetables wrapped in paper are well preserved for 1.5 months without loss of quality and taste.

Pepper fruits absorb foreign odors well, so it is important that the storage room does not smell of anything unnecessary. It is good if the pepper is placed away from other vegetables. The container should also not smell and should be as clean as possible.

If it is not possible to store vegetables in the basement, you can place them in the refrigerator. In this case, the storage duration will be reduced, but if the humidity reaches 80% and the temperature is 9 degrees, the peppers can last until the next month without spoiling.

The fruits can be used both fresh and processed. Pepper can be stewed, frozen, dried, canned and boiled, and can be used to make paste, puree and caviar. The fruits are often canned. Frozen and dried vegetables can be used to prepare side dishes and soups, and they can also be used as snacks.

You may also be interested in the article in which we talk about the reasons for curling and wilting of greenhouse pepper leaves Rating 4.50 (2 Votes)

bell pepper also called sweet, it is rich in nutrients and vitamins, comes in a variety of colors, is juicy and tasty.

Process growing sweet peppers has its own characteristics, since pepper is a heat-loving vegetable. To get a good harvest of peppers, you need to have knowledge and certain skills.

Let's consider growing bell peppers from seeds, from seedlings, care features when growing in open ground, pest and disease control, when to harvest.

Pepper is a plant of short daylight hours, and if the daylight hours are less than 12 hours, the pepper begins to bear fruit earlier.

It is not advisable to plant pepper seeds in open ground even in the southern regions, because you need to wait until the soil warms up; the pepper will begin to bear fruit later and not for long. Therefore, sweet peppers are mainly grown in seedlings.

When growing seedlings at home, pepper seeds are sown in February, so that the plants have 90-100 days before transplanting into the ground. Pepper does not tolerate picking, so try to immediately sow the seeds in separate peat pots with a diameter of 8-10 cm.

There is no need to use large pots due to the slow development of the root system of peppers.

Soil for seedlings

A light and loose substrate consisting of humus mixed with 1 part earth and 1 part sand is suitable. Add 1 tbsp per 1 kg of substrate. l. wood ash.

Before sowing, treat the pepper seeds - soak the seeds in hot water + 50 degrees for 5 hours. Then place the seeds in a damp cloth for germination for 2-3 days, the room temperature should be + 20 degrees. After such pre-sowing preparation, seedlings appear the very next day after sowing.

Water the seeds sown in cups and cover with plastic wrap or glass. Until seedlings emerge, keep the pots in a warm place with a temperature of + 22 degrees. After the shoots emerge, remove the film and transfer the seedlings to a room with a temperature of 26-28 degrees during the day and 10-15 degrees at night.

When caring for pepper seedlings, do not allow the soil to dry out, but we also do not recommend excessive watering.

Water with warm water +30 degrees; cold water will cause frail seedlings to grow and the plants may get sick. The air in the room should not be too dry; protect plants from drafts and spray the plants.

In winter in February, seedlings require additional lighting so that daylight hours are from 7 am to 9 pm.

First feeding carried out in the phase of appearance of 2 true leaves with the following solution: dilute 5 g of ammonium nitrate, 10 g of potassium fertilizers, 30 g of superphosphate in 10 liters of water.

Second feeding carried out 14 days after the first with mineral fertilizers in 2 times greater proportions than the first.

Third feeding carried out 2 days before planting seedlings in the ground. Increase the dose of potassium fertilizers in the solution to 70 g per 10 liters of water.

A few weeks before planting pepper seedlings, the plants are hardened off by placing them in fresh air for several hours. Make sure that the air temperature is not lower than +13 degrees, the seedlings may die.

Choosing a place to plant bell peppers

Select a plot in the garden where cucumbers, onions, pumpkins, carrots, cabbage, zucchini, and various green manures previously grew. Peppers do not grow well and bear fruit if planted in an area where potatoes, eggplants, tomatoes, and peppers previously grew.

Pepper grows best in light soils. Prepare the area for planting in advance, in the fall add 50 g of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers per m2, dig deep. In the spring, add 40 g of ammonium nitrate per m2 of area to the top layer of soil.

Before planting seedlings in open ground, disinfect the soil with the following solution: dilute 1 tablespoon of copper sulfate in 10 liters of water.

At the end of May, pepper seedlings are planted in open ground with a distance of 40x40 cm between plants. Seedlings are planted in a film greenhouse at the end of April.

Seedlings should be planted at the same depth as the plants grew in cups or boxes. Do not expose the roots, but also try not to dig in the root collar.

Peppers do not like cold soil; arrange high beds for peppers, raised to 25 cm, to get a good harvest of peppers.

Attention: peppers are susceptible to cross-pollination, so plant different varieties of peppers as far apart as possible or separate them using tall plantings of tomatoes, corn, and sunflowers.

Video - Peppers, the secret of a rich harvest

Caring for peppers in open ground

It is necessary to water, fertilize, garter and weed pepper plantings in a timely manner.

Feeding peppers in open ground

During the season, it is necessary to carry out 3-4 fertilizing with chicken manure diluted with 1 x 10 water. Alternate such foliar fertilizing, using spraying with nitrophoska (1 tbsp per 10 liters of water).

Potassium deficiency will lead to curling of the leaves and the appearance of a drying border. But pepper does not tolerate an abundance of potassium chloride.

At nitrogen deficiency pepper leaves become smaller and acquire a matte grayish tint. If there is excess nitrogen, flowers and ovaries are dropped.

Phosphorus deficiency– the leaves on the underside become deep purple, press against the plant stem and rise upward.

At magnesium deficiency the leaves become marbled in color.

Video - HOW TO FORM A PEPPER CORRECTLY!!! CARE AND FEEDING!!!

Pepper care

Perform pinching in hot and humid weather, removing side shoots, especially the lower ones. And vice versa, when the weather is hot and dry, the peppers are not the stepsons, the leaves during this period protect the plants from evaporation of soil moisture.

During the growing season, the longest shoots are pruned, especially all shoots below the fork of the main stem are removed, as well as all branches going inside the plant. Perform pruning every 10 days and after harvesting the fruits.

To attract pollinating insects, spray the pepper plantings with a sugar or honey solution: 100 g of sugar, add 2 g of boric acid, dilute everything in a liter of hot water.

Mulching peppers with rotted straw (10 cm layer) will reduce the frequency of watering to once every 10 days.

Carry out gartering of plants in a timely manner; it is better to do this after hilling.

Pests such as slugs, armyworms, aphids, whiteflies, mole crickets and Colorado potato beetles can harm plants. It is necessary to pollinate peppers with wood ash 3 times per season.

Common diseases of sweet peppers– late blight, Septoria, macrosporiosis, blossom end rot, white rot, black leg.

In the fight against mole crickets, before planting in the ground, fill the planting holes with onion water (infuse 500 g of onion peels in 10 liters of water for 3 days).

If aphids are infested, treat the plants with a solution: dilute 1.5 liters of whey in 10 liters of water. After processing, dust with ash.

When the peppers acquire the size and color appropriate for ripening, begin harvesting by cutting off the vegetables with the stalk. Pepper ripening begins in early August and continues until the first frost.

Video - 10 MISTAKES when growing sweet peppers

Wishing you a great harvest of sweet peppers!