Harvesting Your Peppers
Peppers can be eaten at quite literally any phase as soon as they start to grow. However, the vitamin content and sweetness of the flesh aren’t complete until they reach complete ripeness.
For sweet peppers, this takes about 60-90 days after seedlings are transplanted. Hot peppers take a bit longer to reach maturity; up to 150 days after germination.
Be careful not to damage the plant as you do so because each plant will continue to grow for quite a bit after the initial growing period as long as conditions remain good. Tie the plants to stakes using old nylons, so they could keep their fruits. Don’t use wire twist-ties or twine, because they will gradually choke off or snap the stem.
Frequent harvesting increases yields, often at the sacrifice of flavor. If you continually pick the peppers before they mature, the plants will continue to produce fruit in their quest to develop viable seed.
If you have enough garden space, plant at least two of each pepper variety you’ve selected. Allow one plant of each variety to fully ripen to maturity, and harvest the other throughout the season. Also, when picking peppers, refrain from tugging on the fruit, which may break off a branch or even uproot the entire plant. Use a sharp knife or garden shears to cut the tough stem.