Harvesting Jalapenos – When And How To Pick - Pepper Geek

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If you are new to growing peppers, you may want some help knowing when to pick jalapeños. Jalapeños are slow-growing, so it can be tough to know exactly when they are ready for harvesting.

In this article, I’ll cover all of the steps to harvesting jalapeños the right way. It’s easy, and with some simple guidelines and questions answered, you’ll be confident that you are doing it right!

Skip ahead:

• When to harvest
• How to pick jalapeños
• Green vs red jalapeños
• What to do with fresh jalapeños
• Getting rid of jalapeño plants

Video:

When To Harvest Jalapeños

There are several signs that a pepper is ready for harvest. In general, jalapeños should be 3-5 inches in length, firm to the touch, and have a deep green or red (ripe) color.

3 signs to harvest jalaepños:

• Size. Most jalapeños are 3-5 inches long when mature. Once they reach their mature size, they can be picked at any time.
• Color. All jalapeños change color when ripe. If you want sweeter peppers, pick them as soon as they change color. For green jalapeños (best for pickles), pick them when they are dark green.
• Firmness. Jalapeños should be firm when picked. If they are soft, the peppers may be past their prime.

Keep in mind, the color will depend on the pepper’s age and stage of ripeness. Many people prefer to pick jalapeños before they turn red.

Stages of Ripeness

The most obvious signal that a jalapeño pepper is ripe is its color. During the growing season, you’ll watch your peppers turn from light green, to darker green, to almost black, and finally to bright red.

Jalapeños are traditionally picked before they turn red, but red peppers are sweeter than green ones. There’s nothing quite like a red jalapeño pepper diced up and added to some fresh salsa. However, green jalapeños are more crisp and crunchy, making them a better option for pickling.

Size is another clear sign that a pepper is reaching maturity. Jalapeños will grow from a tiny pea-sized bud to around 3-5 inches long when mature. The length will depend on the jalapeño variety and the growing conditions. If your plant has not had full-sun exposure, the peppers may be smaller and take longer to mature.

One other good sign of maturity in jalapeños is called corking. These are small, white lines that can develop on a pepper’s skin. This is completely safe to eat, and is actually a desirable characteristic to some Pepper Geeks!

When are my jalapeños ready?

Once a jalapeño pepper has reached full size and a mature coloration (deep green or bright red) the pepper can be picked. Whether you want to leave it on the plant longer to allow it to mature further is up to you.

I recommend picking peppers as soon as they reach the desired color. This allows the plant to produce more peppers before the end of the season. Leaving fruits on the plant for longer than is necessary can slow down the growth of other, younger peppers and lead to smaller overall yields. Learn more about maximizing yieldsin our article here.

How To Pick Jalapeño Peppers

The process of harvesting is simple, but it is important not to damage your plants when picking. Here is our method for safely picking jalapeño peppers off the plant:

1. Identify ripe peppers. We’ve outlined the signs of a ripened pepper. If the pepper isn’t ready, leave it for a few more days until it’s mature.
2. Hold the plant. Using one hand, gently hold the plant’s branch just below the pepper to avoid jostling the entire plant when picking.
3. Pull the pepper upwards. Jalapeños usually hang downwards, with the bottoms pointed directly at the ground. The stems are therefore curved from the stem to the pepper’s top. Push the pepper straight upwards to easily pick it.
4. Get a clean break. The jalapeños should easily *pop* off of the plant, breaking cleanly at the end of the pepper’s stem. Try to avoid any twisting or tearing. A properly ripe pepper should come off without a fuss. If you have a stubborn pepper, you can cut peppers from the plant with a clean pair of pruners.

See our recommended harvesting supplies here.

Why Are My Jalapeños Turning Red?

Why do jalapeños turn red? Are red jalapenos safe to eat? Many people are shocked when they see that their green jalapeños have started turning crimson late in the growing season.

Red jalapeños are the fully ripened versions of the peppers. Jalapeño peppers will eventually turn red, yellow, or orange (depending on the variety) if allowed to finish ripening. This occurs during the final jalapeño plant stages.

If you want your peppers to be red rather than green, you can simply leave them on your plant for longer. However, if there is a chance of frost approaching, you’ll have to harvest your jalapeños to avoid damage to the peppers.

Which are hotter, red or green?

Most hot pepper growers want the hottest possible fruits. Jalapeños may be slightly spicier when they mature to a red color. Hot peppers produce more and more capsaicin as they age, typically peaking just as the fruit changes color.

Don’t wait too long though! Capsaicin levels can actually drop shortly after the peppers ripen, so be sure to harvest them promptly for the most heat.

Will jalapeños turn red after picking?

If your jalapeños were picked when green, you may wonder if they will turn red off of the plant. The answer depends on whether the peppers had begun the final stage of ripening while still on the plant.

If the pepper was beginning to turn red when you picked it, then it will continue to ripen off of the plant. However, if you picked an under-ripe pepper with a light green color, it will almost certainly not turn red, no matter how long you wait.

If you want red jalapeños, allow the peppers to begin ripening while still on the plant. As long as there is no risk of frost, the peppers will continue to mature until the end of the growing season.

Tip: Place your harvested jalapeños in a brown paper bag and place it in a warm location. This is a method for speeding up the ripening process for most fruits and vegetables.

What To Do With Jalapeños After Picking

Now that you have your bountiful jalapeño harvest, it is time to use them! Thankfully, we have a lot of resources for storing and using fresh jalapeño peppers.

Here are our favorite methods for storing peppers:

• Quick-pickled jalapeños
• Dehydrated jalapeños (powder)
• Freezing jalapeños
• Give them away
• Eat fresh or in salsa

In addition to storing your peppers, you may want to consider saving the pepper seeds for planting next season! This is a super easy way to save money on seeds for the next growing season.

How Do You Get Rid Of Jalapeño Plants?

Once the season has drawn to a close, and you have harvested all your jalapeños, it is time to get rid of your plants.

Or is it?

If you prefer to buy new plants each year, it is easiest to just toss your plant into the woods or compost pile. A pepper plant is entirely organic and biodegradable. The decaying vegetation will provide nutrients to soil.

It is also possible to keep your jalapeño plants indoors over the winter (overwintering). This involves heavy pruning, and then keeping the plants alive for a few months indoors.

Without a grow light and an ideal location, overwintering can be a challenge (insects, temperature, etc.). As a result, most people prefer to simply toss out the plant and start from seed next season.

Growing bell peppers? Learn when to pick bell peppers here.

I hope this article helps you harvest your jalapeños properly. While it can be tricky at first, soon you’ll be picking your jalapeño peppers with confidence every year!

Calvin

One of the original Pepper Geeks! When Calvin isn’t gardening or learning more about peppers and botany, he might be traveling new places or playing some music.