How to tell it is ready

Bell peppers are ready green when they reach full size, have thick walls, and feel firm and glossy. They are fully ripe when they turn their mature color such as red, yellow, orange, chocolate, or purple. Hot peppers also develop full color and characteristic shape as they mature, though many can be picked green. Fruit should feel crisp and solid, not soft, dull, or wrinkled.

How to harvest

Use pruners or a knife to cut peppers with a short stem attached rather than pulling them off. Pepper branches are brittle and can break easily if fruit is twisted off by force. Support the plant with one hand while cutting with the other. Harvest often to reduce overload on the plant and improve continued production.

Timing

Most peppers begin harvest 60 to 90 days after transplanting, with green harvest earlier than full color harvest. Pick during the cooler part of the morning after plants are dry. Harvest continues from midsummer until frost in many US gardens.

After the harvest

Keep peppers shaded and cool after picking. Refrigerate soon for best quality, especially fully ripe fruit. Use damaged or overripe peppers first because they soften quickly.

Tips

Leaving fruit on the plant to color fully often improves sweetness or heat, but it slows the set of new fruit. Do not pull fruit off by hand if stems are tough. Watch for sunscald on exposed fruits during very hot weather and harvest promptly once mature.

General guidance for US home gardens. Timing varies by variety and region; check your local frost dates. Page updated Aug 4, 2026.