Since peppers can be eaten in the unripe state, there is no problem harvesting them small so long as you find them large enough to be worthwhile. I'm facing the same situation.

Jim

I pick everything off of mine that is cherry sized or larger when I do the final harvest and cut off the plants. The little ones, anthing up to about two inches across, are actually very good, very tender. They make great pickled peppers, and you can eat them stem, seeds, and all. Larger than that, just use them as normal.

thankyou thankyou so I'll have more than expected , I'm going to stop watering them and pick them in 2 or 3 days days because the soil is wet right through their 5 gallon containers . I'm guessing that will help with the sweetening process .

I would let them continue indoors but its the wrong kind of light and very dry . I have a small room at the front of the house which I could plug in a heater and humidifier with a huge picture window but it's north facing so it would be filtered natural light alot of it but no direct sun . I have a sun tanning light but that would cost more than the peppers are worth . I feel like I've had enough of raising them this year but also feel it would be a shame to see any go to waste . Heads I win tails the peppers lose and I harvest in a few days... anyone have a coin I can flip ?

You fought the good fight, bobberan. I'm glad you got a good harvest. You can always chop and freeze or dehydrate what you can't eat!

j.

bobboberan,

what the hay gives ? your in 3a and im in 5 and i've been chowing down on bells the size of quarters and thankful for them.

my in-ground plants are now mulch.

in my desperation for 1 last fresh salad i took 2 handfulls of small thai hots and used them as my salad base.my face and lips about melted off but i squeezed everything thing i could out of my ingrounds.

next thing your gonna post is your still getting squash , just to make me mad :)

you lucky pup ,

wildlifeman

lol wildlifeman

I'm pretty stressed (enjoyable stress) from taking good care of my peppers this is very late in the season and building a small tent structure for them with a string of old style christmas lights for heat inside of the structure was a perfect green house for them . Everynight since late august the structure went over them and the plastic and tarp was pinned to the ground literally with the weight of 2 by 4s (an almost suffocating structure) frosty nights the inside of the vaporbarrier plastic would be soaking wet . btw I posted a pic in image gallery of my over 12 foot sunflower still alive while everyone elses in the neighbourhood has had it tonight it may survive but there will be a hard frost tomorrow night and for the remainder of the week at night . I still have celery growing around the trunk of the sunflower and about 3 dozen carrots left in the raised bed ... more peas are starting to come up too directly in the ground and one vine of pumpkins produced 3 female flowers yesterday but nothing can be done because there are zero male flowers and besides everything with die in a few days I'm sure .