Ditto.

Thanks Dave and zeedman!

It could also be high summer temperatures causing the peppers to stop putting on new fruit. I have no idea how hot it has been up your way. If temperatures reach the mid 90's, peppers, esp. bell peppers, tend to stop producing until the temperatures cool down.

Thanks gary. Yes, we've had some pretty hot spells.

I've often pinched off the first peppers on the plants, although not specifically to increase the yield. If transplanting is delayed by bad weather, the plants may bloom prematurely while still in their pots, and the energy required to support those peppers would cause stunting after transplant unless removed.

And when growing peppers under cover for pure seed, I sometimes am unable to install the cover when blooming starts. Since any peppers or open flowers must be considered to be contaminated, I pinch all of those off just before installing the cover. This incidentally produces some huge yields.

Regardless of the reasons for doing so, the net effect of pinching off the first fruit and/or flowers is to produce larger plants & a heavier set... but at the expense of a delayed DTM. If ripe peppers are desired, this delay in DTM could potentially result in failure, especially in short-season areas.

Incidentally, my experience has been that growing peppers under cover will itself increase the yield, since losses due to pests & sunscald are reduced or eliminated. In hot climates, covering with a breathable shade cloth may increase blossom set.