Harvesting peppers. When to remove sweet and bitter peppers from the garden. Basic rules When to pick peppers from the bush

Pepper can be collected biologically (when the fruit has reached its varietal characteristics - size, color, shape, etc.) and technically (when the fruit is external signs formed fruiting organ, but does not have the inherent color and size) ripeness of this variety. The first fruits at technical ripeness can be obtained in 60 – 70 days. And one of the suitable varieties is Flamingo F1.

It takes 20–30 days from biological to technical ripeness. Fruits are usually collected in the phase of technical and biological ripeness; during this period they contain the greatest amount of useful substances, namely sugars, mineral salts, vitamins. The ripeness of a pepper can be determined by a specific crackling noise when you touch the fruit. Peppers are harvested at the same time as tomatoes and eggplants. The first harvest is obtained in early, mid-August and they continue to be harvested until frost.

At technical ripeness, the fruits are collected selectively, every 6 to 8 days. It is best to cut the fruits with the stalk, so they will be better stored without losing their taste. Remove carefully so as not to damage the branches of the plants, which are very fragile. Delay in harvesting can lead to stunted growth of the next crop. During the entire growing season, 3–5 collections are carried out.

Pepper collection and storage

Before the onset of planned frosts, all the fruits are collected, sorted by ripeness and size for ripening indoors.

Like most vegetables, peppers have poor shelf life and, if stored poorly, the fruits will rot after two days. If stored properly, peppers can last up to a month longer than tomatoes and eggplants. Fruits of technical ripeness, without mechanical damage, are selected for storage. Thin-walled peppers are best stored in refrigerators. For fruits that are left for storage, the stalk (part of it) is cut off, leaving a small tip. The pepper should not show signs of disease, damage, cracks or dents.

Various containers are used for storage, from boxes to plastic bags. The thickness of the bag must be at least 120 microns and have a perforated membrane on the side wall of the bag. For transportation and further sale, special plastic packaging is used.

Polyethylene does not allow air to pass through and carbon dioxide is formed inside the bag, which displaces oxygen, that is, conditions are created under which any product is stored better. In addition to the bag, each fruit can be wrapped in paper or other material.

Fruits are often stored in basements or refrigerators. They are placed in bags, boxes, baskets in 2 - 3 rows or on shelves. An important storage condition is temperature. It should be 8 – 10 °C with a relative humidity of 80 – 90%. By the way, fruits wrapped in paper keep well for a month and a half, maintaining freshness and taste.

You need to make sure that there are no foreign odors in the room, as pepper easily absorbs them. It is ideal if it is stored in a separate room from other vegetables. The container for the pepper must be clean and free of additional odors. Peppers can be stored in the refrigerator for less time, but at a temperature of 9–10 °C and a humidity of 80% they can last until the next month.

Pepper processing

Pepper is a versatile plant. It can be used as fresh, and in processed form. But pepper fruits can also be frozen, dried, stewed, fried, boiled, canned, made into caviar, puree, paste, etc.

The fruits are often used for canning; this product is very popular among the population. Dried and frozen fruits can be used to prepare various soups, side dishes, and also be used as a snack.

And in conclusion, I would like to point out one of the main reasons for good keeping quality - this is the variety. By the way, the selection the right variety may increase the shelf life of peppers.

Pepper has been deservedly loved by chefs all over the world for several centuries. Its sweet and spicy varieties are good fresh and canned, adding an original taste and unusual aroma to vegetable and meat dishes.

Thanks to the success of breeders in last decades this heat-loving guest from South America has become a popular vegetable crop not only in the southern regions of our country, but also in areas of risky farming. Very early and early ripening varieties are successfully planted by enthusiastic gardeners even in Siberia.

Growing a rich harvest of peppers is only half the battle. It is important to collect juicy, vitamin-rich fruits correctly and, most importantly, on time.

When to harvest from open beds?

The time to harvest peppers depends on three factors:

on the ripening time of a particular variety, which can vary from 70–80 days for early peppers to 130 or more for late ripening ones;
on the type of crop grown (sweet or bitter pepper);
depending on the weather conditions of the current season.

For plants grown under open air, the last factor is decisive. Heat-loving plants, even the varieties most suitable for your region, do not tolerate negative temperatures at all. Therefore, at the first threat of frost, all fruits should be immediately removed from the garden.

The time for picking the first peppers is also affected by their degree of ripeness. Sweet (bell) peppers can begin to be harvested when they reach the stage of technical ripeness, that is, at the moment when the fruits reach a size corresponding to the varietal characteristics, but have not yet acquired the necessary color and taste. Hot peppers are removed from the branch only when fully ripe, that is, exclusively at the stage of biological ripeness. If sweet varieties ripen perfectly, having already been picked from the bush, then bitter varieties no longer acquire the necessary pungency outside the plant.

Depending on the timing of ripening, early varieties can begin to be collected after 60 days of the growing season, mid-ripening varieties - after 90 days, and late peppers - after 4 months. IN middle lane On average, the harvest begins in early or mid-August.

Harvesting in a greenhouse

If the timing of harvesting from open ridges is limited by the first frost, then in a greenhouse this period can be extended until the onset of stable cold weather. Early frosts are not dangerous for greenhouse peppers, but at low temperatures, plant development stops and ripening practically stops.

When harvesting peppers, you should remember some features of harvesting sweet and bitter varieties. Bell pepper requires compliance with several important conditions:

To increase the yield of the bush, remove the fruits immediately when they reach technical ripeness. Clean your peppers at least once a week.
Remember that pods harvested at the stage of biological ripeness contain the maximum amount of useful substances. However, they are better suited for immediate consumption or canning, and have a much shorter shelf life than peppers picked unripe.
The transition from technical ripeness to biological ripeness takes from several days to two or three weeks. The duration of this period depends on climatic conditions environment, mainly on the air temperature: the warmer the weather, the faster the ripening occurs.
The finished fruits should be separated from the plant very carefully, preferably using scissors or pruners, and always together with the stalk.

Recipe for the occasion::

Bitter varieties should be collected only at the stage of biological ripeness, that is, fully ripe. It is then that the pods acquire the necessary sharpness, color and piquant aroma characteristic of the variety.

How to store sweet peppers?

To successfully store the bell pepper harvest, several important conditions must be met.

Carefully sort the pods, removing all diseased and damaged specimens.
Store fruits collected at the stage of technical ripeness in a cool room. At temperatures not higher than + 10 °C, the crop will reach biological ripeness in about a month. If you want to speed up the ripening time, place the pods in a warmer place.
Ripe peppers are best stored at temperatures from 0 to +1 °C and air humidity of about 90%. It is under these conditions that the crop will remain fresh for two months.
Small wooden or plastic boxes are usually chosen for storage. It is recommended to line the inside with paper or wrap it around each fruit individually.
You can not cut the pods, but leave the harvest directly on the bushes, removed from the ground along with the roots and hung upside down in storage.
Please note that red and orange varieties store better and longer than varieties with green fruit coloring.

How to store hot peppers?

The presence of burning substances makes the acute varieties practically invulnerable to pathogenic fungi and bacteria. That is why such peppers almost do not spoil during storage, but simply gradually wither.

Hot capsicums can be harvested after the pods have formed. That is, it can be used both at the stage of full ripening and at the stage of incomplete ripeness. For high-quality and long-term storage, hot peppers should be collected only at the stage of full biological maturation. If you pick the pepper earlier, when it has not yet reached the point, it will not store well. This is explained by the fact that the duration of storage of pepper depends on the spicy special substance, the amount of which increases in proportion to ripening. The more ripe the pepper, the more bitter substances it contains, which act as preservatives when preserving these vegetables. Therefore, it is very important to know when to pick hot peppers.

Signs of ripening hot peppers

Determining the degree of ripening of hot peppers is not difficult, since these vegetables have pronounced signs of ripeness. The main signs of ripening hot peppers include:

Hot pepper pods should be red, yellow or Orange color. It is by the bright color that you can easily determine the level of ripening of hot peppers.
Pepper leaves begin to turn yellow and often the lower leaves begin to dry out.
Ripe hot pepper pods have great content bitter substances, this can be determined by rubbing the pod on the back of the hand. If you feel a slight burning sensation on the skin, then the pepper is already ripe.

The best indication of the ripeness of a hot pepper is its level of bitterness. The hotter the pepper, the longer it can be stored. Usually hot peppers are collected from long-term storage at the end of September. This is when most varieties of hot peppers reach full biological maturity. Peppers that were collected earlier most likely will not be able to be stored for a long time, since they do not contain enough pungent substances that act as preservatives. Peppers that were harvested before biological ripening are used primarily for canning.

To grow pepper, you need to have a good knowledge of the technology and features of this process. But no less important is the collection of fruits. To get a good harvest and preserve it for future use, it is very important to follow all the rules for removing fruits from the bushes. What these rules are - we will consider further in the article.

When is the best time to pick peppers?

Bell peppers are grown both in greenhouses and in open ground. In order for the fruits of this crop to be stored better and longer, they must be picked on time, and most importantly, correctly removed from the bush. The removal time depends on the type of vegetable. The first harvest can be harvested, as a rule, in mid-July, but the main part of it finally ripens by the end of August - beginning of September.

Did you know? The Aztecs and Mayans used hot peppersas a substitute for salt, which was not well known to them, and sweets were consumed as a regular vegetable.

In the open ground

The harvest time for vegetables growing outdoors is influenced by 3 main factors:

ripening times are different for each individual variety: for early ones - 70–80 days, for late ones - from 130 days or more;
type of culture - bitter or sweet;
seasonal weather conditions.

The main part of the harvest begins in mid-August, the fruits are removed at intervals of 6–8 days. By the onset of the first frost, not a single vegetable should remain on the bushes.

After harvesting the fruits, they need to be sorted according to their degree of ripeness. Those that have not had time to fully ripen must be folded separately for ripening.

If storage conditions are properly observed, this crop can be stored for a long time, even longer than tomatoes or eggplants can be stored.

The rules for storing pepper are as follows:

The main condition is that the vegetables should not have any flaws (scratches, signs of disease, cracks, dents).
Fruits with thin walls are best stored in the refrigerator, but first you need to cut off their stalks so that a small tip remains.
Ripe vegetables must be stored at a temperature of +1...+2°C, and those that are still ripening - at +10...+12°C.

Important!Plastic bags and boxes are excellent for storing peppers, in which the fruits should be folded and sprinkled with sawdust.

In the greenhouse

The maturation of this culture in greenhouse conditions occurs in 90–110 days, the fruits can be collected for a long time. The fruiting period, as when grown in open beds, depends on the variety.

Finally ripened fruits, located at the level of the third tier from the soil, should be selected for collecting seeds. The collected vegetables should be set aside until completely dry, and only after that the seeds are removed from them. The seeds are wrapped in paper or placed in paper bags and stored until completely dry. Shelf life - 3 years.

How to tell if peppers are ripe

Signs of ripening of this vegetable crop:

by color - vegetables should be red, yellow, pale lemon, purple;
the size and shape of the fruit must correspond to its variety;
The pepper is elastic, plump, and has a fresh smell.

Besides indicated signs, it is worth taking into account the technical and biological ripeness of the fruit.

Did you know?The Mayan Indians rubbed hot pepper gums to get rid of toothache.

Technical ripeness

This type of ripeness occurs 20–45 days after the flowering period. The crop has not yet reached its full maturity, but already corresponds to the parameters of a ripe vegetable. Harvesting sweet peppers at this time is necessary in order to successfully transport, store and sell them. The color of the fruit can be dark green, white, or yellowish. During technical maturity, vegetables are harvested selectively, every 5–10 days, before the onset of the first cold weather.

With technical ripeness, subject to storage rules, pepper feels great for up to 2 months and gradually ripens. When moving harvested In a sunny or well-lit place, full ripeness will occur faster than when storing vegetables in a dark place, and the color will correspond to the fully ripened fruit of its variety.

Biological ripeness

This ripeness is also called physiological. This is the real ripeness of the pepper, at which it reaches the required size on the bush and acquires the appropriate color. Biologically mature fruits have bright colors - red, yellow, orange, brown, purple.

The harvested crop cannot be stored during physiological maturity - the vegetables must be immediately sold or processed. They are collected every 4–5 days. It must be remembered that if you collect ripe vegetables at the wrong time, the branching of the bush may stop, which can negatively affect the volume of the subsequent harvest.

Important! The peculiarity of hot red pepper is that it needs to be collected only after the onset of biological maturity.

When determining the degree of maturity of bitter pepper, the following basic characteristics are used:

colorful color of the pod - red, orange, yellow;
dry leaves at the bottom of the bush and yellowing top ones;
the ripened fruits of this vegetable are saturated with bitter, pungent substances, and if you rub the pod a little on the skin, you should feel a burning sensation.

The ideal time to collect bitter pods for long-term storage is the end of September.

If the hot pepper is harvested before biological maturity, it does not contain a sufficient amount of pungent substances. Such vegetables are usually used for canning.

How to pick peppers correctly

During the harvest, there is no need to rush to collect everything at once. An incorrectly harvested fruit will not be suitable for storage; it will quickly rot, and if other vegetables are lying next to it, they will also begin to rot. Be sure to use a sharp knife or garden shears to harvest the crop. Under no circumstances should fruits be picked from the bush - they are very fragile and delicate, they may develop breaks, cracks, dents and scratches, which will lead to spoilage.

So, knowledge of the correct technology for harvesting pepper fruits is necessary if you want to get the richest harvest possible. This technology is not complicated, but it requires compliance with the rules for harvesting this vegetable crop. This way you can preserve your harvest for a long period.