Chillies are a popular pepper to grow in home gardens. Their spicy kick adds flavor and heat to many dishes. As a chili pepper matures on the plant, it undergoes some changes in color, flavor, and spice level. So when is the best time to harvest chillies for maximum taste and heat? Here’s a guide on how long you can leave chillies on the plant before picking.
Time Needed for Chillies to Ripen
Chilli peppers usually take anywhere from 60-100 days to fully mature from when they first set fruit The exact time can vary depending on the specific variety and growing conditions
Smaller chili varieties like Thai bird’s eye chillies may be ready to harvest in 60 days. Larger chili types like jalapenos can take up to 80-90 days to fully develop. Check the seed packet or plant tag for the estimated time to maturity for the chili variety you are growing.
How to Tell When Chillies Are Ready to Pick
As chillies mature they undergo some changes in appearance that indicate ripeness
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Color change – Green chillies will start to change from green to red yellow orange, or purple depending on variety as they ripen. The color darkens and becomes more vibrant when maturity approaches.
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Glossiness – Immature chillies have a shiny, smooth appearance. As they ripen, the skin becomes more wrinkled and less glossy looking.
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Firmness – Young chillies are turgid and firm. Older ones feel softer when squeezed.
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Size – Chillies are ready to harvest when they stop increasing in size and reach their maximum length.
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Dried calyx – The calyx is the green stem-like structure at the top of the pepper. It remains bright green when the chillies are unripe. The calyx dries out and turns brown when the chilli has fully matured.
How Long to Leave Chillies on Plant Before Picking
Once chillies reach their mature color and the fruits feel firm, they can be picked at any time. You can leave ripe chillies on the plant for 5-10 days to allow them to fully develop their flavor, spice and sweetness before harvesting.
Leaving the chillies longer than 10 days runs the risk that they become overripe. This makes them soft and more prone to splitting or rotting on the plant.
Picking chillies when they first ripen also means they will be at their peak pungency and heat level. Some gardeners recommend harvesting early if you prefer a spicier chili.
Ongoing Harvest for Continued Production
Chili pepper plants will continue to set new flowers and produce more chillies all season long. To keep the harvest going:
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Pick both ripe and unripe fruits regularly. This prevents overloading the plant.
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Don’t strip off all the chillies at one time. Leave some to continue ripening.
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Prune back the plant after heavy pickings to stimulate new growth.
Proper Storage of Fresh Chillies
Chillies you plan to eat right away can be stored at room temperature for 2-3 days. For longer storage:
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Refrigerate fresh chillies in a loose plastic bag for 2 weeks.
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Freeze whole chillies for several months.
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Pickle chillies in vinegar brine for extended shelf life.
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Dry or dehydrate chillies to enjoy their flavor year-round.
Watching for Problems
Leaving chillies on the plants for too long can lead to some issues:
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Overripe fruits that become soft or split open are prone to rotting from mold, bacteria, or fungi.
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Pests like aphids may accumulate on fruits left on the plant indefinitely.
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Pepper plants with a heavy fruit load can become stressed and stop flowering/setting new chillies.
So for the best flavor and continuous harvest, it’s ideal to start picking chillies once they first ripen. But you can certainly leave them on for 5-10 days past initial ripening without problems. Just be sure to remove truly overripe or damaged fruits right away to keep your plants productive.
Final Tips on Harvesting Chillies
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Use pruners or scissors for clean cuts that don’t damage the plant.
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Leave the calyx attached for longer fresh storage life.
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Wear gloves to prevent skin irritation when handling hot peppers.
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Pick in dry weather to reduce disease risk.
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Handle the chillies gently to avoid bruising.
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Refrigerate freshly picked chillies quickly.
Growing chillies is fun and rewarding. Just be attentive to ripeness indicators so you can enjoy a bountiful harvest of peppers at their flavorful best. With the proper timing, you’ll get the optimal spice, heat, and taste from your homegrown chillies.
Harvesting and storing chilis correctly: it’s all about timing
Harvesting chilis has to be learned! If you like your chilis to be very hot, do not harvest too early, but also not too late! We do not just show you how to recognize the best time for harvesting. We also explain how to harvest your hot peppers in CHARLY CHILI correctly.
Nearly all chili fans ask themself during ripening season: when are my hot peppers ready to harvest? When do they reach the optimum heat level and how can I detect that? When growing your own chilis, you deserve fiery and fruity spiciness, which depends on the optimum ripening level and the correct harvest.
Their legendary heat is formed in the walls and seeds of the fruit and has a genetic basis, which is defined in the various different chili diversities. But there are also enormous fluctuations depending on the growing conditions like soil, climate, irrigation and timing of the harvest. Basically there are 7 substances (=capsaicinoids) responsible for the heat, which are developed inside (= in the placenta) of the fruits. The earlier the chilis are harvested, the less of these substances were generated. Thats why the hot peppers do not taste that hot as required. According to studies Pequin-Chilis reach the peak of heat units 40 days after fructification, Habaneros only after 50 days (these values apply for the origin of these varieties, Mexico). At our moderate climate you must lengthen this value for some more days or rather weeks to reach the peak. If the chilis do not get harvested in this time slot, the content of capsaicinoids decreases and the chilis lose some heat.
DId you know that even chilis from the same plant can have different heat units? The chili peppers on the lower part of the plant are the hottest On the upper part the chilis are less hot.
Jalapeno peppers are typically harvested when they are green and firm for fresh use or for canning. Anaheim, Serrano, New Mexico, as well as bell peppers, are also harvested when they are green. The interesting thing is the completely different aroma, which red chilis develop in comparison to harvesting them green. In this case it is a question of taste, at what ripening point you want to harvest your chilis. Varieties like Yellow Hot Wax and Hungarian Wax only ripen to yellow and are not meant to be harvested green ❗
The enormous diversity of varieties definitely make it difficult to name a blanket ripening duration. But a look into the internet always reveals helpful informations to every chili variety. Chili lovers all over the world collect and share their growing experiences and ripening duration in different climates.
The best timing for harvesting is therefore determined by the desired heat level and the aroma. The consistency is another factor that provides information about the optimum harvesting slot and is closely linked with the 2 named factors. If you are harvesting green chilis like Jalapeño, Anaheim, Serrano, New Mexican and Poblano you can easily feel, if the chilis are ripe. Are the fruits firm, but you can still push them a little bit togehter, than they are ready to harvest. Unripe chilis are completely filled with texture and seeds in the inside. Thats why they are completey firm. In this case your hot peppers definitely need more time to ripen.
Similiar to red, yellow and orange tomatoes, the coloring of chilis always provides reliable information about their ripening level. The peppers always get colored first at the crown (top of the fruit). From here the coloring goes down to the bottom of the chili, until it is evenly colored. If your fruits are in that state, you should generally wait another 5 days before picking.
Preferably harvest a little bit later, than too early: maybe your peppers loose a little bit of heat, but ripe, red chilis win a lot of sweetness, frutiy aroma and carotin. Different to tomatoes, chilis DO NOT ripen further after harvesting. Any risk of the first autumn freeze in sight, then punctually harvested chilis definitely taste better than the ones with frost damage.
Do not worry about small dark colored areas on your chili peppers. As long as the skin of the fruits is still smooth and even you can use the chilis without any doubt. The fruits just store anthocyane in their cell walls and membranes as protectection against sunlight. Thats literally their way to moisturize with sunscreen and happens especially when the plants have builded fruits before they were exposed to intense sun light. Or also in summer when the gardener removes a leaf, which protected the fruit against sun. Sometimes these so called anthocyanes reduce, but mostly the dark coloring stays. So, red ripening fruits get red , but the dark areas stay a little bit darker.
You are still not sure, when your chilis are ready to harvest? Then you can also try a chili. Does it already have the desired aroma? Then you can also start harvestesting the other ones: Harvest peppers during dry weather by cutting them from the stem, rather than picking them, which can break the stems and damage the plants. Use a sharp knife or garden scissor for cutting. Cut the stem approx. in the middle and better leave a little bit more stem linked to the fruit.
Step-by-step to your chili harvest:
- mind the given ripening duration and the the color of the planted variety
- ripe chilis are not completely firm any more, so you can push them a little bit
- wait until completely and evenly colored
- after that state wait another 5 days until harvesting
- try one chili before you harvest all
- only harvest by cutting the stem with a knife or scissor
- cut the stem in the middle between fruit and plant
- do not worry about dark areas, they are normal
Hot peppers are full of water and decay or dry out rapidly. Dont wash them after picking, but brush any dirt off them. Fresh harvested chilis feel best in the refrigerator. But note that you should never place them in a closed bin. Condensation water and following mould would be builded very quickly. Better store them lose in the refrigerator. When stored this way, they should last for two or three weeks.
If you want to preserve chilis for longer, than you can easily freeze them. So the vitamins and minerals stay in the fruit. You can also cut and portion freezed chilis easily with a knife. So you can cut exactly the needed amount for any dish and freeze the rest of the chili again.
❗ Hot peppers have volatile oils that can burn your eyes and skin. Always wear rubber gloves when handling or cutting hot peppers❗
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Overwintering Peppers – Keep Your Plants Alive for Years – Pepper Geek
FAQ
What happens if you leave chillies on the plant?
Extended ripening: Allow chillies to remain on the plant longer until they fully ripen and change colour. The longer they stay on the plant, the hotter they become.
Can peppers be left on the plant too long?
Harvest your peppers as soon as they’re ripe to encourage your plant to keep producing for you. You can actually reduce your overall fruit yield if you leave peppers growing for too long since they drain resources from the plant.
Can you dry chillies on the plant?
You’re better off harvesting them and drying them using traditional methods. If you want to dry them on the vine, you’ll want to cut the vine itself and hang that up to dry as if it were a cut flower left to dry and the peppers flowers on the stem.
How to harvest chillies?
There are a few ways to harvest your chillies. If you want to use the whole pepper, you can simply pluck it from the plant. If you are going to harvest them by hand, simply pluck the pepper from the plant. You should pluck it off with your fingers. Alternatively, if you are going to harvest them by hand, you can just cut the pepper from the plant.
How long do chillies keep in the fridge?
When it comes to how long do chillies keep in the fridge, the answer is that it depends! You can usually keep fresh chillies for 7 days in the fridge. To store chillies properly in the fridge, keep them in the salad chiller in a bag or plastic container.
How do you ripen a chilli plant?
Stress the plants: Reducing water and slightly stressing the plants can increase the heat level. Be cautious not to overdo it, as excessive stress can harm the plants. Extended ripening: Allow chillies to remain on the plant longer until they fully ripen and change colour. The longer they stay on the plant, the hotter they become.
How long do chillies last?
Fresh chillies will only keep for a maximum of around 3 weeks, so you’ll either only eat your homegrown chillies for a short window of time, or you can learn how to store chillies and enjoy them all year round! The best time to harvest chillies is when the seeds inside have matured. This isn’t necessarily when the chillies have changed colour.
How long do Chilli Chilli pungency last?
In addition, they can be used as a flavouring and flavoring agent in many foods and drinks. We usually wait 5 days before picking if the Chilli has changed color. For the pungency, we give it time to produce more fructose and capsaicin. We don’t let them hang out for more than 10 days so they are ready to eat.
When should you harvest chilli seeds?
For more inspiration, browse our full range of chilli seeds and potted chilli plants. When you harvest your chillies will depend on the variety you’re growing and your desired heat level. Most chillies can be harvested as soon as they reach their full size and colour, which can range from green to red, yellow, or even purple.