Don't worry if your jalapenos are turning black! Jalapeños turn black often during their to natural ripening process. Most Jalapeño varieties mature from green to red, and during this time they often turn partially black or deep purple – this is totally normal. You may be worried that there is something wrong with your Jalapeño peppers, but often they will turn partially dark or black as they starting to turn red. Green to black to red is how they ripen!
Jalapeños peppers can be harvested at any stage, though they will develop more flavor as they ripen to their final red (or orange/yellow) colors. In fact, most Jalapeños that you buy in the store will be green, as they are less perishable at this stage, but they still have great flavor and heat!
Note: sometimes Jalapeños can turn black due to stress from factors like cold weather, blossom end rot, sun exposure, or nutrient deficiencies... but if the plant is healthy and the weather is good, it's most likely that the pepper is just going through it's normal ripening phase!
Did you know there are a lot of different varieties of Jalapeños? That's right, and we have not just one but ELEVEN different types of Jalapeño seeds!
This Jalapeño above has black on one side, but this is a totally normal pepper in it's ripening phase. Nothing to be alarmed by! Not all Jalapeños turn red, some will turn yellow, purple or orange! Check out all of our types of Jalapeño seeds!
