Should I harvest peppers before frost? Absolutely!
Don't let the pepper pods freeze outside on the plants, as they will turn to mush.
Harvesting peppers before frost:
Do you have to harvest your peppers before a frost, but they're not ripe?
Here are our suggestions:
Pick your Peppers:
You can pick the peppers, and if they are close enough to ripe, they may turn color on your counter. Many peppers like jalapeños are often picked green, so enjoy them green – you'll find that super hots are still very hot and still have great flavor when not fully ripened. Check out our post: How to Preserve Peppers for lots of ideas on what you can do with your peppers, whether they are green or fully ripe!
Hang plants:
Some people pick the whole plant and hang it upside down in a dry warm area. The peppers will continue to ripen on the plant this way. But you need room and it can be messy!
Can peppers handle frost?
Nope. Pepper plants will be damaged, and the pods can be compromised. A hard freeze will surely freeze the pods and they will turn mushy and are not usable other than for seed saving. Even temperatures under 40˚ F affect peppers negatively, so even if they aren't frosted they can be stunted and stop growing in these temps.
Too many peppers?
Is there such a thing? We think not. Wondering what do do with a lot of peppers? Here are some of our suggestions:
Happy growing & harvesting!
