Bell Peppers

[Mira]

Hello to all. I'm a newbie here but been lurking and reading all the posts that may help me. I have vegetable garden that I enjoy so much. We planted white corns as they're hard to find in our groceries here (Texas). We have

4 varieties of tomatoes, and also yellow and red bell peppers grown from seeds. We bought yellow bell peppers from Lowe's and here is my question, when the bell peppers will turn yellow or red? I read somewhere that if you harvest them they will turn in their color as they ripen. But it's been weeks now and they're still green. My sister told me that they will turn red or yellow in the plant as she saw a plant full of red bell peppers. Is she right? We left some fruits in the plants but they're still green. Thanks for the info, Mira

[FarmerDill]

Your sister is right. Bell peppers turn color as they ripen. If picked green they do not ripen. For the colors except purples leaves them on the plant to ripen. The purples turn red when they ripen.

[Frogleg]

[I guess Mira wrote:]

Not quite. Most peppers will eventually turn red on the plant, no matter what color stages they pass through. Those bred and marketed as other-than-green turn yellow or red or orange more quickly. As I recall, Golden Summer was all yellow before it was completely grown -- that is, before it had reached full size.

And peppers *will* continue to ripen and change color off the vine and in the refrigerater crisper.