When Should You Pick Banana Peppers? A Complete Harvesting Guide

• Start picking banana peppers when they turn yellow, or about 70 days after planting them.
• Pick sweet peppers when they’re yellow and hot peppers when they’re a darker orange or red for a more pronounced flavor.
• Cut the stem with pruning shears at the base of the stalk to pick your banana peppers.

How long do you let banana peppers grow before picking them?

Wait about 70 days after planting the seeds. If you planted your peppers in the spring after the last frost, let your peppers grow through the mid-summer so the plants can fully mature. As long as you consistently keep the soil moist and give your plants full sun throughout the growing season, you’ll have delicious banana peppers in a couple of months. It may take up to 80–100 days after planting the seed for peppers to fully form.

Signs that Banana Peppers are Ready to Pick

Harvest peppers when they’re about 6 inches (15 cm) long. Even though you could pick peppers when they’re any size, they won’t grow much larger than this length. Measure your peppers throughout the summer from the base of the stem to the tip of the fruit to see if they’re to size. Hot banana peppers tend to be around 1–2 inches (2.5–5.1 cm) longer than sweet peppers when they’re fully ripe.

Pick sweet banana peppers after they turn yellow. Sweet banana peppers have a milder flavor and are the best for pickling. Harvest them when they’re yellow and slightly under-ripe so they have a nice and crisp texture. Banana peppers may ripen at different times, but you can pick the ones that have changed colors and leave the rest until they’re ready. Let sweet banana peppers turn red if you want them to have a softer texture and slightly sweeter flavor.

Leave hot banana peppers on the plant until they turn red. If you want your banana peppers to have a spicier kick, let them darken in color and soften slightly in texture before you pick them. When your pepper turns orange, it will be slightly spicier and taste the spiciest once when it changes red. Some peppers will continue to ripen after you pick them, so even if you pick an orange banana pepper, it may turn red and get spicier.

Harvesting Banana Peppers

Harvest your peppers in the morning. Try to get up early and pick peppers before the hot sun is out for the day. Peppers regain moisture overnight, so picking them in the morning gives you juicier and crispier fruit.

Put on gardening gloves before picking peppers. Capsaicin, the compound that makes peppers spicy, is present in all varieties and can cause irritation if it gets on your skin or in your eyes. Even sweet banana peppers may carry small amounts of capsaicin, so put on an extra layer of protection before your harvest. If you touch a pepper while you’re picking it, wash your hands before using the bathroom or touching your eyes.

Snip the pepper’s stem with a pair of pruning shears. Since the pepper stems are brittle and break easily, cut them instead of pulling them off. Position the shears on the stem as close as you can get to the main stalk. Just hold onto the pepper as you cut the stem so it doesn’t fall to the ground. Sanitize your pruning shears after picking the peppers off a single plant so you’re less likely to spread any bacteria or fungi. If you don’t have a pair of pruning shears, pinch the base of the stem between your fingers and hold the plant stalk with your other hand. Gently pull the pepper’s stem upwards to break it off the plant.

Check your plants again in the next few weeks for more peppers. Picking banana peppers stimulates new growth, so the plant will still produce flowers that will turn into more fruit. Keep an eye on your pepper plant so you can pick any peppers that have ripened or grown in later in the season.

Storing Banana Peppers

Keep fresh peppers in your fridge for 1–2 weeks. Put the peppers in a ventilated plastic bag in the vegetable drawer in your fridge. Just before you plan on eating them, rinse them under cold running water and pat them dry with some paper towels. Raw banana peppers are about 5 times milder than an average jalapeño and have a sweeter flavor. Try making stuffed banana peppers with Italian sausage, mozzarella cheese, and tomato sauce for a delicious meal.

Freeze the peppers for up to 8 months. Trim the stems off your peppers before cutting them in half and scraping out the seeds with a spoon. Slice the peppers into strips or dice them depending on how you want to use them later on. Then, put them on a cookie sheet and place them in your freezer for an hour. After that, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag. When you want to use some of your banana peppers, just pour out as much as you need. Peppers keep indefinitely in the freezer, but they have the best flavor if you use them within 8 months.

Pickle your peppers for long-term storage. Cut your peppers into slices or strips depending on how you want to use them later. Pack the pepper slices into a clean glass jar so there’s about ⁄2 inch (1.3 cm) of headspace. Bring 3 parts vinegar, 1 part water, pickling salt, and sugar to a boil and reduce it to a simmer. Add the liquid to the jar of peppers and put on a lid to start pickling them. Seal the glass jars in a hot water bath to prevent bacteria from getting to your peppers. Let the peppers sit in the pickling liquid for about 5–6 weeks before opening them for the best flavors.