Plant guide:ðŦ Bell Pepper
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Growth
Bell Pepper Fruit Staying Green and Not Ripening to Colour
Commonly affects: Capsicum annuum, Grossum Group (Bell Pepper)
Fruits reach full size but stay green rather than turning red, yellow, or orange as expected for the variety.
Potential Causes
- 1Fruit simply not having had enough time yet, since colour change happens after full size is reached and can take several additional weeks
- 2Cooler autumn temperatures slowing the ripening process as the season winds down
- 3Some varieties naturally taking longer to colour than others, or being picked green intentionally, since green bell peppers are simply unripe versions of the same fruit
Solution Steps
- 1Be patient, since colour change is the final, often slowest stage of bell pepper development after the fruit has reached full size
- 2Bring plants under cover or use row covers to extend the season if cooler weather is slowing ripening
- 3Harvest green if desired, since green bell peppers are edible and simply an earlier stage of the same fruit
- 4Consider that some varieties take 4-6 weeks after reaching full size before fully colouring
Prevention Tip
Green bell peppers aren't a different variety or a problem â they're simply the same fruit before its final colour-ripening stage, which can take several extra weeks.
