Pepper plants not doing well and have some questions

I planted one green pepper plant, one red pepper plant and one yellow pepper plant a couple of weeks after my last frost date. I did not plant seeds, they were all purchased from a nursery. My red pepper plant has not produced any peppers, my green pepper plant has produced one small pepper but it started browning (maybe from getting too hot?) so I went ahead and picked it, and I have one pepper on my yellow pepper plant but it is still green. I do not see any signs that more will grow either. I am wondering how many peppers are normally expected to grow per plant, and if I have any hope of new peppers growing or should I just dig them up and plant something else? This is my first year trying my hand at gardening, so I am still learning. Thanks!

I have the same problem this year.  No peppers, yet.  Finally, they started growing during our hot spell the last couple of weeks and they are  18" tall, at least 3 of the 4 are...  But now they are flowering, so hopefully, peppers will develop.

I have several "in-ground" peppers with the same problem.

Patience brings good fortune, and I hope, some peppers.

I grow peppers for my hubby and have notice that they like it hot!!! IF it gets cool they stop producing.I have come to learn that pepper at least for me turn from green to brown to what color they are suppose to be. This process has take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks depending on the that the plants is getting and how hot it gets. Hope this helps. If not do some research on the forum and see what you can find out.

All peppers start off green when young.  They'll turn to their variety colors (red, orange, yellow) as they get older, but one should pick them while they are green to keep the plant going.  They won't be as sweet or as hot but harvesting will keep the plant producing more.   Near the end of the season, allow the last ones to stay on the plant and turn their variety color.  If you leave the early green ones on the plant to keep growing, it will reduce your productivity.
Sweet peppers get sweeter when they change color and hot peppers will get hotter when they change colors.
Depending on the variety you can expect only a few up to dozens.  Weather and heat also make a difference.

quiltbea wrote:All peppers start off green when young.  They'll turn to their variety colors (red, orange, yellow) as they get older, but one should pick them while they are green to keep the plant going.  They won't be as sweet or as hot but harvesting will keep the plant producing more.   Near the end of the season, allow the last ones to stay on the plant and turn their variety color.  If you leave the early green ones on the plant to keep growing, it will reduce your productivity.
Sweet peppers get sweeter when they change color and hot peppers will get hotter when they change colors.
Depending on the variety you can expect only a few up to dozens.  Weather and heat also make a difference.

I had no idea that the peppers should be picked before turning their variety color! I am confused now though...Will the green peppers that I pick off of my yellow or red pepper plant turn to their variety color once I pick them or should I expect to eat them green in the beginning? Are you saying that I will only get red or yellow peppers toward the end of the season and all the rest will be green? Sorry for the confusion, but this is all brand new to me. Thanks for your help!!

kmarie wrote:

I had no idea that the peppers should be picked before turning their variety color! I am confused now though...Will the green peppers that I pick off of my yellow or red pepper plant turn to their variety color once I pick them or should I expect to eat them green in the beginning? Are you saying that I will only get red or yellow peppers toward the end of the season and all the rest will be green? Sorry for the confusion, but this is all brand new to me. Thanks for your help!!

 I had the same question. Will they continue to turn like tomatoes or will we only have green peppers?

No, they will not turn to their color after they are picked. Just as the green peppers purchased from the grocery will eventually rot if not eaten and will not change to another color, so will yours from your garden. I agree that you will get more in production if you continue to pick the unripe green peppers. However, many gardeners feel (me included) that the peppers are not only more tasty when they are allowed to mature, but are also more nutritious. Some feel that the green ones are actually slightly toxic. I am not sure how correct they are on that. Anyway, since I love to have a lot of ripe peppers, I plant many pepper plants, as well as pinch off their tops to encourage branching and more production. I also group peppers more than one to square and companion plant with other vegetable/fruit plants so that I am not devoting "all" of the SFG space to pepper plants. That way, I increase my chances f many ripe peppers.

Since someone mentioned the green peppers are slightly toxic I wanted to add that my mother in law can not eat green pepper at all. They make her really sick but she is able to eat the red, orange, and yellow ones. Its weird!!

mschaef wrote:Since someone mentioned the green peppers are slightly toxic I wanted to add that my mother in law can not eat green pepper at all. They make her really sick but she is able to eat the red, orange, and yellow ones. Its weird!!

I have to interject here, that a comment was made by unknown gardeners that green peppers were slightly toxic. There was no proof offered that this is a fact. Peppers contain capsaicin which is a higher level in the membranes and seeds. It is thought to be produced by the plant as a deterrent to any animal that may want to eat it. It can be very mild level, or an incredibly concentrated level in it's natural state. Capsaicin has many medical uses and is researched heavily.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsaicin

Other plants that we commonly eat that have the potential for making humans ill are potatoes, cherries, almonds, etc.
http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-toxic-foods-we-love-to-eat.php

Regarding your mother-in-law's sensitivity to only green peppers, this article may shed some light on why that may be.
http://www.helium.com/items/914513-allergic-reactions-to-bell-peppers

Millenia wrote:

 I had the same question. Will they continue to turn like tomatoes or will we only have green peppers?

It depends upon the pepper variety.

My Anaheim and Poplano peppers will ripen to red after picked green.  I suppose it matters, like with tomatoes, that you pick when they have matured enough already to do so.

It also helps to have properly labeled each plant!   My "green chilies" turned red on the plant and my Cayenne chilies were green when I picked them.  The single Poblamo was easy to identify, thank goodness.  The single red bell and single yellow bell turned their expected colors. For the first time in my life, the pepper plants have more than one fruit!

quiltbea wrote:All peppers start off green when young.  They'll turn to their variety colors (red, orange, yellow) as they get older, but one should pick them while they are green to keep the plant going.  They won't be as sweet or as hot but harvesting will keep the plant producing more.   Near the end of the season, allow the last ones to stay on the plant and turn their variety color.  If you leave the early green ones on the plant to keep growing, it will reduce your productivity.
Sweet peppers get sweeter when they change color and hot peppers will get hotter when they change colors.
Depending on the variety you can expect only a few up to dozens.  Weather and heat also make a difference.

I have had pretty good luck picking the ripe peppers and then giving the plants a good shot of new compost and watering in well. I usually get a second crop in the early fall this way. And the fall peppers seem to turn their color better. Guess the shorter days signal them to ripen for seed production which is, of course, their main purpose in life.

Kay