Have trouble figuring out when peppers are ripe and ready for harvest? Here's a few tips to help.
First things first, different pepper plants produce different colored peppers so it is imperative that you know what type of peppers you’ve planted.
You can harvest peppers at any size desired, however, green bell varieties are usually harvested when they are fully grown, about 3-4 inches. When fruit is mature, they break easily from the plant but less damage occurs if the fruit is cut from the plant.
Colored bell peppers should be left on the plant until fully ripen to red, yellow, orange or brown, depending on variety planted, so full flavor can be developed. If desired they can be harvested while green and immature.
Some colors, including “white”, light yellow, lilac and purple, develop in the immature fruit and should be harvested before actually ripened, when they turn red.
For more information go here: http://urbanext.illinois.edu/veggies/peppers.cfm