Topic: Chilli Ripening Question

[Garp]

My first attempt at growing from seed and the plants (only 5) are pretty healthy. I have them all in the greenhouse except the one I just kept on the windowsill which is a cayenne which I let flower and fruit before the rest.

My possibly stupid question is this:

Do chillies start ripening from the inside? The reason I ask is that I took the first cayenne off tonight (still entirely green on the outside), but upon cutting, it was starting to go orangey on the inside of the flesh. Ripening or rotting?

[Bob-A-Job]

Hi Garp,

I don't know the answer to your question but in my years of experience, I have never had any 'fruit' rot on the plant.

I have grown many varieties, including having to fashion a humidity tent (using a LOT of cling film) to grow jalapenos in the house as I don't have a greenhouse.  I have grown some that remain Green and some that ripen to Red and others that change to all sorts of colour from Yellow through to Purple.  The ones that ripen to red, I sometimes harvested a few early whilst still green so they wouldn't be so hot.

The ones that ripen have always changed colour from a tip upwards or as a light bulb slowly being turned up (Cherry Bombs).  The only thing I ever experienced was the flesh becoming wrinkly when they had begun to over ripen.

I hope that helps though I suspect not, sorry.
BAJ

[mickyp]

Good question, I reckon it

[livo]

The fleshy pulp and seeds of chilli can sometimes be a yellowish orange colour.  Sometimes very white.  I doubt you have a problem.

[Garp]

Thanks for the replies guys. The question remains unanswered as yet........

[livo]

My experience with capsicum / peppers is that they do indeed deteriorate from the inside, but as to whether they ripen from the inside, I couldn't say because as my chillis ripen on the bush they change colour on the outside and I cant see any further than that,

A deteriorating uncut pepper may have the skin intact, possibly a little bit wrinkled, but it will have begun to go slimey inside.  Of course there could be exterior markings if a bacteria or mould has taken up residence.  A cut pepper will similarly go slimey on the cut surfaces while the flesh away from the cut is fine.  I've seen peppers that are still green on the outside which have a ripening red pup on the inside when you cut them.