Harvest guide

Bell pepper harvest guide: when to pick and how much to expect

Bell peppers start green and ripen to red, yellow or orange, getting sweeter as they go. When you pick them changes both flavour and how many you get.

Days to harvest: 70–80 days from transplanting(Montana State University Extension)
Harvest months: July–October(RHS)
Typical yield: 2.3 kg per 3 m row (5 lb per 10 ft)(Montana State University Extension)
Per plant: about 0.28 kg (0.6 lb) per plant(Montana State University Extension)
Spacing: 38–45 cm (15–18 in) apart(RHS)
Family: Solanaceae (nightshade family)
Botanical name: Capsicum annuum

Bell pepper planting and harvest calendar

Sow February–April. Plant out April–June. Harvest July–October.(RHS)

Bell pepper season timeline

Sow
Plant out
Harvest

Months are for a temperate Northern Hemisphere climate, based on RHS (UK) guidance. Shift them earlier or later to match your own frost dates, or by about six months in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sow
Plant out
Harvest

When to harvest bell peppers

Pick when the fruits are full-sized, firm and glossy. You can take them green or wait for them to colour.(RHS)
Most varieties turn from green to red, though some go yellow, orange or purple. They get sweeter as they ripen.(RHS)

How often to pick

Pick regularly. Leaving fruit on the plant to ripen fully slows down new fruit, so picking some green gives a bigger total harvest.(RHS)

How many bell peppers to expect

A 3 m (10 ft) row typically gives about 2.3 kg (5 lb). Figure for peppers in general.(Montana State University Extension)

That works out to about 0.28 kg (0.6 lb) per plant. Row yield divided by the 8 plants per 10 ft row that the same table assumes (80 plants per 100 ft).(Montana State University Extension)

Yields vary with variety, weather, soil and care. Treat these as ballpark figures, not targets.

Plan for your family

For 4 people eating bell peppers fresh, plan on about 8–12 plants(University of Missouri Extension). That should give roughly 2–3 kg (5–8 lb) over the season(Montana State University Extension).

See the full planting-per-person guide →

Storing your bell peppers

Store peppers around 13 °C (55 °F) in a perforated bag, or for a few days in the fridge. Below about 7 °C (45 °F) they can develop pitting.(University of Minnesota Extension)
Expect about two weeks.(University of Minnesota Extension)

Track it

Log every bell pepper harvest

Harvest Journal is a private garden journal for your phone. Tap to log each picking of bell peppers by weight or count, and see your season add up, with no account needed.

Prefer paper? Make a free harvest report PDF in your browser, with no account needed.

Bell pepper harvest FAQ

Are green and red bell peppers the same plant?

Usually, yes. The RHS explains that most sweet peppers start green and ripen to red, or to yellow, orange or purple depending on the variety, getting sweeter as they ripen.