See how nice and shiny green your peppers are? That's your first clue they're not ready.

Wait until they get a lot of blackish color on them. Not all Jalapenos are going to do that though so another sign to watch for is corking. This is a number of very fine horizontal lines on the fruit. This is a sign of maturity which usually means heat.

Patience is the key. You may try cutting down on the water a bit also. This can cause the plant a bit of stress and that could help pump up the heat. Don't totally quit watering though. If you're doing it every day then try every other, unless its REALLY hot.

Here in the Pacific NW (SW for our Canadian members as I think you are) they may never turn red, although there's a fair chance of that this year what with our verey warm summer.

You didn't buy one of the mild Jalapenos did you? There are some bred for the faint of tongue such as Senorita and Fooled You which don't get much heat.

Ahhhh, ok so this is what I am hearing so far:

- Shiny peppers are not usually ripe peppers... wait until they get some blushing of a shade... IE blackish in this case
- Corking may also indicate ripeness

Thank you for the information! This is my first time growing these, and can use all the advice I can get. I am in British Columbia, so not too far from your zone. Actually, I am zone 7B on vancouver island, we have been very hot as well (unusually so).

I checked the variety again, and it says 'Jalepeno Hot' as the variety, so hoping this is not the mild variety. My Super Chilis just started blushing red and they are pretty spicy. My Habenero is blushing right now (awesome) and I am looking forward to making some insanely hot fresh salsa with my fresh tomatoes. Was so suprised to find out how much fun growing peppers can be, as my parents never grew them while they had a HUGE garden each year when I was a child. Next year, I will branch out into some of the more interesting types as I did with my tomatoes.

Thanks again, hows your crop doing?

Search "thehippyseedcompany" on youtube. There is a guy on there named Neil who sells seeds and makes videos of himself trying all the varietys he sells. You might get some ideas of what you would like to grow there.

Yea...when they get a lot of those rough kinda light looking scrape type marks on them they can be picked...lol. Or when they turn.

its all really a matter of taste in my opinion as to when to pick them...i usually just wait until theyre red...i like the taste best then too

p.s. nice looking yield!

In Mexico, where lots of Xalapas are grown, as many are eaten green as are eaten red/ripe.

Salsa verde uses Xalapas a lot.

Picante will vary from pod-to-pod on the same plant.....some are hot, some are not.

I happen to like the way they taste shiny! Try them. Simple as that. I pick and eat my peppers at all stages.

Hi Westcoastj -

My pepper crop here in the Seattle area is looking great so far. Much will depend on whether we have a rain-free August or not. A little rain would be nice, but too much will cause disease. I forget what the disease I get in the fall is - I think its Phytophothora. It causes upper leaves and branches to turn black and die back, and then some fruit die also. I've got my fingers crossed that doesn't happen too soon.

I have 64 plants of about 38 varieties this year. I'm big on Italian sweet peppers and have 'Corno Di Toro', Giant Marconi', 'Atris', 'Palladio' and Jimmy Nardello'. These are all loaded with fruit this year. Nothing red (or yellow in Palladio's case) yet.

I also have about 5-6 Thai or Chinese hot peppers which are all setting fruit. They're fairly long season so I will need at least a month, and better two, for good ripe fruit. I have Kung Pao, Orange Thai, Orange Fogo, Red Demon and Thai Dragon growing.

Other than that I have a variety of Jalapenos (3 kinds), Poblano/Anchos (4 kinds), Pasilla, Pimiento (2 types), Paprika Supreme, Spanish Spice, Key West Cubanelle, etc.

I'm impressed your habaneros are doing so well. Mine have just barely set fruit. Its barely even visible through the faded flower petals. This is despite starting them in a greenhouse and having a warm summer so far.

Good luck with your pepper efforts!

Jalapeno can be funny, some plants will produce milder pods while others will consistently produce hot pods. This isn't even including the mild versions. Jalapenos will become darker green before turning red, some will cork, others won't, really depends on the variety.

Basically watering does have some effect on Jalapeno heat, but truthfully it mostly depends on the plant itself, a good jalapeno plant will produce hot pods regardless of the amount of water it receives. Also if you ever get one that produces pods with lots of orange on the inside, save seeds from it as these are very hot.

Earlier this year I needed some hot jalapenos for peach jam I was canning, and since all I had were some mild TAMs, I picked up a bunch at the grocery store. They were big and beautiful and had virtually no heat! What is this world coming to when you can't even get a hot jalapeno in Texas?!

I ended up using Serranos and probably will in the future since their heat seems much more consistent. Save the jalapenos for nachos and stuffing.

I agree with the above post by met... Jalepenos are highly variable as regards to heat go. I find that if you wait until they ripen or get closer to ripening the heat increases dramatically. But many times when I sample an unripe one from the garden I am dissapointed in heat.

My vote goes to letting them ripen and then you will experience the ultimate heat. Watering, fertilizing, weather conditions etc of course all contribute to your heat level, but nothing tastes as good as a red ripe jalepeno and it is always worth the wait in my book

kendra

First off, please everyone accept my thanks for your advice, input, and comments. I very much appreciated hearing from fellow pepper lovers!!!!!!!

I am going to wait a few weeks on those Jalapenos, to see if they come together. I am going to start a new thread on Habeneros! I tried mine, and I cannot believe how it tasted!!!

Once, again, thanks, and happy gardening!