Okay, So I've been wondering for like, ever, and at the risk of coming off as.. well.. a newbie, I was wondering if I should be allowing my peppers to fruit if they're still rather small. I have a cayenne and a couple of bells that have several peppers growing on them but the plants themselves havent grown at all, they've stayed about 5". I was told (by a fellow new gardener) when they're producing they put all their nurtients and growth into the peppers, But I've always seen these beautiful large bushy peppers with tons of pepps, And I know growin season is still just kickn off and I shouldnt expect them to be big, but all my other peppers which are just starting to put out peppers are very noticibly larger, should I pinch out the peppers until they get a bit bigger?
Last year I had some really productive bell pepper plants. They were loaded even when the plants were small. I pinched out some of the peppers. I just didn't see how those little plants were going to support all those peppers. I got enough peppers to meet our summer needs (three or so every week. Then, in late July the plants perked up again. They exploded with peppers. I had peppers to eat, give away and freeze for winter use. Thinning of the bell peppers didn't seem to hurt things at all. I only grew one variety of hot pepper last year, Mariachi peppers. I didn't thin those. I haven't grown cayenne peppers.
I do not thin my cayenne peppers but if the bells get a few too many I will pick a few small and let the rest grow. The plants will continue to grow if you thin or not. All mine start producing while small but get taller as the season gets going. Right now I am getting about 8 to 10 bells every two or three days. Don`t even want to mention the cayenne and jalapeno or habanero. But if I have a lot I freeze them whole and make picante sauce as I need it throughout the winter.
