I live in Dallas and have 10 pepper plants (mixture of bell and
banana) growing nicely. I transplanted them into the garden two
months ago and they are now approximately 12-18" tall with good leaf
production. A number of them are now producing small peppers. Should
I pick them off or let them grow? I've heard somewhere that when the
plants are young, you should pick off any growing peppers. When is it
safe to leave the peppers growing on the plant?

Thanks,
Dave

It helps to pick off fruit that forms before you put the plant in the
ground. This will enable the plant to develop better roots rather than
spending energy on the fruit. Once the plant is in the ground, let it do
its thing. In some plants, too many fruit can cause the plant to produce
small fruit, but I've not observed that in pepper plants.



Dave wrote:
... I've heard somewhere that when the
plants are young, you should pick off any growing peppers...