Are You Leaving Fruit On The Vine

With the hot and dry summer, I’d kind of given up on getting peppers from my pepper plants. Originally I’d planted four chili and four red bell pepper plants that I’d started myself. But I mixed up which was which and some didn’t thrive. I bought other pepper plants, and it seems we’ve ended up with a ton of bell pepper plants. That’s okay. I love them; my parrots love them. I cook with them quite often.

My partner has been watering the plants, but nothing seemed to be doing much.

Until all of a sudden, I came home, looked at my plants, and realized the small peppers I’d left there thinking they’d get bigger, were rotting through.

And then it hit me. I’d been waiting for my peppers to get larger. I’d been so wrapped up in their size, I’d forgotten that they are ripe and ready for cooking. And they are delicious. (I’ve since harvested and used them.)

Are you waiting for your own peppers to get larger? Are you leaving fruit on the vine because you’re expecting something different or something more spectacular? Are you not harvesting your fruit because it doesn’t conform to some sort of expectations?

I am now enjoying my peppers, small as they are, and I wish the drought hadn’t gotten my green beans. I’m thinking about planting some fall collard greens for my lizards. And now, I know, to pay a lot more attention to my harvest and pick when it’s ripe.

Share and Enjoy