Sweetest Bell Peppers Have Four Lobes & Bitter Cucumbers

Question:

 I’ve been told that the sweetest bell peppers are those with four bumps  on the bottom as they are the females.  The “male” pepper has only three bumps. Is this factual?  In addition, my red, mini bell peppers are now starting to turn a marbling color.  They’re a combination of red, orange, and green colors and then start to shrivel up.  Are they lacking something or just very confused?

Answer:

  • The number of bumps or lobes on peppers is not an indicator of sweetness, nor is the sex of a fruit. Someone is misinformed or just pulling your leg. 
  • Peppers have both male and female reproductive structures in the same flower. They do not produce separate male and female fruits. The male flower is sterile. The female produces the fruit, although some male flowers on papaya have been known to set fruit.
  • Genetics determines the number of lobes on a pepper. The four-lobed ‘bell’ pepper is the most popular in the USA, so plants have been bred for this characteristic. Sweetness is another genetic characteristic.
  • The sweetness in all sweet peppers increases as they mature. They start out green and change color as they ripen.
  • The color depends on the specific variety, the most common variety is red when ripe.  Red, yellow, or orange sweet bell peppers start out green and turn red, yellow, or orange when ripe. What can be confusing is that there is also a green variety that is green when ripe.
  • Peppers shrivel up when they are overripe and on the decline. So they need to be picked before this occurs. The green bell peppers you find at the store are usually unripe green sweet bell pepper, or it could be unripe red. They will not be any of the other color varieties in the green stage because the other colors can be sold at a much higher price, so they are always allowed to ripen before being sold. The additional time it takes to ripen and change color accounts for the reason they are more expensive.
  • Overall, you’re waiting to long to harvest the peppers, so pick them before they start to shrivel. 

Question:

I planted one cucumber plant near a  bitter melon plant.  Some of the cucumbers are bitter tasting.  Is that due to the cross-pollination between the two plants? Also, is it safe to consume bitter cucumbers?

Answer:

  • Plant characteristics do not change in the same growing season.  Cross-pollination occurs with the pollen from one plant is transferred to the pistils of the second plant.
    • This results in a seed that carries the characteristics of both parents.  You would have to sow and germinate the seed to see what developed.
    • So, it’s impossible to for a cucumber plant to pick up the bitter characteristic from a next-store plant.
    • And yes,  it’s perfectly safe to eat bitter cucumbers. A common reason for intermixed bitterness is heat stress from irregular watering during warmer-than-normal temperatures.