A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2005 Peppers with baby peppers!

Along with my tomatoes, I am also growing 4 kinds of peppers. My sweet banana peppers are growing pretty well, but they have like extra little peppers growing up near the top of each fruit. Not every fruit, but maybe half of them. It doesn't seem like it should be a very big problem, probably still edible, but what is causing this and why?

Thanks!

Any way you could get us a picture of what is going on?
Would it be possible to harvest the larger peppers once they mature, leaving the smaller ones? That is what I would recommend. If there are lots of small ones bunched up at the top, you may have to thin them. Anyway, ideally, the small ones will eventually grow into large peppers too and you can harvest them!

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There are some links to pics of my problem. It's like the big peppers have mutant peppers growing from them!! Like under the "cap" of the "host" pepper there are mutant ones. Like I said, it looks like they are edible, but just real ugly!! And I'm hoping it won't effect the taste at all!!

Does anyone know what the deal is with my peppers??????

I am a novice gardener, only starting this year with two peppers (jalapeno & bell). But I have seen a similar mutation in the peppers I previously bought from the store. Maybe someone else has too:

Did you ever slice into a pepper and find another pepper growing inside it? I ate the mature pepper anyway, discarding the immature one. Tasted just fine with no repercissions. That's about all I can add.

Kelley

No worries, tattoo goddess.

peppers often have wee ones growing inside. They rarely get big. Take it as a sign of a strong, healthy plant that it is trying to grow every viable fruit.

Well hey that sounds like good news gee peppers are so such strange little plants!! The plant does seem to be awfully strong and the fruit is nice and beefy. I guess I'll accept those little mutants as bonus fruit, I'll just have to wait til the host pepper is nice and mature. Thanks for responding everyone!!

When I was a kid, I used to call those "pepper babies". They were always a special treat I'd get during the salad-making process. I like mushroom stems too, so maybe my tastes aren't hugely popular, no clue, lol.

HAHA that's cute. I have weird tastes too... I LOVE tomato juice so much I can drink a 64 ounce bottle in two hours.... and I add quite a bit of lemon juice to each glass... so much my mouth gets all puckered and tingly. mmmmmm I love sour things!!