How Big Do Poblano Peppers Get? (Explained)
Poblano peppers are easy to grow and quite versatile. They have relatively thick skins. This makes them perfect for stuffing. They also make a great alternative to jalapenos for people who don’t like their peppers too hot. But how big do poblano peppers get?
Poblano pepper fruits can grow to around 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) long and are normally around 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.6 cm) wide. Poblano pepper plants can reach 2 to 2.5 feet (61 to 76 cm) in height and around 1 to 2 feet (30.5 to 61 cm) in width.
How Big do Poblano Peppers get?
Poblano peppers are the perfect size to use in all types of Mexican dishes. They are favored by many people because they don’t have nearly as much heat as jalapenos. This makes them a perfect alternative for people who don’t like the hotness of jalapenos but still love the taste of stuffed peppers.
Here are some size statistics for poblano peppers:
- Poblano pepper fruits (often called pods) reach a length of 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) when fully grown.
- These pods are long and a little heart-shaped and reach a width of around 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.6 cm).
- Poblano pepper plants are reasonably compact and reach a height of around 2 to 2.5 feet (61 to 76 cm). However, some gardeners have had them reach a height of around 5 feet (152 cm).
- The plants have a main stem, and many branches grow from this. This makes the plant relatively bushy, and it can reach a width of around 1 to 2 feet (30.5 to 61 cm).
Their compact size makes them ideal for growing in large pots, or they can be grown near other fruiting crops, such as tomatoes, in the vegetable patch.
As poblano peppers are a perennial plant, gardeners who live in USDA hardiness zones 9 to 11 can successfully keep their plants outdoors all year round. During winter, the plants will lose most of their leaves, but they’ll put on new growth as soon as the weather warms up.
People who live in cooler regions will have better luck by growing poblano peppers in pots. This way, they can be placed outside in the sunshine during the warmer weather and brought indoors once frosts are predicted. Alternatively, poblano peppers can also be grown as annuals.
How Big should your Poblano Peppers be before Harvesting?
You should wait until poblano peppers have reached their full size of four to six inches (10 to 15 centimeters) long before picking them. At this stage, they are fully developed and will be dark green, and have glossy skin. This usually takes around 65 days from when the seeds first germinated.
Once they reach this size, they won’t get any larger. They’ll just go to the next stage of changing color. As they change color from dark green to red, they’ll also get a bit hotter.
Why are my Poblano Peppers so Small?
If your poblano peppers are not reaching their full size and you have a lot of small peppers, it may mean that your plants are not getting enough water.
Keeping your plants well-watered is critical as the blossoms are developing. Coupled with high temperatures above 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius), a lack of water could cause damage to the blossoms just as they’re setting fruit. This will result in small peppers that may also be misshapen.
Ideally, you should give your peppers around 1 inch of water every week. If your plants are growing in the ground, give them a good soaking at the root level either by hand or by using a soaker hose. You want to ensure that the soil is moistened quite deeply.
Try to avoid overhead sprinklers, as water on the leaves can attract fungal growth. That’s why watering at the soil level is very important.
If you have sandy soils, you might have to give your peppers a soaking more often because the water can drain away quite quickly in these types of soils. Also, pay more attention to your plants when it’s hot and windy, as this can dry them out faster.
For plants grown in pots, make sure that you check the moisture level in the soil every day during the heat of summer. Pot soils can dry out very fast, and this can cause poor flowering and fruit set.
Peppers Don’t like to be Waterlogged either
Just as underwatering your peppers can result in small fruits, overwatering or allowing your plants to sit in soggy soils can have the same result.
In order for pepper plants to grow to their full potential, their roots need both adequate moisture and oxygen. If the soil is too waterlogged, it will be starved of oxygen. This will not only result in poor fruit set but could eventually kill your plant.
Planting your Poblano Peppers too Close together can Reduce Yields
If you’re planting multiple peppers in your garden, be sure not to plant them too close to each other. The plants need adequate space to spread out and reach their full potential. Ideally, you want to leave around 1 to 2 feet (30.5 to 61 cm) between each one.
If they’re planted too close together, not only will they not have enough room to spread, but they’ll also be competing with each other for water and nutrients. This, in turn, will produce much smaller fruit.
Remember to Fertilize
Like all fruiting plants, poblano peppers need nutrients to be able to grow and produce their fruit. To get them off to a good start, incorporate some organic fertilizer into the soil before you plant.
Then, it’s a good idea to give them a liquid feed every two weeks as they begin to flower and set fruit. Make sure that the fertilizer you select has good amounts of phosphorus and potassium as well as a smaller amount of nitrogen.