Chilli Peppers and Swedes

I have a number of cayenne chilli pepper plants growing away - good crop by the looks of things, dozens of chillies are now maybe 20/30 cm in size. Question, do I just leave them on the plant to turn red? The reason I ask is last year I grew Espelettes and only once I picked them did they start to turn red.

Second question is about swedes (what we'd call neeps in Scotland - the big yellow turnips) - these are both expensive and usually pretty pathetic in our local supermarket so it's something I'd like to grow. Germination is good but they fail to bulk up - I thin them so don't think that is the problemo. Help!

 

well prepared ground in early spring is a must,for swedes I dig deep in winter and leave alone until spring,then I apply 1 hand full of chicken manure pellets to each square yard of ground that I'm using,work this into the area and try to get your ground as fine as possible,thin seedlings to about 9ins apart and water when needed.

(If you use horse or other manure dig this in in winter)

 

Especially this...

 

I think chillies are best left to ripen on the plant, but while they are there they will stop others setting.
But then, how many do you want??

As to Swede, I cant grow them, got clubroot in the ground, they grow well initially but never bulk up, and usually start to rot at some point.

 

Thanks for the information. The chillies started to ripen the minute I posted up about them not ripening! As they turn bright red I pick them but must admit I thought they would have more of a kick than they do.

Neeps - well we had the first rain for months so they might get a move on. Oops don't have them anything like nine inches apart that might part of the problem. @fileyboy horse manure it is so I'll get that dug in this autumn in readiness for a spring sowing.