I stripped the leaves off my peppers before the 38°C spell just to let the fruit ripen faster: by the evening, one afternoon of sun had already done the damage
Removing pepper leaves to speed ripening seems logical—until one afternoon of intense sun leaves your fruit permanently scarred. Sunscald is a physiological disorder that mimics sunburn on human skin, and it’s far more common than most gardeners realize. Learn what causes it and how to protect your peppers from this self-inflicted wound.