Why is it that we end up with green peppers?

Question

Even if we save the seeds from yellow and red peppers one year and plant them the next they turn out green, so then we buy packaged seeds that claim to be red and yellow and again they turn out green. Can you only grow green peppers in central Illinois?

Answer 1

maybe you picked them too soon, don't they go from green,yellow, orange, to red?  

Answer 2

If you let them stay on the plant longer they will change colors. The color depends on how long they ripen on the plant. Hope this helps!

Answer 3

"The color can be green, red, yellow, orange and, more rarely, white, purple, blue, and brown, depending on when they are harvested and the specific cultivar. Green peppers are unripe bell peppers, while the others are all ripe, with the color variation based on cultivar selection. Because they are unripe, green peppers are less sweet and slightly more bitter than yellow, orange, purple or red peppers. The taste of ripe peppers can also vary with growing conditions and post-harvest storage treatment; the sweetest are fruit allowed to ripen fully on the plant in full sunshine, while fruit harvested green and after-ripened in storage are less sweet."