Hi Dave,
I live in the mountains of Western North Carolina where the summer daytime temps are usually in the 80’s (90’s in August) with the evening temps being in the 60s. My harvest this first year has not been great considering I had over 30 plants. I got fewer peppers than I did last year when I lived in South Carolina with 10 plants. I thought maybe the fluctuations of temps from hot to cold slowed the growth of the peppers. I was wondering if you knew of a pepper that would do well here with these temps differences. I use the peppers to make hot sauce. Thanks,
Bob
Hello Bob:
I think your problem has more to do with agricultural practices than location–things like locations with lots of sunshine, soil condition, watering, fertilizing, insect infestations, etc. Varieties may play a role to some degree. For example, I’ve never been able to grow decent poblanos here in Albuquerque, but most other varieties, including habaneros, do really well. Your temperatures are fine for growing chiles, although the season may be a bit short for varieties like habaneros and rocotos. I would suggest cayennes since you’re making hot sauce with the pods. Piquins would also be another possibility. Hope this helps.
Dave