not knowing where you are in Minnesota , i can not say positively but i live in zone 5 in michigan and have grown some terrific jalapenas. they may not get quite as hot as they would down south but they still have plenty of bite.I have not grown serranos recently but I also grew them in Mich.I plant them near the end of May. give them a fert with phos and potash and lesser amount of nitrogen. I think they actually grow better in containers. watch out for cut worms when the plants are small.also the deer ate all the tops ( about 4 inches ) of the penas a couple of years ago. Hope this helps johnny

I grew them in Winnipeg and had some success. My greatest success with hot peppers was growing them in pots, and overwintering the pots indoors. The second and third year I had lots. I got 25 habaneros from one plant the second year.
Joe

I grow them in the Seattle area with mixed success. I think it's highly dependent upon what sort of spring and summer you have in any given year. My best crop was from 4 serrano plants I placed in the ground some years back. I must have harvested 100 peppers per plant that year, but I also remember the spring being unseasonably warm followed by a hot, sunny summer. This is not always the case in the Pacific Northwest, and many years I don't get much of a yield at all. I have never had much success treating pepper plants as perennials, even with indoor overwintering strategies, so I just buy new starters each year.

I live in east central Minnesota and grow hot peppers every year. I've grown jalapenos and chillis.Of course they don't winter and I have start new ones indoors each spring and set them out at the end of May.They are not ready untill August but then there are lots and I freeze the extras to use untill the next summer's crop comes in.

Oh yes definitely - I had all types of peppers last year and my jalapeno's did the best. I did not plant them outside until the beginning of June - in an area of full sun. I also had ceyenne peppers, cherry bomb peppers, and yellow banana peppers and I bet I got 50 jalapeno's off of 2 plants. Do not be afraid to plant peppers - they will do wonderful! Just remember full sun!

I live in SE MN and grow all kinds of chilis,(peppers). Start them early and plant after Memorial day. Keep warm and water well, you'll get all the peppers you need.

I found my best success with getting peppers to fruit well was to protect them from wind after planting.
We build a three-sided fence about 3' tall with found wood and plastic and plant the peppers within the protection of the plastic. The open side is placed away from the prevailing winds.
The fence is not used for support, and so is easy and fast to make. You will be surprised at the yields.