I also live in zone 5 (although it borders on Lake Erie where it jumps back up to zone 6). It tends to be that the hotter a pepper is, the longer it takes to set ripe fruit. C. chinense, which includes habaneros will barely get you a few ripe pods before the fall frosts come around and kill it off.

You best bet for a large harvest is to over winter your plants. Let them grow this summer and when it starts getting cold in the fall, move it indoors. Make sure to gradually bring it in so that it gets used to the low light conditions. Keep it barely watered in a sunny window until it is warm enough to put out again. You'll need to harden it off, but you should get fruit as early as June. I have a habanero (notoriously long growing season) that is a little over 2 years old now. It is 4 foot tall and about 4 foot wide, already with hundreds of blooms and some large size fruit.

As far as bell peppers and other C. annuums though, they tend to grow fast so you should be fine, but they would also benefit from letting them grow longer.

There is no need for any pruning (I only prune dead or dieing vegitation, but others do more) or even grow lights (but don't expect to get any ripe fruit).

of the seeds i started in mid January the only to fully ripen so far is the Golden Cayenne. I also have full sized peppers on my Lemon Drop, Orange Hab, Peruvian White, and fruits on many others. They are inside under fake light for now. but Opqdan dont let that change your mind about "(but don't expect to get any ripe fruit)." You probably just need more light.

http://koolguymike.bravehost.com/myPictures/May%209%20pics/Golden%20Cayenne%205-8-06.jpg
just funnin,
Michael

Hey Guy that is Cool.

hot red pepper

can you narrow down where you live a little closer than simple zone 5.

I am zone 5 and have great luck when starting the seeds as early as possible indoors and growing them as large as possible.

I have had no luck keeping them alive over the winter. but I have learned a lot about gardening since I last tried. I know I could do it if I were to spend several hundred dollars to keep them alive. I just dont have a good sunny window. so I have to use shop lights.

I live in Southeastern MI (zone 6B). I agree about starting plants early and putting out good size plants. I had a great yield last year with this method. Probably 30-40 gallons of peppers!

Chris

Down here in Texas, we have a similar problem-because we have to set our peppers out really early (Mid March) so they have time to get their roots down before the heat wave hits. To get them up and growing fast in cool weather, pile black rock around the base of the plants instead of mulch. Then surround your plants with wall-o-waters, or milk jugs filled with water. Or you can buy glass shades from the salvage store and drop them over the plants at night.

I'm in a cool zone 5. Last year I started seeds 4/13, put them outside mid June ( last frost date is June 1 but I waited till it was warmer and they seemed to appreciate it), and took pictures as they ripened. I have resequenced the gallery by date so you can see the order they ripened. We did not get a frost until October last year which was unusual and those that ripened after that were on plants that were brought inside.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pod pics 05

Try Chimayo chile peppers only takes 60 days at 5,000 ft elevation

I'm in zone 5b-6a and summers are quite hot though. I have had awesome luck with Thai Hot, Giant Thai, Jalapeno, Hungarian Wax, and Anaheim....the Thai Hot is the earliest pepper for me (about 48 days to mature)with 2 harvest for me of about 150 peppers both times!....laughs at frosts in fall. This year I'm adding Sweet Rainbow Mix bell peppers, and Habenero. The Habs were started on March 17th and will be planted in containers...I can tell these guys are the slowest (vegatatively speaking) of all peppers I've grown...they are shrimps compared to the others in the same amount of growing time. I will be over-wintering my habs, but what I want to know is will they start setting fruit sooner next year?

Vera

Hi, I need some advice... I went thru the last four pages of the forum and I'm still clueless. :/

I got a late start on my seeds, here are my chiles as of today.

Szentesi Csevesnyepaprika (next to Riesentraube tomatoes that I nearly lost from dampening off)
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Kolocsai U-2 and Pimento Pequillo
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Given I'm in northeast Ohio, do I even bother putting these in the ground, or am I limited to pot culture?

I've got 2 gallon pots, do I need to step up in size?

I'm sorry if these are old/dumb questions, it's just only know how to grow herbs. :(

well you are learning a lot about hot peppers this year.

your most valuable data is your own data. keep good records and then change something and do better next year.

the longer they grow the bigger and better they yield.

If you have the plants and the space then grow them.

the bigger the pot the better. the pot size is probably as much or more important is how much attention you give to the plant.

for example you can grow a big plant in a small container if you are their all the time and water it 2 or 3 times a day in hot weather. but a larger pot will let you go all day with out watering.

If you can do 5 gallon pots I strongly recommend it except maybe with some tiny plants. but pimento plants should take big pots.

if you can hold them over the winter they can be huge next year. I just have not been successful with holding them over but never tried much. I dug mine up and the shock was not good. I think growing in a pot and bringing it indoors is better.

One other thing you can do.

you can bring indoors over night until more peppers ripen and then let it freeze also. this extends the season more than a month. for this get a good 5 gallon pot and partly bury it. when the first freeze is coming rip out the pot and bring indoors. forget the roots. then take back outdoors after the freeze and you will now have to water more and watch it close. but you can keep her going for some weeks. bringing in at night when it is cold. and back out in the sun for the warm grow.

Thanks for the advice!

I'm not sure I'm even going to keep the pimento pequillo... The seeds were a nice gift, though, and I'm REALLY looking forward to the Hungarian paprika... They should make for some great goulash and potroast. :)

I guess I'll have to go lay down the money for some 5-gallon pots.

teryaki,
I live in 6a (Cleveland Heights, my apt), but my garden is in 5a (Chardon, my parent's house), and I plant most of my peppers in pots. Even ones that could produce while in the ground (bells, poblanos, jalapenos). This way, if I decide I like the plant and want to keep it, I don't have to risk killing it by digging it up. I recommend overwintering a plant, you'll be amazed at the number of peppers you can get off of it, plus it makes for less work in future years.

Peppers are perrenials, so why not take advaantage of that?

I've been depending on commercial bedding plants. I didn't even know peppers were perenials. I have a room facing south east that I was considering removing the window and putting a mini greenhouse in it's place.

I'm in zone 5 also, i,ve had my plants in the ground for two weeks, with no ill effects. Trying to get a jump in the growing season. every year I try to get them at the earliest time to get the most out of them, 2 years ago I over wintered them, they did great untill I transplanted them and half died.
any ideas for the over winter and transplant in the spring?

Our last frost date is end of May and that's usually when I set out peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants. We often have a cool beginning to june and I noticed that the hot weather plants didn't seem to do much those first couple of weeks and also that some seemed permanently stunted. Last year I started everything 2 weeks later and put them out mid-June. They did quite well and I don't think I lost anything by that method and ,perhaps, gained.

as everyone on the east coast knows. this past has been horrible cool and wet. rain and no sun. I brought my peppers indoors several days ago.

they had been out in the day and into the garage at night.

well they are now indoors and warm and they are growing nice under the shop lights. I am keeping the room warm. and the light on all day and night. I need growth before putting them outdoors.

I will probably put them out around june 1. hard for me to wait any longer. but I hope they will be a good size at that time. If I can get the habs to 4 to 5 inches by that time I will be happy. they do pretty well even when small. I have almost 100 habs so I will be fine.

I think habs make great paprika and great sauce. and I hope to make plenty this fall. I eat a couple of gallons of sauce a year now. easy to do for me. but I want more variety.

I have some red savina going and some hot jalapenos. but I need to get some good ones for next year. chiltepins and all kinds of others I read about on this web site.

Habanero paprika? o0

--

o0

Yipes!

I planted seeds around January 20th and am getting ripe Lemon Drops already. Lemon Drop could be a contender and is a high yeilder.

Michael

organic_nut

Remember chilitepins are a 180 DTM

teryaki
>I guess I'll have to go lay down the money for some 5-gallon pots.

Check with landscapers for used ones, I have a pickup load with $0 spent on pots

Byron

teryaki
>I guess I'll have to go lay down the money for some 5-gallon pots.

Check with landscapers for used ones, I have a pickup load with $0 spent on pots

Byron

You can also check at various restaurants for 5 gallon buckets. If you cut a hole in the bottom these make cheap (free), durable pots. McD's and others get a lot of different things in buckets (pickles and stuff), and the plastic should be food grade (so nothing bad will leach into the soil).

If you know a construction worker try for the 5 gallon mud buckets (spackle) they just get thrown out. Not pretty but very useful
BethL

Really Beth (In my best Havard Accent) It's Drywall Joint Compound.