Yes, most plants actually prefer cooler temps, 75F to 85F or so. Also, right now the soil-temps are nice and warm.

Meanwhile, out here in northern California, we've hit 100F for the past three or four days (down to 98F today).

Josh

Same here. All of July and most part of August, with highs around 86 and sometimes in low 90s, my Manzano and habs did almost very little, next to nothing . But as of late August they are producing like crazy. It is even more so about sweet and mild peppers. Even my Bishop's Crown has started producing pods.

It's been about 80 degrees all summer here, so a fantastic crop. All are almost ripe, if not ripe are turning.
Kind of, sort of makes up for all the fruit bud kill on my peaches this winter. The fall raspberry crop is looking huge. The winter crops have been seeded, life is good!

I live on the southern tip of NJ. We have had a very wet summer here , it is also the coolest summer Ive ever seen here.
Up north of us you get 2 times the rain we get here so it has not been the ideal summer for growing anything.In the last 2 weeks summer finally hit us, The other day it hit 90 for the first time and my peppers are loving it. I'm still getting a bumper crop but am dealing with more black inside my peppers then any year I can remember,Still plenty of good ones but if I had as much rain as you I dont think things would be the same.Now that the weather has changed we NJ folk should be seeing some good fruit set for the next couple of weeks until the night temps. drop into the 50s at night,Plus plenty of plant growth as the conditions have improved recently. Its been an interesting year and a lot of farmers to the north have had flooded fields as well as hail damage to there crops. It is what it is.

For me, in South Carolina, pepper production is always heaviest in the fall once it's cooling down.

I wish I could have that same complaint. We have not seen a low under 75 for the past 8 or so weeks. Thankfully highs have started to drop below the triple digit range at last.

I thought the peppers like the heat. So this is wrong? They like cooler weather?

Almost ALL plants prefer cooler temperatures. Peppers like warmer overnight temps and soil temps, but not 90F+ temps during the day.

Josh

Ride out this way and enjoy the recent 88* over night and the continual 104-113*F day time runs
Peppers in Texas dont like real deal sun and temps over 90*

I wait till fall for any kind of harvest. Things are just starting to come on big now, plants are still setting and mid month will be the peak. This is today's pick in NJ and still have a lot more ripe ones out there,when things start cooling down peppers ripen slower but until the frost hits its peppers-peppers-peppers. Jersey is a great place to grow peppers and Fall is the season for a great harvest. Ill be out there every day picking until frost hits,and as long as the weather holds off plants will still grow and set pods. In Trinidad where a lot of people like to grow there peppers from they dont get the long summer days we do,This time of year the days are still longer then where those peppers originated.

I wait till fall for any kind of harvest. Things are just starting to come on big now, plants are still setting and mid month will be the peak. This is today's pick in NJ and still have a lot more ripe ones out there,when things start cooling down peppers ripen slower but until the frost hits its peppers-peppers-peppers. Jersey is a great place to grow peppers and Fall is the season for a great harvest. Ill be out there every day picking until frost hits,and as long as the weather holds off plants will still grow and set pods. In Trinidad where a lot of people like to grow there peppers from they dont get the long summer days we do,This time of year the days are still longer then where those peppers originated.

{{!gwi}}

I was under the impression that trinidad was pretty close to the equator. if they don't get long summer days it's because they also don't get short winter days.

according to my wife (she was born there but left at 6 years old, so maybe not the most reliable source) it's hot as hell down there.

Unusual summer, yes but in our neck of the woods has been a good one. Statistically we are in HEAT ZONE 1 ; meaning that all summer highs will reach and exceed 86F one or two days. Sometimes never. But this year we have had about 15 days of 86F +, not much rain either. My peppers are not doing good because I get less than 5 hours of direct sun. So pepper might prefer cooler weather but love more sun. Plus our night low are in 50s (95% of the time). My Jalapenoes, HHW, Fresno... are doing fine but things like Habanero are slooow. No color other than green so far.