Short and to the point ...

[Raymondo]

I love my chillies but live in a region with a very short growing season. I start plants off indoors of course but even then, very few fruit ever get beyond the green stage.

Any suggestions for short dated chillies? Please?

I should add that while summer days are hot, being at altitude (1400m or 4500ft) means the nights, even in mid-summer, can be a little fresh sometimes.

Ray - an increasingly desperate chillihead

[montanamato]

Ray.....Don't know if you are after mild or hot, but I had a few standouts this summer.
For sweeter, frying Italian types Frank's and Lemme's were good producers.
Tangerine Pimento was really productive and great tasting.
Bells are tougher. I did get a fair yield from Earlired, before the deer finished it.
For hot, Fresno was superb in a small container....larger and hotter than Jalapeno and turns red fast.
Serrano and Purple Jalapeno did great too, they are still going and have survived a couple light frosts.
Oddly, Lipstick was very late for me.
I had good numbers with a pepper from Andrey labeled Health...I think it is called Healthy in the SSE catalog. They are nice , meaty, wedge shaped peppers.

Jeanne

[Raymondo]

Thanks Jeanne. I guess both hot and sweet although I was only thinking hot when I put up the post. Your suggestions are much appreciated. I'll look out for them.
I've put in Lipstick as a sweet pepper this year. I tried Roumanian Rainbow last year which were nice until the fruit fly discovered them.
For hot ones so far I've got Chimayo, a new one for me from Solana Seeds in Canada, and Orange Manzana, a rocoto type that shouldn't mind the cooler nights. I like heat and I know that the Orange Manzana's aren't very hot nor are they very short dated so I'm still on the look out for others that might work here.

[kimpossible]

How long is your short growing season?

Here in SW Ont. we are about 120 days, 15 to 30 extra if we are very lucky.

I found that even though I started my peppers 8 wks blf, for some varieties, it wasn't early enough. I think I will move this date up by 4 weeks next year. My plants were quite small when it was time to transplant out (4" or so), and although they took off outdoors, I think it would help to get an earlier start.

I'm planning to take a few varieties out of the garden this fall, transplant into pots, and over-winter in the house to see what happens next year with 1 yr old transplants.

[Raymondo]

Maximum frost free days is 150 here and 130 would be a fairly safe bet, most years. Except for a few weeks around mid-summer, the nights are cool to cold. It's the cool nights that the peppers find difficult I think. Eggplant too. The tomatoes don't seem to mind as much but they all tend to come at once, regardless of whteher they're early, mid or late season.
I think overwintering a pepper plant or two indoors might be the way to go.

[Polar_Lace]

Ray,

I think you should start some pepper & eggplant seeds 3 months before putting them out.

example:

1. 2 weeks for germination @ 75º to 80º - then transplant....

2. 2 weeks in the small cell - then transplant....

3. Or 4 weeks in the small cell - then transplant....

4. 4 to 5 weeks in a 16 to 20 ounce cup - then transplant....

5. Into 1 gallon pots till it's time to go outside.... 2 weeks after your last frost.

If you want to keep them in pots that's ok; just make sure you transplant them into 3 gallon pails/buckets or pots. Some people use 5 gallon pails/buckets or pots. But I find the 3 gallon size ok. I would put 2 of them into a 5 gallon pail/bucket or pot for supporting each other.

In my area; that would be starting some pepper & eggplant seeds at the end of February or begining of March.

Originally Posted by kimpossible

I'm planning to take a few varieties out of the garden this fall, transplant into pots, and over-winter in the house to see what happens next year with 1 yr old transplants.

That's good Kim. Mine are already in their indoor pots getting used to being put inside a little at a time. Like reverse "hardening off."

[kimpossible]

What are your overnight temps? We start out around 10c, 52f, in June, but it gets considerably warmer July & Aug. - often around 20c, 72f, and now that we are in the 3rd week of Sept. we are at about 12 to 15c, with the occasional single digit (5 to 9) for a night or two. I agree, peppers like their warmth. Perhaps you need protection (such as that cattle wire hoop house in another thread recently), if your temps are lower than mine. Right now, I have many ripe peppers to pick. So far, so good!

[Raymondo]

The average night time temp in summer is 13°C, but that's an average. 10°C is common and no-one is surprised by a couple of nights at 5°C.
Will try the early sowing next year. I did that last year but left them out in the hoop house at night. All was going well untill we had an unexpected freeze (-10°C / 14°F) early spring which wiped everything out and I had to start again. This year I was away for most of winter enjoying the northern hemisphere late spring and early summer. I only got round to sowing about a two weeks ago, this time everything kept indoors. Nothing showing yet but I'm hopeful.
Thanks for the ideas folks.