Peppers in June? Easy, They're Perennial

Here in the Maritime Northwest there are several reliable pepper varieties we can grow without climate hacking. These mostly produce fruit that are lower on the Scoville scale, as higher, generally, requires more heat units than we can offer in our local ecology without a greenhouse. While appropriate variety selection is important, you can be most successful growing peppers by planning to grow them as perennials and not annuals.

Jump Start

It’s June, and my first peppers, Shishito, are days away from harvest, and other varieties are flowering and setting fruit. While it's very common to grow peppers as annuals, this strategy will put you behind every season in our local ecology. Growing them as perennials is a game-changer to put you ahead in the game.

Variety Selection

You can buy your starts from you local farmer's market or grow them from seed. Again, variety selection is key. While it's tempting to grow exotics, stick to what is appropriate for the local ecology, like Jimmy Nardello, Shishito, Padron, etc. We don't usually get enough heat units to ripen habs, ghosts, etc.

Infrastructure

You’ll want a minimum 3 gallon pot with drainage holes. Place a layer of rocks at the bottom then some rich soil. I like to use a thick layer of straw as mulch to keep it moist and warm as the temps drop overnight. Peppers don't grow

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