I would really like to grow peppers as nice as the ones in this photo from Territorial Seed. But, I have not yet been able to do that here in the mountains.

OUTDOORS: The first year of our garden here at high elevation we attempted to grow a few sweet & hot peppers outdoors. I knew it would be a long-shot whether they’d grow or not in our cool weather, but thought I’d give it a try, keeping them well covered each night. A few sweet peppers grew, but were thin-skinned and did not ripen before first frost. The few were picked and ripened indoors. Some anaheim chiles grew as well as jalapenos, but the plants did not produce as abundantly as they had in our previous, warmer location.

GREENHOUSE: Knowing that peppers like warmth, I was excited to try to grow them in our greenhouse. I have grown both sweet & hot peppers for a few years now in the greenhouse. They grow slowly and attract aphids. They remain thin-skinned and take a very long time to ripen. 

Jalapenos seem to attract fewer aphids and do fairly well, so I continue to grow those. This last year I grew 2 jalapenos indoors and 4 outdoors. The outdoor plants actually did slightly better in volume and were healthier-looking plants. Next year I plan to try a few in pots outdoors that can be carried into the greenhouse when extra cold.

CONCLUSION: I can buy nice sweet peppers at the store all summer long, without waiting for one wimpy harvest at the end of the season, and the peppers I buy are much better quality. One of my favorite summer vegetable dishes is grilled zucchini with sweet peppers and onions. If I purchase the peppers I can have them whenever zucchini is in season!