Pepper Plants That Grow in Shade

Cayenne Pepper

• Cayenne pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is a native pepper of the United States and is also referred to as bird pepper and Turkey pepper. The deciduous plants grow to a mature height of 1 to 3 feet and grow well in areas of part shade and shade. Cayenne pepper is a hot pepper variety and the green peppers turn red as they mature. The plants are highly resistant to deer and are easily cultivated with seeds. Cayenne pepper plants have a low water requirement and adapt well to a variety of soils including heavy clay to sandy loam. Dry the ripened peppers well in cool, dry place and store seeds in cool area until planting time.

Habanero Peppers

• Habanero peppers (Capsicum chinense Habanero) are usually orange to red in color but often come in white, brown or salmon shades. Habanero peppers are among the hottest varieties of peppers popularly sold in supermarkets. The plants grow to a mature height of 1 to 3 feet and grow well in areas of sun or partial shade, making them a good choice in areas that do not get enough sun. The peppers are 1 to 2 ½ inches long. Water Habanero plants well as this promotes good flavor in the peppers.

Sweet Bell Peppers

• Sweet bell peppers are popular for eating fresh in salad and are used in stuffing, soups and stews because of their mild flavor as compared to their other hot tasting counterparts. Sweet bell peppers come in bright shades of red, green and yellow, and are among the pepper plants that do well in partial shade. Sweet bell pepper plants also thrive in large size, well draining containers and grow to a mature height of 3 to 4 feet. Keep soil uniformly moist but do not allow the roots to sit in water. Growing sweet bell peppers in hot, direct sun causes plants to drop its blooms and young fruit.