Peppers are the crop that separates patient Montana gardeners from frustrated ones. They want more heat than our climate naturally gives, and the big, blocky bell peppers in seed catalogs often need a longer, warmer season than we have. The fix is the same as with tomatoes: choose varieties bred to mature quickly and produce in cooler conditions. Pick the right peppers and you can absolutely grow a good crop in Missoula.
For the full details on getting peppers going, see our guide on growing peppers in Montana’s short season. This post focuses on which varieties to actually plant.
Smaller Peppers Ripen Faster
The general rule for peppers in our climate is that smaller-fruited varieties ripen faster than large ones. A big bell pepper takes a long time to size up and then ripen from green to red, often more time than our season allows. Smaller peppers, snacking types, and many hot peppers mature quicker, which makes them more reliable here.
It also helps to know that all peppers start green and sweeten as they ripen to red, yellow, or orange. In a short season you may harvest some peppers green simply because they run out of time to color up. That is fine, they are still good to eat, but if you want fully ripe colored peppers, the early varieties give you the best chance.
Best Sweet Peppers
For sweet bell peppers, look for early varieties. King of the North is a classic short-season bell that colors up to red earlier than most, making it a dependable choice for Montana. Ace is another early bell known for setting fruit reliably even in cooler conditions, which is exactly what you want here.
Beyond bells, some of the best sweet peppers for our climate are the smaller types. Lunchbox and other small snacking peppers are productive, sweet, and ripen quickly. Carmen is an early, sweet Italian frying pepper that does well in short seasons, and Jimmy Nardello is a thin, sweet frying pepper that is both productive and quick. These smaller sweet peppers often outperform full-size bells here.
Best Hot Peppers
Hot peppers are often a better bet than sweet ones in Montana because many of them mature relatively fast. Jalapenos, especially varieties labeled early, are dependable and productive here. Hungarian Hot Wax is an excellent short-season hot pepper that produces early and heavily. Serranos and other smaller hot peppers also tend to ripen in our window.
If you like a little heat, hot peppers are a satisfying crop to grow here because they reward you even in a cooler year. Many of them keep producing right up to frost, and the smaller fruit size works in your favor against the clock.
Give Them Every Advantage
Whatever varieties you choose, peppers need help to thrive in our climate. Start them indoors early, around eight to ten weeks before transplanting, and do not rush them into cold soil, since peppers sulk badly when the ground is cold. Wait until after our average last frost around May 19 and the soil has warmed, often late May or early June.
Give peppers your warmest, sunniest, most sheltered spot. A south-facing bed against a wall or fence that traps heat is ideal. Some gardeners grow peppers in containers so they can move them to the warmest microclimate or even bring them under cover on cold nights. The more warmth you can give them, the better they produce.
Choose early, smaller-fruited varieties, give them heat and a head start, and peppers will reward you with a real harvest before frost. If you want help choosing varieties and planning your pepper patch for Missoula, that is exactly what I do. Take a look at the vegetable garden consulting page and reach out.