When it comes to sturdiness, vigor and fruit setting i've found that frutescens class (tabasco, african birds eye, some thai varieties, malagueta, etc.) copes best with hot climate issues. Bhuts might do well also, haven't tried yet but apparently they like it hot ;)
Also keep in mind that for fruit set, night temperatures are very importnant (most peppers need 65-80f night temps).

Cheers,
Djole

Yes, I would say that 100 degree temps are too high for plants getting the sun all day. I had trouble last summer in Wisconsin with a prolonged heat wave over 90. I would find a way to get them shade when the temps get that high or move the beds or maybe just grow something else in those beds and make some new ones for peppers in a more shaded location.

One thing to consider when placing a bed or creating a garden is to know how much sun the bed will get at different times of the year. For your situation, find a spot that gets a lot of sun all day long early in spring but falls under some shad during mid summer. Near the South East side of the base of a large tree is one such spot. Early in the summer, the sun will be lower in the sky and shine "under" the tree. As it gets higher in the sky at mid day, the tree will provide some shade near its base.

Also, as Djole suggests, learn which varieties do better in hotter conditions. I can't guide you too much there since I grow in a much different climate.

If you follow in the footsteps of Josh (Greenman) you should find a lot of success. Certainly, he will be able to help you with your soil issues.
Bruce

Quite a bit of the stated requirements revolve around selecting the right varieties. Sacramento has a long enough season to grow most peppers. Peppers are much more tolerant of temperature extremes - both hot and cold - than tomatoes and peppers will perform best in full sun or in a location with afternoon shade.

Here are a few varieties that will do well in your climate.

Orange Bell
Stocky Red Roaster
Chapeau de Frade
Poblano
Jimmy Nardello

DarJones

Strange, I posted but it's not showing up so I'll try again.

Thanks for all your help! I'm going to check into the varieties you recommended and maybe try to build another bed in a shadier location.

Can anyone suggest a good place to buy seeds from online?

Mack

IME the most reliable company is Thompson & Morgan. They just have a small choice since they arent a pepper seed company. Check if they have any that suits you though. I've ordered from pepperseeds.eu, waiting for late winter to see how it germinates.

Cheers,
Djole

I know that temps over 100+ aren't supposed to be good for peppers, but seriously, this year I had my very best year ever with peppers, especially the sweet ones (and I have NEVER had good luck with them, EVER). We had almost 2 full months of 100+, many 110+. I expected everything to drop the flowers, but they produced, and in full sun. I admit, my superhots, especially those in pots did not do as well, I brought them in the house, guess the roots got too hot. But I too have raised beds, 12'x4'.

Not sure what your problems were, but one other thing, I have become a fan of Miracle Gro shake and feed with Ca. The only thing I did different this year was use it, and was buried in peppers.

Howdy, Mack! :-)

You're in a much better pepper growing area than I am, but we both enjoy a long, late season.
What you'll probably notice is that growing in dappled shade will work very well for your plants...
especially those growing in containers.

I would start seeds in February in order to harvest in a reasonable amount of time.

I haven't had good luck ordering seeds online, but I will tell you DO NOT order from seedrack.com -
they continue to rip people off with their Red Habs sold as Bhut Jolokia. A buddy bought Chocolate
Hab seeds this year, and they turned out to be orange habs. Avoid seedrack at all costs.
The company and its representatives are unethical, unresponsive, under-educated liars.

Josh

Anyone try camo net as high sun shade? I'd try that before moving under a tree. It's a lot easier dealing with too much sun than too little.

I'm about 45 minutes south of SAC in the Antioch/Brentwood area & also grow in raised planters. I tilled in spent mushroom compost, about 1 yard per 100 sq. feet and have planters that get full sun, midday sun only and afternoon sun only, the best is in full sun, although the plants shade each other to some degree as they are 18 inches apart in rows 24 inch wide that run East-West, plus fine ground bark and rice hulls compost mulch. All are on a soaker hose & timer that waters every 3-4 days.
Had great results with the following: healthy plants and prolific pod production.
TAM Jalapeno - mild to moderate heat
Padron peppers - "Pimiento de Padron"
BJ's Anaheim - usually mild but some pods are HOT!
Corno Di Toro - Rosso (red) sweet
Jimmie Nardello - sweet
Also grew out many others, including some super-hots, but these did the best, and have plenty of OPEN POLLINATED seed, if you would like to try any of the above, send me an email (SASBE, no trade needed)

Thanks DJole, I'll check into Thomson and Morgan.

Kuvaslzr, good to know that it is possible to grow peppers well in full sun. I will definately play around with different sites to find the best.

Josh and whocarezz, thanks for the comments! I'll be looking to you for help this year. I may try some mushroom compost, I know it's available at a place down the road from me. Really appreciate the offer of seeds and recommendations on plants that do well. I emailed you.

Mack

There are lots of pepper seed companies that that have exotic varieties. For a large choice of conventional varieties, try Totally Tomatoes. Just about every variety mentioned so far is pretty widely available. Tomato growers also has a wide selection. Bell peppers do shut down here in midsummer, pick up again in September. Hot peppers tho usually just keep going. Cayenne, Tobasco, Jalapeno, Mushroom types)

Here is a link that might be useful: pepper seed

Thanks farmerdill for the site recomendation.

I've tried growing bell peppers about 5 years and have never had much success. Good to know I'm not the only one! I'm definitely skipping them this year and going with the ones mentioned above by whocarezz and fusionpower.

I put shade 30%shade cloth over my peppers this summer and it seemed to help take the bite out of the heat and sun and they certainly set fruit! You can find remnants of shade cloth in almost any size and shade % at FarmTek. If you go to their site and look under "Steals and Deals" there is a sub catergory for "Shade Remnants". I'm still exploring the shallow end of the heat scale of hot peppers too, and I would recommend either Aji Lemon Drop or Aji Pineapple, which are supposed to be hotter than a jalapeno, but always taste about the same to me, and I often pickle them or make hot sauce, which removes some of the heat.

Sounds like a good idea with the shade cloth sunnibel. I'm going to experiment with it this year. Thanks also for the pepper recomendations.

Mack

Hey Mack, I started growing hot peppers last season for the first time. I've not much room for plants as flowers are king with the wife. So I made a cart on wheels that was big enough to accommodate 12 3 gallon pots and grew 6 varieties. I live in WI as does ESOX 07 and we did have an unusually long hot spell. I was able to roll the cart in and out of the garage during bad weather and able to move the cart around to maximize sun when needed. I found that this worked very well for me and I harvested approximately 500 peppers. I liked the cart and success so much that I'm thinking of building another. It cost me around $120 complete. Good luck.

I have ordered seeds from tomatogrowers.com and peppermania.com with no issues whatsoever. Also chilipepperinstitute.org is very reputable and I plan to order from them this year.

In the ground, they will tolerate heat better than in containers because the roots stay cooler. But, that is also one of the things that make containers desirable. The root zone warming up more quickly in the Spring helps the plants get off to a quick start when compared to the ground where it takes longer to warm up. Also, with containers, you generally have more options for placement. There's plusses and minuses either way. I do some of both. :-)

That's a good idea with the cart Bill, I have a garden cart that that never gets used that would work perfect for this.

Thanks for the site suggestions tsheets!

I too grow in a cart - the Follow the Sun Wagon. Right now it is in the garage since the weather just turned cold, but I have been able to keep my idiot cayenne, cowhorn, and serrano plants producing. They don't know that they're supposed to be dead. Oh, and I left one stalk leafed on the fatalii, which is still green and producing even though it's been put to bed in the garden room.

I will have a small place to plant now where I can expect reliable sun, but will use the cart next year anyway.