Expert: C.L. Fornari - 10/21/2009

Question
Why does my Habanero plant; which is in a pot indoors, after being outside in ground, only have one pepper on it and taste like a green bell pepper?

Answer
Shawn,
It's pretty hard for peppers to bear fruit indoors, and if it was in the ground first, then dug and put in a pot, it is suffering both from the transplanting process that cuts off roots, and from being indoors where the levels of light are less. Also, all peppers like long, hot summers. This is why they can grow them so well in places like Arizona, but they don't grow as well in Wisconsin or New England.

If the pepper isn't hot, it hasn't produced much capsaicin, probably because of cool temps outside, or transplantation into the pot. Pepper plants produce hotter peppers when the growing temps are in the 90's and when they are allowed to go a bit dry in between waterings.
Here is a good article on hot peppers, including, at the end of the article, tips about growing them in cooler climates: http://www.ngb.org/gardening/fact_sheets/fact_details.cfm?factID=20

I hope this helps,
C.L.