>> Huh! OK, I knew there was a short growing season up here (I'm in Massachusetts, near Boston. Not that far from Vermont, but warmer because I'm near the ocean and further south.), <<
To compensate for the shorter season, start plants indoors before transplanting them outdoors. This can be used to grow many things that otherwise would've have time to mature. You can also use cloches, row covers, etc. to protect plants outdoors. As with greenhouses, cloches also trap moisture, but rowcovers are available in versions that don't.
>> but didn't realize that translated to reduced spiciness in hot peppers. Fascinating! <<
Many factors affect the flavor of edible plants, creating what's called "terroir" in those of a specific area. Hence single-origin coffee, etc. This is why some things, like sweet onions, may not produce the same effects elsewhere. Mediterranean herbs evolved for relatively dry, poor, thin soils. Grown in moist loam, they often produce abundant foliage with little or no flavor because the plant makes less of its essential oils and they are more distributed. A similar effect causes peppers to become hotter in hot dry climates but milder in cool damp ones. Some people compensate for these problems by growing herbs in raised spirals or surrounding pepper plants with bricks.
Re: Well ...
To compensate for the shorter season, start plants indoors before transplanting them outdoors. This can be used to grow many things that otherwise would've have time to mature. You can also use cloches, row covers, etc. to protect plants outdoors. As with greenhouses, cloches also trap moisture, but rowcovers are available in versions that don't.
>> but didn't realize that translated to reduced spiciness in hot peppers. Fascinating! <<
Many factors affect the flavor of edible plants, creating what's called "terroir" in those of a specific area. Hence single-origin coffee, etc. This is why some things, like sweet onions, may not produce the same effects elsewhere. Mediterranean herbs evolved for relatively dry, poor, thin soils. Grown in moist loam, they often produce abundant foliage with little or no flavor because the plant makes less of its essential oils and they are more distributed. A similar effect causes peppers to become hotter in hot dry climates but milder in cool damp ones. Some people compensate for these problems by growing herbs in raised spirals or surrounding pepper plants with bricks.