Fresh local produce is often limiting in densely populated cities, resulting in unhealthy food option for urban residents. Roof tops are underutilized spaces that can be used to help supplement production of fresh edibles for urban consumers. Peppers are used in a variety of cuisines and desired by many consumers in urban areas. Therefore, three pepper (Capisum annuum) varieties (San Joaquin, Red Impact, and Pot-a-Peno) having different growth habits and fruit types were compared with the application of a pine bark mulch or no mulch for resulting growth and yields in the extensive green roof environment located atop the Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Agriculture Building. Growth characters were collected during early-, mid-, and late-season, while fruit were harvested at 4-week intervals six times through the growing season. Pepper variety and mulch use did not generally influence (P > 0.05) leaf chlorophyll content or plant vigor at any timing. Marketable fruit yields differed (P < 0.05) among varieties, with ‘San Joaquin’ having higher fruit numbers than ‘Red Impact’ and weights greater than ‘Red Impact’, and ‘Pot-a-Peno’. Pepper plant vigor, leaf chlorophyll content and yield results indicate that this crop can be effectively grown in an extensive green roof environment with proper variety selection although mulch use was not beneficial. These results will be further discussed regarding the use of pepper as an edible crop in extensive greenroof environments.
