Q. My patio faces mostly to the west and gets 4-5 hours of shaded/direct sunlight each day.  Will pepper plants in containers work well under these conditions?  I have read that peppers want/need up to 8 hours direct sun each day. A. Direct sunlight requirements for enough hours in a day are not like an “on” and “off” switch. They will get light from indirect sources as well so it is hard to say but you are most likely on the borderline in regards to light for good pepper production. Reflected light from walls will help. Peppers do well in containers provided they have enough light to flower and produce peppers. Mulching peppers with an organic surface mulch like these wood shavings help to shade the soil, keep it cool and preserve soil moisture. When you say this light is shaded/direct that can make a big difference. The amount of shade will have an effect as well. All I can do is to tell you to try it and find out. If they are going to be in containers and the light is coming from one direction, rotate the container so that the plant will get light from different directions. It will grow more evenly that way.  If you are on a patio and there is not enough light from the sun you might be able to supplement that light with a fluorescent light source a few inches above the plant during the morning hours when it is “shaded” or the light is coming from the wrong direction. This might be enough additional light to improve your production or improve flowering.  Our sunlight is pretty intense in the desert. To compensate for sunlight intensity we can, on some plants, give it more light at a lower intensity and achieve what we want from a plant. Just an idea for you to play with.