How do I increase my chilli harvest?

[Train track]

I gather you can over winter this? I am trying but some of the top shoots seem like they are drooping, could anyone give advise? is it best to cut them of and the main shoot?
Thanks

[Train track]

Peppers or chillies to overwinter

Can anyone tell me the best way to do this? I have a few that has wilted and the top, should I cut them them down the the main stem?
Thanks

[sewer rat]

My mate grew Apache and Cayenne in hanging baskets in his garden tunnel and got good crops from both - I think he might try and overwinter them - I tried up here last season but it's too cold in the tunnel - and the OH would object strongly if I brought my 19 Cayenne plants into the house - they're about three ft high and quite bushy. I have head a superb crop of red cayenne chillies from the plants all summer and am still picking - they have also recently started flowering again and I look as if I'll get a ctop of s,maller green chillies before it gets too cold.
On the subject of feeding - my chiilies are planted alongside the tomatoes in ground that is enriched with well matured FYM. They are grown hard and get no extra feed and are only watered very,very occassionally - in fact I think the last time they saw water was about 6 -7 weeks ago - and they seem to respond to the "treat 'em mean" approach.

[HotStuff]

Can anyone tell me the best way to do this? I have a few that has wilted and the top, should I cut them them down the the main stem?
Thanks

Train track, try this thread:

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...tml#post144330

[danmon_81]

cut them right back to about 3 inches of stalk above the soil....you may get some leafy growth over the next few weeks till full dormancy. water evry 2 weeks approx
Some species of chilli just dont do well over wintering....try and see what happens

[rustylady]

Think I'll try overwintering this year - just a few!! Cayenne which did really well, and Joes Long, plus a sweet pepper from the Chill Shake mix - looks a bit like Corno de Tora but chunkier.

[Edwardo82]

I have three Chilli plants (Caribbean mix) ate one directly from the plant the other day...Big mistake! And I love Chillies!

Really hoping they make it through the winter, got them in the conservatory. Think I need to repot them but was not sure if now was a good time, but cannot see any reasons why not.

They will go straight into the Greenhouse around about March time, and get a good feed of Seaweed extract to start them off for the new season.

Good luck to everyone and hope we all have lovely chilli plants come spring time!

[OllieMartin]

Just ordered some more seeds for next year...now where do i put my brassicas???

Brassicas are totally overrated!

[jacob]

Think I'll try overwintering this year - just a few!! Cayenne which did really well, and Joes Long, plus a sweet pepper from the Chill Shake mix - looks a bit like Corno de Tora but chunkier.

Did your Joes Long have any bite? Mine grew well and looked pretty healthy but the crop a) hasn't ripened and b) taste like peppers, not chillis.

[Sanjed]

i'm already starting next years from seed, it's a gamble, but i've got loads of seeds. first set of 4 i sowed on the 27th sept, they've got 4 leaves on them already. I started them on a heated propogator on a west ish facing windowsill.

I also sowed more seeds yesterday, but in my haste. i managed to mix up a fresh batch of either 6 cayennes, or 6 patio sizzles with some sensitive plants (mimosa pudica) in the same propagator, i'll have to sacrifice the chilli's for the sensitive plants when they sprout as i only have a few seeds of the sensitives. i'm just hoping that it will be the patio sizzles i mixed up as they were the ones i started last month.

that'll teach me.

I also have all my chilli's in the bathroom keeping warm while they finish ripening. none of them got over 1.5 ft tall this year, probably due to pot size, lack of feeding and temperatures.

i'm hacing a problem with pests - tiny little caterpillars about 2mm long getting into the chillis (even the stupidly hot ones) and munching them from the inside. I took an affected "red cherry hot" off to save the seeds yesterday and when i opened it i found 2 caterpillars that were about 1.5 cm long and a dark grey colour. anyone know what these are and if there's an effective treatment to remove them from the plants before they munch everything ? I'm very annoywed with them as i've already had to throw away about 8 prize specimens.

cheers.

[Noodles]

I randomly chucked 3 spare chilli plants into a raised bed on the allotment and left them to it. So far we've had over 2lbs of chillis per plant and the damn things won't stop growing! The freezer is rapidly filling up despite giving handfuls away to friends.

[Alison]

Reading a few of the posts leads me to believe that I may have restricted their growth by using small pots (most of them only 6 inches high or so) but they didn't ever appear to get potbound?

I've always found that chillies and peppers often do better in smaller pots as it encourages them to produce more flowers and therefore potential fruits. Certainly I've had loads of a little Prairie Fire on my window ledge and early in the season I had two very productive mini sweet peppers (can't remember the variety now) from plants in pots that were only about 5" diameter.