Overwintering chillis

[kathyd]

I've cut my peppers down in the raised beds in the polytunnel, but left a couple of inches of stem and the roots in place in the hopes they may come back again in the spring? Anyone got any experience of this? Are they likely to make it through the winter? If so, should I leave them in place in the spring, or dig them up and move them to new soil? I had so many probs getting them started this year that I was hoping to cheat my way to an earlier start next time!

[zazen999]

I think you'd need to cut it above a node Kathy - rather than just leave some stem.

[VirginVegGrower]

I've cut my peppers down in the raised beds in the polytunnel, but left a couple of inches of stem and the roots in place in the hopes they may come back again in the spring? Anyone got any experience of this? Are they likely to make it through the winter? If so, should I leave them in place in the spring, or dig them up and move them to new soil? I had so many probs getting them started this year that I was hoping to cheat my way to an earlier start next time!

I know that's what they tell you to do in the books/mags but when I tried it last year, I got so fed up of looking at stumps for ages, they got composted and I sowed anew. Depending on how warm you stay where you are, I think I would be digging them up, repotting them and bringing them in.

[kathyd]

Thx Zaz & VVG - I'll have to go check and see if I node what I was doing (omg, must be time for a glass of wine..), I did leave a couple of leaves on the stem so fingers crossed I snipped in the right place. I'm not going to bring them in VVG because our house is one of those very old granite and slate cottages with tiny windows, hardly any sills and not much light, despite facing south... it's warmer and lighter in the tunnel, especially if I fleece it in there. I'm not really expecting them to do anything, but as I don't need the space on that side of the tunnel until the spring I thought I'd give it a try and see. I will of course be planting more in the spring anyway - after all, some well meaning menace on here told me about Seed Parade, and I bought far too many seeds not to be sowing stuff!!

[darcyvuqua]

I hope I'm not the menace in question

[kathyd]

I hope I'm not the menace in question

I don't know why you're looking so pleased with yourself darcyv - I have far too many seeds now for any normal household to use up!! Lol

[Paulieb]

I've cut my peppers down in the raised beds in the polytunnel, but left a couple of inches of stem and the roots in place in the hopes they may come back again in the spring? Anyone got any experience of this?

Last year was my first year growing chillis and pepper and I tried to overwinter a few different plants by moving from my greenhouse to my frost free porch (double glazed but no heating apart from what comes from the house).

Anyway the pics below are of the sole surviving overwintered plant, an Orange Bell from realseeds. I ended up cutting the plant down to a 6 inch stump which I hope you can see in the second picture.

Then in March/April, when SWMBO got tired of seeing it in the porch, I re-potted it, stuck it back in the greenhouse and it gradually sprouted (importantly at about the same rate as those grown from seed that year) and ended up as the plant you see below.

Photos taken this evening about 5ish so light wasn't brilliant.

Fruit hasn't ripened much yet, but compared to my others from seed this year it seems stronger and bigger with more fruit, but not any earlier!!!

Edit: BTW thats a morrisons flower bucket. Plant is about 50cm tall from soil.

[kathyd]

That's interesting paulieb, thanks . I've left a lot less than 6" on mine though! But it's just an experiment, not a matter of life or death, so it'll be fun to see if they survive.

[zazen999]

i've put your chillis query into a separate thread as it didn't have anything to do really with reusing soil!

[BertieFox]

Do overwintered chillis REALLY flower and produce fruit that much more quickly than seed sown early? In my experience it is the low light levels in early spring and summer that hold the plants back, whether overwintered or seed grown. But you always get far more vigorous plants when they are new from seed. In none of the great 'pepper growing' areas, like the Basque country, do they overwinter plants but start afresh with seed. I guess in Brittany you may be free of frost all winter, but I would suspect a series of very cold humid nights in a polytunnel would put paid to the plants anyway, unless you are going to the great expense of heating. I've found it difficult to keep chillis going even in a large heated propagator.
Sorry to be a 'Cassandra' but I would be interested to hear what happens to your experiment or the experience of others who live in temperate areas.

[Paulieb]

Although my one plant grew fairly well this year, its second year, I would question whether it was actually worth affording the pepper the space in the porch overwinter, in terms of production and timings. If they do stay alive it could save having to propagate new seeds or useful in the case of rare chillis but on the whole I'll probably only do it with a couple of plants in future.

[PyreneesPlot]

My first chillies this year came from an overwintered and planted out plant (var. a mystery) but as it was the only one of this type I have this year, I don't know how far ahead of the same sown this year it would have been, if at all.
I shall be overwintering fatalii this year but the lazy way of just bringing the pots into the house and treating them like a house plant. These plants were so slow to get going they have only been producing ripe fruit for a month and have lots still to come.

[Lisamcflisa]

I'm doing pretty much the same as you this year Kathy, I've trimmed a few back and wrapped them in fleece in an unheated greenhouse to see how they fair next year.. I've heard mixed reviews on chillies and peppers on their 2nd year, some say they are much better and others say as Bertie suggested that they are better from fresh seed... I think this year has not been a great year for gardening and in my case very much so for getting ripe peppers and chillies...
We will have to compare notes this time next year

[rustylady]

I have two chilli plants on my bathroom windowsill. Neither produced much this year, so I shall see how they go.

[The Large One]

if you are going to overwinter your chillies you really ought to think about bringing them inside
no matter of fleece protection etc will protect against a sustained frost/cold weather below 5 degrees continually will do damage.
as to whether they produce earlier/more productive ? i managed to overwinter 4 plants last year to this season.
Bhut Jolokia - Masses of foliage but low yeild on fruit and most STILL not ripe
Bengal Naga - again masses of foliage with good amount of fruit but most still unripe
Dorset Naga - same as above
Choc Hab - masses of foliage, masses of fruit, really early compared to plants planted this season
so i think it depends on variety, i would not even consider trying with annums, like Jalepeno, cayenne etc
i will be keeping these 4 plants again overwinter (in my back bedroom) and isolating them next year for pure seed and some cross polination experiments but everything else will be composted when all fruit picked and start a fresh end of Dec