mad plan to overwinter naga chillis in greenhouse

[dandalady]

Right. I planted 3 of my nagas straight into the greenhouse soil this year and they have performed really well. I always overwinter nagas indoors but this winter I am going to try to overwinter in situ using old quilts etc. If they die, they die. Nothing to lose as I have a few plants. Mad??/ probably but worth a go?

also as i have been reading that you can overwinter runner bean roots am going to try the same thing with my dudhi plants. again nothing to lose

[Lazy Gardener]

Got space for a compost bin or small pile of compost? May add just enough heat
to keep the frosts at bay?

[chris]

If you can keep the roots from freezing, they should be fine - either insulate the ground / top well, or hope for a mild winter

[bazzaboy]

Right. I planted 3 of my nagas straight into the greenhouse soil this year and they have performed really well. I always overwinter nagas indoors but this winter I am going to try to overwinter in situ using old quilts etc. If they die, they die. Nothing to lose as I have a few plants. Mad??/ probably but worth a go?

also as i have been reading that you can overwinter runner bean roots am going to try the same thing with my dudhi plants. again nothing to lose

I'm slightly lost on this last comment, Dandalady, as dudhi are an Indian calabash gourd aren't they, and in the cucurbit family (so more closely related to courgettes and cucumbers than runner beans which are in the legume Fabac family)? However worth a try nonetheless....

And yes, keeping chillis going is not so difficult in a conservatory (or friends have done it cutting them down to size and keeping as a houseplant over winter). And with chillis many suggest you get a better crop second year (I didn't think mine were noticeably "better" but perhaps they did crop a bit earlier). Currently cropped, bulk much reduced with roots in large pots in an unheated greenhouse, but will probably find somewhere a bit more comfortable for them once real frosts threaten...

But meantime I'm less convinced of any benefits at all in overwintering runner beans even though it's possible.... An earlier thread on this topic may be of interest:

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ans_52446.html

The RHS link in that thread no longer seems to work but I haven't found anything on RHS particularly encouraging of overwintering runner beans. Most comment from Google searches seems to indicate no marked improvement in crop and higher likelihood of various problems, viruses, diseases etc whereas various accounts suggest fresh seed grows stronger and faster. So, as far as over-wintering runner beans is concerned, the passing comment I most warmed to was "It's another case where although it is possible it is best not to."

Interested to hear in due course (next May!) whether the dudhi made it through!