Chillies - what are you growing/overwintering?

[SusieG]

Looking good 'n healthy, captn!

I potted on 2 Ancho today, and left them in GH as an experiment really. Going to be reckless and leave them in there, then see how they get on ....
I've plenty of other plants if my experiment fails miserably .....

I'll keep you updated ...

[vixylix]

I've just spent an HOUR squishing bladdy whiteflies, and the odd greenfly too. Grrr!

Also bagged up lots of flower buds - and found 3 chillies (not bagged)

[Ms-T]

Looking good 'n healthy, captn!

I potted on 2 Ancho today, and left them in GH as an experiment really. Going to be reckless and leave them in there, then see how they get on ....
I've plenty of other plants if my experiment fails miserably .....

I'll keep you updated ...

some of mine have been in the G/H for a few weeks.and so far all doing well.

[SusieG]

So there's hope then, Ms-T!!!
Glad yours are doing well - so satisfying..!!!

[Philthy]

I think from your photos I need to cut back a bit more than I do, yours have a lovely shape

Cheers Scarlet. But it's not as deliberate as you might think.
As the previous season draws to a close and I've identified the best candidates for keeping over winter, I prune off roughly 50% of the greenery prior to them bringing indoors (anything straggly, weak, damaged, crossing, crowding etc) but shape the plants as well. If I can retain that remaining 50% as it is until the following spring then fantastic, but more likely is that during the next few months some of those remaining shoots will suffer dieback in varying degrees, which'll need removing.
So during the course of the dormant period (some time in January usually) I can expect to have to prune the plants again to remove dead material (standard maintenance), and then those that survive to the spring get a final trim when they're repotted ahead of the new season, to regain that bit of shape.
So the plants that go back out onto the bench in April / May have often been cut closer than I would have planned / preferred back in November. Put simply, the more you take off, the more that has to grow back. I find the tallest plants I've grown are those that retained most of their branch structure from the previous year, and re-shooted from that old 'wood' rather than from the main stem.
But that's the nature of overwintering. More often than not it is a lottery.

According to my daughter I've 140 plants this year and they only take up a quarter of it

Bacchus 140 plants!?! And I thought I was obsessed with my average of 30.......

[Tripmeup]

They all go into the poly tunnel. It's quite a large tunnel so there's lots of room. According to my daughter I've 140 plants this year and they only take up a quarter of it.

And there was me feeling sorry for myself with having landed myself with 57 chillies and 19 sweet peppers

[SusieG]

Today I had to wave goodbye to 16 of my youngsters .....
10 hab orange, 3 pretty purple and 3 twilight ....
My friend from work called in to see me,and she's taking them into work for me to sell on (all proceeds to The Brain Tumour Charity as mentioned before) with strict instruction re watering, potting on, general care ..... missing them already

[Small pumpkin]

Went to te$co yesterday for breakfast before our fishing trip and there was a very nice man sorting out all the flowers with a big trolly full of empty buckets. Using every ounce of my charm I could muster at that ridiculous time of the morning while looking like a tramp because going fishing . I walked out with 6 buckets. Obviously they were all broken because all the good ones get sent back .
So I can plant another 6 chilli's in good sized pots

[Scarlet]

Today I had to wave goodbye to 16 of my youngsters .....
10 hab orange, 3 pretty purple and 3 twilight ....
My friend from work called in to see me,and she's taking them into work for me to sell on (all proceeds to The Brain Tumour Charity as mentioned before) with strict instruction re watering, potting on, general care ..... missing them already

Heartbreaking Susie...BUT I have to throw mine in the bin cos no one wants mine!

[cptncrackoff]

I feel your pain scarlet.. I've given away several purple chillies and some tomatoes (incidentally from your seed).
But it is really tricky to even give plants away, people should grow more.. there's a lot to be said to understanding how food grows!

Anyway...

My trimmed Hungarians have about 20x the amount of flowers as the untrimmed.. which is amazing!

Also my purple chilli is nowhere near flowering, and the crosses are tiny plants and are going to flower even later ..which I believe bodes well for saving my seed and no crossing!?

[Scarlet]

If you want to save from one plant, wait until it's got some flowerbuds and move it indoors. Isolated in the house should be fine.

[Scarlet]

My chillies outside have really slowed down. They haven't liked the chilli nights up the GH with my heater on either. Wish I'd carried them in and out for a bit longer.

[SusieG]

Heartbreaking Susie...BUT I have to throw mine in the bin cos no one wants mine!

Ooooh, Scarlet. ~~ that truly is heartbreaking ...

[MissC]

I will be adopting a Vezena Piperka chilli plant tomorrow from an allotment friend. Has anyone else grown this variety before? They look very interesting!

[Scarlet]

No! Scarlet rushes off to check out the web