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Any 'cold' peppers?

Are there any pepper plants that can survive freezing? Just wondering if it would ever be possible to breed in some cold resistance for us northern growers, or if the entire species is just fundamentally not built for it.
 
I don't know of any really cold-tolerant peppers, but admittedly, I haven't done an exhaustive search. And won't - I'm willing to accept what places like New Mexico State University and Texas A&M University have to say, which is that they're annuals for cold-weather places, but perennials for warm-weather places - they've done a lot more research than I care to muster. I look at it from the perspective of someone who grew up in Texas and now lives in Ohio - there are some plants that grow big and gorgeous up here because they don't have to deal with the heat down there. Take the same plants to Texas, and they'll keel over in the summer. The opposite is true, too, and peppers seem to fall in this category. So I'll keep growing my peppers in pots so I can take them inside when it gets cold, and grow the perennials my mom is so jealous of outside (she still lives in TX.)
 
Pubes are generally more cold tolerant I believe. I still don't think they would survive a freeze though? Not that they would help with what you are trying to achieve anyway as they are incompatible with other capsicum species.
 
From what I understand, Datils - native to northern florida, can survive a freeze for a few hours. I doubt they would do well buried in a snow bank...
 
Aji Habanero's, the Baccatum type, do extremely well in cold weather. Pod growth slows a bunch but the plants stay alive and the pods stay fresh on the vine and continue their ripening process. In 2011 my Aji Habanero stayed alive till the month of December, it was a milder La Nina winter but in the state of NJ that's still surprising.

In 7+ hours sunlight, plus lots of manure, the plants get huge and put out hundreds of pods.

They are also very resistant to bacterial spot.
 
in my experiment last year, goatsweed lasted longer than hot lemon by about 3 degrees. hot lemon died at -1C, goatsweed at -4C plus or minus 2% variance in temp. nothing makes it past -5C. problem with my experiment is quickly after -4C, -10C killed everything. i even tried covering the plants, my experiment was to see temperature tolerance of those 2 plants. judging by my rocoto and manzano plants -5C would kill them. but then the plants were sized at about 1 gallon, i don't know if having them in 5 gallon containers would have made that much of a difference. perhaps having them larger, may have extended their life by 2 degrees. like i said, -10C kills all peppers!
 
+1 on the goats weed, although this is my first year growing it. it seems to be doing great in canada in comparison to most, the spring had very cold nights and very hot afternoons, and the goats weed wasnt phased whatsoever. This season its one of a few plants that are actually kicking canadian butt. it seems to be handling the 35*C heat well, as well as has seen a lot of nights as low as 5*C
 
I remember there were some interesting comments on cold resistance of C. Flexuosum. I found it again via a search:

Well, we had a 31 degree evening with hard frost yesterday. It's game over for the pepper plants. Well two SOMEHOW survived. lol.. Cumari Pollux. Those are some resilient suckers. That species is tougher than most along with C. Flexuosum. So two of 250+ live....

My C. Pubescens plants are the best performers this winter. The plant I have in the garden without shelter is close to bloom.

My Inca Red Drop, Maraba Yellow and Peruvian White plants in the garden do not look like they'll pull through winter. It has been wetter than usual here.
 
I have worked with guys in the NW U.S. that say the Rocoto / Manzano plants do well there. I plan on testing how well they do in MI next year, but I do grow in containers so I'm sure results will vary.
 
I have worked with guys in the NW U.S. that say the Rocoto / Manzano plants do well there. I plan on testing how well they do in MI next year, but I do grow in containers so I'm sure results will vary.


I am growing (2) Rocoto and (1) Manzano this year in containers, and I also live in Michigan (Da UP!). My Rocotos, after getting edema, bounced back and are among my healthiest and bushiest plants. I will upload pics next time I update my GLOG. Also, the Manzano, after getting bacterial spot, is podding up nicely and has bushed out considerably.
 
Thanks for the suggestions guys, I'll check them out when I've got some time and give them consideration for next year's growing season.

Move to Perth wa it warm all year round the beer is the coldest thing lol I've had a few and couldn't resist lol
Sure, it's warm, but I bet you were stung by at least 13 venomous insects while typing that post. And 3 mammals.

Speaking of cold, is it the actual ice formation that kills the plants, or can they die slightly above freezing as well? This week's forecast calls for lows around 5 degrees C, which works out to mid-40s for you Fahreignors. Should I just curse Odin and get the plants inside for the winter or are they gonna be fine a while longer yet?
 
^ Above freezing, frost will damage them. Leaves will be hit worst then with cold weather the plant won't try to grow more. If there is no frost, 40's temperatures will severely stunt their growth, they will just pump some water into the fruit so it doesn't dry out but the fruit itself is also going to ripen very slowly. If these temperatures continue they will start dropping leaves.

Are you hoping to overwinter them? If so, bring them in any time there's a chance of frost. If not, leave them out till it drops to freezing. How often you drag them in and out to survive cold nights is the question... If there is a frost the pods themselves may be damaged slightly and should be picked and used immediately.

With a small # of plants (if that's the case) what I usually do is throw a bed sheet over them for the night and remove it in the morning. After doing that a few times I get tired of it and keep as many as I can in the garage to finish any remaining pods that are too immature to pick and when I run out of room I clip the plants at the base of the stem and hang them upside down from the garage ceiling... that is, the ones I don't have room to overwinter.
 
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