Need a little advice

Big Lew

Big Lew

Hey everyone,
 
I'm pretty much a newb here and could use a little advice.  I had a few red bhuts and a chocolate hab in pots last year and well got addicted.  So this year I built a little garden and expanded.  I grew some stuff from seeds I bought online and bought a few plants at a local nursery.  Overall not too bad production given the cooler wet Southern Ontario weather this summer. 
 
I have a 7 Pot white plant that grew rather slow, it looks healthy and is now flowering but no pods have set.  The last few weeks the temps at night have been dropping down to mid 40's low 50's and I'm worried frost will be an issue in a couple more weeks.  I was really looking forward to trying these peppers and no luck.  So what I'm wondering is what would be my best chance at getting a couple peppers off this plant before its too late this year?  I was considering digging it up and putting in a pot to move in to the warmth of the garage at night hoping for something to take or building a little tent out of some plastic sheeting hoping to greenhouse it at night.
 
Any thoughts?
 
 
 
any chance of potting it up and bringing inside in front of window that gets a good deal of sun throughout the day?
 
I can pot it but the only window I have that gets good enough sun is in the middle of the living room and the wife would not be pleased about that.  Let alone the almost 2yr old who would trash it the second I turned my back.
 
got any old windows laying around?  Might be a good idea to look into making a cheap cold frame for it.  I see no problem building a frame out of pvc, sticks or whatever you have around and making a greenhouse.  They tend to get very warm fast so you'd want a way to vent it.
 
No old windows.  I do have some vapor barrier left over from finishing the basement and probably some 2x4's or something in the garage though.  Would it be better to make something smaller for just my 7 Pot white, or rig up something to cover the whole garden? 
 
The 7 Pot white is what I'm most interested in saving, I've got pods from almost everything else or will soon.  That's why I was also wondering about pulling it out and potting it, but not sure if that would shock it and set it back further.
 
That would be all up to you.  Would be easier and faster to just do the one though. Could probably build it around the one plant where it's at now and avoid pulling it depending on your garden layout. Remember to leave a side where you can roll it up or something to use as a vent.
 
Was thinking something small and removable for the one plant, put in over it in the evening and then off in the morning. 
 
you might be better off just getting some row cover cloth then
 
floating-row-cover1.jpg
 
That stuff would do well in assisting you. Try to give them max exposure during the day to raise their chance of pollination. If you don't see pods starting to form you can try your luck and pollinate the plant your self. You can use a cotton tip and stick it gently in the flowers and move flower to flower or you can use your finger, gently. Works just fine.
 
Yah.
Too late for outside.
My 7PWhite was really slow too.
Flowers on a bunch, but not enough time to set pods for plants in the ground, and transplanting them will likely cause them to drop the flowers.
Giving up on them, but have some really nice ones---including a Reaper---in full flower and potted.
 
They will be coming inside under T5 lights as soon and the temp drops below 40f.
Just a couple more months and a whole new batch of plants will be started for spring planting, and I'll have a small supply through the winter of pods.
 
I'm in N.E. Ohio and specifically grow only in pots so I can bring them indoors for the winter without having to dig. I also move them in and out of the garage to avoid frost, excessive rain, wind, etc., then bring them back outside when conditions are more favorable. It's kind of a PITA, but it would be too frustrating to end up without any ripe pods at all. Might as well not bother at that point. Keep in mind the plants will do ok in the ground if you just cover them as long as daytime temps keep above 50F. You don't have to worry so much about nighttime temps until they start hitting the 30F's. Even then, some growers put a space heater inside whatever they're using to cover the plants with. 
 
I'd dig it up and pot it with fresh soil not in the hopes of getting any viable peppers this late but instead I'd do it in case there was a soil problem that stunted growth and pod production, and to have an overwintered plant as a head start next spring.
 
Moving a plant in and out of the garage at night is something I've done for plants with a lot of pods I was trying to finish up, but I wouldn't put that kind of labor into it for a plant that doesn't have a lot of pods near full sized and just waiting to ripen before drying out.
 
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