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overwintering Overwinter peppers ?

P

Pitounet

I'm in SoCal where it basically never freezes. I've seen below-freezing temperatures this year for the first time since I moved here 7 years ago. What to do with my hot peppers in the winter ?? I've planted jalapenos, serranos, habaneros, tabasco, fish peppers, anaheim, super chilli, and everything grows like mad.
The ones I started from seeds as well as the ones I bought as small plants. My habanero is on steroids and has hundreds of fruits on it, soon all the other guys will do the same... Are they going to keep producing until I'm tired of them and discard everything ??
 
First...Welcome on board!

I'm not sure if you're asking or bragging, but we all do a little of both around here. If you only have a couple of light freezes you can probably get your peppers through it by covering them with some blankets. That's if they're in the ground, if they're in pots, you can just bring them inside.

If this is a desperate plea for help as you're slowly buried under piles and piles of peppers, well, I can't help you, got problems of my own come October. Talk to the sauce boys.


...but, yeah, peppers are tender perennials. Unless you have a hard freeze, you're good to go.
 
Pitounet said:
My habanero is on steroids and has hundreds of fruits on it, soon all the other guys will do the same... Are they going to keep producing until I'm tired of them and discard everything ??
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I really hope you aren't expecting any sympathy talking like that in here. Good way to get yourself invited to a blanket party if you know what I mean. HAHA Kidding!! Congrats on the success and yeah what Pam said about blankets when cold weather comes.

And WELCOME!!!!
 
First what we see is if you live close enough to me so I can come get some of your peppers! Just kidding, or maybe not! LOL Then we say, you should be fine and have peppers year round, or atleast in warm periods. My friends 7ft piquin has peppers year round, but slows/stops if it gets too cold. Right now it is cranking them.
And welcome to the boards!
 
What was the question? You don't seem to be at risk of a shortage. If you dig up plants and bring them in you will damage enough roots to lose some foliage and fruit. So at most put blankets over them and if one dies just plant some seeds! You might want one to croak once in a while so that you can grow something different. Good luck.
 
should have been more clear - didn't want to brag or whine, just asking what people usually do. This is the first year I plant things, and I have extremely favorable conditions with tons of sun, so everything is growing fine, as long as I don't forget to put water. If they just keep producing, I'll keep the plants until I get bored with them :P
 
I'm in Los Angeles and have been for about 7 or 6 years too. Usually I just cut em back around December and leave them out. It all depends on the weather. I think my peppers stopped producing around January last year.
 
Here's a hab plant I Overwintered this past year.

overwinteredhabit8.jpg


The plants did not like being inside. I think the dry air from the gas heater made them drop ALOT of leaves. The wife did not like the plants inside either, all over the living room. There's trouble brewing this fall when I want to move my naga plants in!

I didn't cut them back as much as I should have and they continued to produce fruit, but stunted little peppers the size of pequines...they were funny looking!

Once spring came and the plant could be outside again it perked up and started producing "normal" size chiles, but still rather small compared to the monsters that are growing in the garden.

Ah, one of these days I need to build myself a greenhouse.
 
chuk hell said:
The plants did not like being inside. I think the dry air from the gas heater made them drop ALOT of leaves.
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Yeah, that can be a real problem. Plus it seems just as soon as you get them settled inside, the aphids hit. I regularly mist mine, and tht seems to help; but sometimes I get busy and forget. Usually by spring the plants are looking pretty rough, but they do bounce back rather quickly and it's so nice to get some early habs.


The wife did not like the plants inside either, all over the living room. There's trouble brewing this fall when I want to move my naga plants in!
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Ha! Sometimes it is good to be single!


Ah, one of these days I need to build myself a greenhouse.
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*sigh*

Meeeee Tooooo.

I want a passive solar greenhouse, and I think in this part of the country it's entirely feasible. Just gotta wait until my ship comes in...
 
I forgot to mention that this plant was from my garden ( 2006) and I dug it up, along with another one, and potted it. The other one survived as well but was not doing as well. I was going to toss it but on a whim I planted it in one of my wife's flower beds/ heb gardens. Low and behold it has perked up and is now producing habs.

It's getting rather "beefy". I'm planining to trim it back this fall and see if it will survive the winter, which it might if we have a mild one. It would be so cool to have a habanero "tree"!

This was my first try at overwintering and I'd say it was at least a partial success.
 
Well, keeping them outside won't work here in Michigan. I am however planning on getting some plant lights and having the whole front closet full of hot peppers. I'm even thinking of starting some Jolokias for a sauce. (If I can find some seeds.:mouthonfire:) Habs will be good too. I do think my woman thinks I'm wierd when I told her that though. My way of working it out was. You can have ALL of the closets. I just want this big one.:hell::lol: Doe's anyone have any advice that would help make it feasable? I really don't want to get rid of my plants. I feel I will get alot more fruit off of them if they can grow larger.
 
Hydroponic is the only way I will grow indoors. Believe it or not, it is much easier.
Dirt and crud will get onto the floor if you grow in pots. Bugs like indoor peppers in soil also!
I think you were on the hydro thread last week. Think it over, if you are going to buy lights, the hydro set-up is the cheap part.I am not kidding!
 
cheezydemon said:
Hydroponic is the only way I will grow indoors. Believe it or not, it is much easier.
Dirt and crud will get onto the floor if you grow in pots. Bugs like indoor peppers in soil also!
I think you were on the hydro thread last week. Think it over, if you are going to buy lights, the hydro set-up is the cheap part.I am not kidding!
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Well, then it sounds like if I'm going to spend the $$ on the lighting I may as well do the hydroponics too. From what I read last week, (Yes I was on it.) you will get more fruit anyway. What kind of lighting will I need. I noticed there are a few different sources. I just want to grow a few plants in the big closet in my home. I was thinking about 10ish. Can you P.M me if you have advice?? I appreciate it.
 
rabbit said:
Well, then it sounds like if I'm going to spend the $$ on the lighting I may as well do the hydroponics too. From what I read last week, (Yes I was on it.) you will get more fruit anyway. What kind of lighting will I need. I noticed there are a few different sources. I just want to grow a few plants in the big closet in my home. I was thinking about 10ish. Can you P.M me if you have advice?? I appreciate it.
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You can always order the book on hydroponics but light intensity is measured in power (watts) per square foot. For optimal photosynthesis to occur a general rule of thumb is 20-50 watts per square foot. 250 watt HID lamps should be a bout 12-14" from the plants and 400W lamps should be 16-24 and 1000W a minimum of 24".... this was taken from the How to Hydroponic E-book
 
I don't know what it's like over there, but here they're tipping an 11% rise in cost of electricity over the next 12 months. It's worth factoring in the price per 100W x hours x days that a hydro will be running. Not only to your pocket but also to the environment.
Don't mean to go all hippy on you, just a heads-up ;)
 
rabbit said:
Well, then it sounds like if I'm going to spend the $$ on the lighting I may as well do the hydroponics too. From what I read last week, (Yes I was on it.) you will get more fruit anyway. What kind of lighting will I need. I noticed there are a few different sources. I just want to grow a few plants in the big closet in my home. I was thinking about 10ish. Can you P.M me if you have advice?? I appreciate it.
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Sorry I didn't get to this sooner, but it looks like LUCKYDOG answered it pretty well. You don't want to skimp on lighting!

Foil works OK on the walls to maximize light, better than nothing. Just remember that peppers like full glaring Mexican sun, you need to get as close as possible for good results.
 
Don't use foil, it will give you hot-spots. Plain white paint is better. I only overwinter a few plants and I just cut them back and put them by a sunny window until its warm enough to move them out during the days or into the greenhouse. Going hydroponics usually means you will have to start fresh with seeds or clones. Its not really overwintering but winter growing.
 
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