Overwintering

hald · August 29, 2006

Does anyone here overwinter their bell pepper plants? Mine are in an ebb and flow hydroponic system and have done remarkably well.We were nearly frost free last year. I expect another mild winter. What say you?
Hal
Central Valley, CA

Polar_Lace · August 30, 2006

Hi Hal, well....

Since you live in Central Valley, CA,,,, I'll tell you what I found out while cruisin' the net.

Tomatoes, Peppers & Eggplants are actually Perennials when grown in very warm climates!

They are Tropical Plants, so if you mulch them really good in your zone...(9..?) you may be able to 'over-winter' them.

Take a chance or root a cutting... you'd be surprised how well they root.

biermaster · August 30, 2006

Here in Tucson, Az I have bells that I have wintered over them in two different ways.

(1) Cut them off about a foot high. cut back the roots after soaking them in a bucket of water, then replant them in the container that you are going to use next year. I keep them in a dark part of a shed. When it warms up they will start to bud so you start watering and feeding them.

(2) Cut them back but I keep them in the container that I grew them in last year and keep them in a PVC temp green house that I keep warm using candles. This is done with 1st winter only. I usually do #1 for the 2nd winter.

So far I have three year old bells that I will be putting in the PVC green house and 2nd year Japs that will be dug and put in 5 gal buckets for this winter.

Suze · August 31, 2006

I sometimes cut mine back and set them in a breakfast nook inside for the winter. This works well as the nook has windows on three sides with a tile floor. My cats are pretty good about leaving them alone.

If you take plants inside or in a greenhouse, it is important to make sure they are as bug free as possible first.

landarc · August 31, 2006

yes, the inside bug issue is a bother. I didn't cut mine back the fisrt year and had no problem. I can see where the root pruning and branch pruning would make sense though.

Spatzbear · September 4, 2006

These are my chillies that I overwintered inside. Some of them are already flowering and some have already set fruit.

That will give me a great headstart this season.

Grub · September 4, 2006

Gee, you've done really well to overwinter those guys. I'm impressed. I wish I were that advanced. Next season, for sure.

chilhuacle · September 4, 2006

Wow Spatzbear, those look great. Do they spend the entire time in the window?

Love2Troll · September 4, 2006

Quote:

Mine are in an ebb and flow hydroponic system and have done remarkably well.We were nearly frost free last year

Have done the ebb and flow thing (not peppers). Why the frost mention? Are your plants outdoors?

All species of peppers do remarkably well indoors under lights and/or in a sunny window. Bells and jalapenos have been more challanging than most for me.

hald · September 5, 2006

Yes, my Bells are outside in a shady area of my back yard. The challenge has recently been the hot weather. If the winter is as mild as our summer was hot they may do just fine (maybe even better) where they are. They entered a growth spurt when the weather cooled down.
I wish I could figure out a way to post a picture; I've been very pleased with the success at Hydroponics.

The main problem has turned out to be rats. They eat the green peppers and munch on the edges of the plant leaves. I'm setting traps in special trap boxes (to protect my dogs - also, no poisons allowed). The rats! Quite a challenge! The terriers have caught a couple. I've trapped 2.

Anyway, back to the main topic. I'm really impressed with everyone overwintering and all the suggestions. I'm definitely going to give it a try.
-Hal

Quote:

Originally Posted by Love2Troll

Quote:

Mine are in an ebb and flow hydroponic system and have done remarkably well.We were nearly frost free last year

Have done the ebb and flow thing (not peppers). Why the frost mention? Are your plants outdoors?

All species of peppers do remarkably well indoors under lights and/or in a sunny window. Bells and jalapenos have been more challanging than most for me.

Spatzbear · September 5, 2006

Bruce, they spend the whole winter on another window sill which is in the heated family room.
They move to the unheated room when the tomato and chilli seedlings are up. Both windows have sun most of the day. So at this time of the year the overwintered chillies can live in the unheated room without a problem.

Mantis · October 6, 2006

You are an inspiration Spatz. I have overwintered some before with good results but why I didn't last year is beyond me. Blinded by tommy seed packets

chilhuacle · October 6, 2006

I going to try it with 2 (maybe 3) plants this year and see how it goes. Just need to find the right spot.

August 30, 2006	#2
Polar_Lace Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Z8b, Texas Posts: 657	Hi Hal, well.... Since you live in Central Valley, CA,,,, I'll tell you what I found out while cruisin' the net. Tomatoes, Peppers & Eggplants are actually Perennials when grown in very warm climates! They are Tropical Plants, so if you mulch them really good in your zone...(9..?) you may be able to 'over-winter' them. Take a chance or root a cutting... you'd be surprised how well they root. __________________ It's not how many seeds you sow. Nor how many plants you transplant. It's about how many of them can survive your treatment of them.

August 30, 2006	#3
biermaster Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Tucson,Az Posts: 58	Here in Tucson, Az I have bells that I have wintered over them in two different ways. (1) Cut them off about a foot high. cut back the roots after soaking them in a bucket of water, then replant them in the container that you are going to use next year. I keep them in a dark part of a shed. When it warms up they will start to bud so you start watering and feeding them. (2) Cut them back but I keep them in the container that I grew them in last year and keep them in a PVC temp green house that I keep warm using candles. This is done with 1st winter only. I usually do #1 for the 2nd winter. So far I have three year old bells that I will be putting in the PVC green house and 2nd year Japs that will be dug and put in 5 gal buckets for this winter. __________________ Freedom doesn't mean you can do as you want but to do what is "right"

August 31, 2006	#5
landarc Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Left Coasty Posts: 964	yes, the inside bug issue is a bother. I didn't cut mine back the fisrt year and had no problem. I can see where the root pruning and branch pruning would make sense though. __________________ Lets see...$10 for Worth and $5 for Fusion, man. Tomatoes are expensive! Bob

September 4, 2006	#7
Grub Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 2,722	Nice Work Gee, you've done really well to overwinter those guys. I'm impressed. I wish I were that advanced. Next season, for sure.

September 4, 2006	#8
chilhuacle Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Concord CA z9b, just west of Tomatoville Posts: 415	Wow Spatzbear, those look great. Do they spend the entire time in the window? __________________ Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach a person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks. Bruce

August 29, 2006	#1
hald Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Fresno, CA Posts: 23	Overwintering Does anyone here overwinter their bell pepper plants? Mine are in an ebb and flow hydroponic system and have done remarkably well.We were nearly frost free last year. I expect another mild winter. What say you? Hal Central Valley, CA

August 31, 2006	#4
Suze Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 3,027	I sometimes cut mine back and set them in a breakfast nook inside for the winter. This works well as the nook has windows on three sides with a tile floor. My cats are pretty good about leaving them alone. If you take plants inside or in a greenhouse, it is important to make sure they are as bug free as possible first.

September 4, 2006	#6
Spatzbear Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Adelaide Hills, Australia Posts: 349	These are my chillies that I overwintered inside. Some of them are already flowering and some have already set fruit. That will give me a great headstart this season.

September 5, 2006	#11
Spatzbear Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Adelaide Hills, Australia Posts: 349	Bruce, they spend the whole winter on another window sill which is in the heated family room. They move to the unheated room when the tomato and chilli seedlings are up. Both windows have sun most of the day. So at this time of the year the overwintered chillies can live in the unheated room without a problem.

October 6, 2006	#12
Mantis Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Oz Posts: 1,241	You are an inspiration Spatz. I have overwintered some before with good results but why I didn't last year is beyond me. Blinded by tommy seed packets