is it worth overwintering chillies.if so...how?

[brad1001]

hi all.
my 4 potted chillies are thriving this year and realy fruiting well.there a fair old size aswell.
i was wondering if it was worth overwintering them in the greenhouse or shed.if it is....how can i do this?
thanks

[Nicos]

I'm rubbish with houseplants- so mine died!

They need fairly warm conditions- do you have a cool spot in the house with plenty of light?

Apparently they fruit better the second year!

[Two_Sheds]

Does this help at all?

[rustylady]

I've tried, but I found that they don't do particularly well. I am back to sowing fresh seed each year.

[Dottie]

Last year I planted out a pepper plant I'd potted up and kept on the windowsill in the sitting room over winter. I did it really because the first year they had not produced much as it had not been the best summer. None of the old boys on site had ever tried it, didn't seem to know you could. But I'd gone on-line and several sites suggested it was easy enough, so I felt there was nothing to lose.

I did get a good and earlier crop the 2nd year, obviously it was planted out larger than the previous year, but I think there was also more sun last year on my plot. As even all my new chilli plants fruited last year. Didn't carry any plants over for this year, only because I decided not to grow any this year.

[MalUK]

Why do people often do this with chillies, but not with tomatoes? Just thinking about trying it will a dwarf variety.

[Two_Sheds]

Blight usually kills tomatoes before the winter does

[rana]

Brad, If you've got the space give it a go - if only to quench your curiosity. I have found that the second years fruiting is far less prolific than from freshly germinated plants but they will crop earlier..

[brad1001]

thanks for all the advice.im going to give it a go.ive got the ideal spot in the utility room which is south facing and very light.
i left one in the green house last year but it was only small and i think it was over waterd aswell.
we can only try these things i suppose.

[MalUK]

Blight usually kills tomatoes before the winter does

Ah right, thanks.

[Caro]

Brad,

I'm having good success with my two over-wintered plants. Remember to keep them fairly dry, and don't discount them if they start to look deadened, leaves falling off etc. Come spring, they can come back to life.

[brad1001]

a friend of mine said to cut them hard back to about 6-8".then basicly just leave them.
i dont realy want to loose them as there a good size and doing realy well.

[Caro]

That's one way of doing it ... my cayenne was quite spindly anyway, so I did cut it back. It's doing great this year. My razzamatazz was quite bushy, so I couldn't bring myself to chop it - it's also doing quite nicely this year, though perhaps not quite as well as the cayenne - but that could be down to them being two different plants.

Good luck with it!

[HotStuff]

I have 3 Chilli plants that are in their 3rd summer and they are all producing lots of fruit. I have another half dozen that I've over-wintered from last year, including a Scotch Bonnet that did very little last summer but is now covered in fruit. It's definitely worth doing, but an un-heated greenhouse won't be enough, you need to bring them inside onto a sunny windowsill.

[brad1001]

thanks all.
ive made room in the utility room and put a shelving unit by the window.i think that will be the best bet.