Chilies

[David]

Hi all, this is a bit different but lets see how it works. I have chili plant in a pot that has a good crop on it which I am planning to take off soon. The plant still looks green and healthy sat on the windowsill. The question is is it worth trying to keep it going through the winter or should I bin it?

Thanks for any help.

David

[Jenny Green]

Chillies are perennial so if you can keep it in a very bright place that stays frost free then it should make it through the winter. However, I have heard that they often don't crop as well as in their first year. They are so easy to raise from seed that most people just grow new plants every year.

[Tony Hague]

I have sucessfully overwintered a Habanero, despite all the leaves falling off, in a cool conservatory. I found the crop to be the better than the first year; I assumed it was related to the long growing season needed for Habanero. I've not yet sucessfully repeated the experiment though !

[Gardening Girl]

I was trying to overwinter some chillies but the plants have just gone all droopy and died. Is this likely to be not enough light or not enough heat? (I can rectify one problem next year but not the other!)

GG

[Tony Hague]

Are you sure they were dead ? Mine lost pretty much all the leaves, and some of the stems died back a bit, but I got new growth in the spring.

[Gardening Girl]

Hi

I'm pretty sure they're dead but I'll hold off emptying them out until spring to see if there are any signs of new life. I'm not optimistic though!

Thanks for the reply

[Guest]

Keep them in the brightest possible place, water and give a phospheros feed once a month.
I sevearly prune my chillies after the second crop, so that they become 'Bonsai Chillies'. I normally do this around the 1st week in November. At this moment I have 3 Prairie Fire, no bigger than 6" tall which are all bearing fruits (the more compact the fruit the hotter the Chilli seems to get) and 1/2 doz Hot Tepin. These will be transplanted out into growbags within specially designed polythene houses in mid March, when they will start to grow at full steam. The tops will be pinched out to increase the yield, and with good weather, a further 3 crops should then form. Then its pruning time again to see wheather a 3rd year is possible. (never tried for the 3rd year yet).
Good Luck

[ROD 'MR CHILLI' HOLMES]

The last post was from me

[Gardening Girl]

Thanks Mr Chilli Holmes!

If I ever get as far as November with my chillies I'd like to give your method a go. But as I speak they are gradually dying further and further back - I think an inch is too short even for bonsai!! I don't think they got enough light or heat.

Ah well, maybe next year I'll get it right (does anyone else find themselves saying that about lots of their crops?)?

Thanks again
GG

[Guest]

My daughter gave me a seedling 6 inches high just before xmas it kept flowering so I pollinated the flowers and I now have 4 chillies just over an inch long and 1 has just turned yellow !

[Wellie]

Hi Gardening Girl !

I've got two Cayenne Chilli plants and one Jalapeno Chilli plant that I'm pretty sure are 'ticking over' - she said with hesitant confidence.....
AND, two Cape Gooseberry plants in large pots.....

I'm THAT certain that the cape goosegog plants are dead !, but I'm pushing the boat out and continuing to 'entertain them' just in case I'm wrong.
(I may need a huge box of tissues later when i find out I'm actually wrong....!)
But for now, I'll concentrate on the Chilli plants.
I've read that they won't be 'as productive' in their second year (?)
Lots of luck this year,
Wellie

[Primrose]

Last autumn after my Hungarian Wax chillies had fruited I brought them indoors and pruned them back. They soon started to flower again and even bore a few tiny chillies but at that point they were killed off by whitefly, which also seems to attack my basil plants if I keep them indoors for any length of time. Might try again this year, just for the challenge as I certainly won't need any more chillies. My four plants are absolutely laden with them!