On Thu, 18 Sep 2003 11:03:34 +0100, David W.E. Roberts wrote:

Hi,

read in previous threads that peppers (bell and chilli) are perennials which
are usually treated an annuals.

O.K. - I'm game.
How do you over-winter the plants so as to crop them for a second year?
Do they stop growing naturally or do you have to put them somewhere dark but
frost free?
Or do you keep watering them a little indoors like a house plant?

TIA
Dave R

I've never tried sweet peppers, but chillis (habanero, jalpeno, cayenne,
aji) do overwinter, but not very well. They normally continue growing
leaves and often flower and set fruit continuously, but the fruits aren't
up to much and nearly always drop.
It seems they really don't like the short day length, as I've had better
results when I had them under artificial, long-day lights. The plants do
tend to get sick easily whetever I do.

Don't overwater them, pick off flowers to conserv energy, and basically
keep them alive until spring when they'll perk up again. I don#t normally
get more than a 60% survival rate though.

I keep mine indoors, the warmer the better, out of draughts.
Even thought they are perrennials, I find they either die or lose vigour
after the third year or so.


-- 'Tim.

If the human brain were simple enough that we could understand it, we would
be so simple that we couldn't.