kay wrote:
I've never managed to keep them happy over winter. I think you'd have to
bring them in quite a long way before frost - they really like it rather
warm

*nod* I have a fair amount of south facing window, I just need to clear
enough space that I don't end up killing them or infesting the house with
crawlies by not being able to get to them!

* one pepper plant, with 1 pepper on it (almost at full size)
If a chilli pepper, you should be able to overwinter it indoors, though
opinions vary as to whether it's worth the hassle. It's said that the
heat of the chilli is proportional to the temperature during ripening,
so that makes it worth bringing into a warm spot in the house once the
greenhouse starts to cool off.

Sweet pepper, I don't know, but it's got to be worth bringing it in
until you've harvested the pepper.

That one up there ^^^ is a sweet pepper (allegedly sweet, personally I hate
the things and they have never tasted in the least bit sweet to me!!).
There is also a fruit-ladened chilli.

There's not enough light generally to support a lot of growth, so it's
better to keep things cool rather than hot. And if you're keeping them
cool, you generally need to cut right back on the watering.

*nod*

With fuchsias, pelargoniums etc I prune before overwintering, they then
grow some rather leggy growth over winter, and I prune again in spring
once the growing season starts again.

My fucshias always* die back to twigs, then they stay twigs for the rest of
summer. My neighbour's die back to twigs then come back with new growth
from the base. It's very annoying.

I never actually thought of pruning back the pelargoniums. I shall give
that a go.

I wouldn't leave anything on the window side of living room curtains -
it can get really cold against the glass, and it's a bit of a contrast
to daytime living room temperatures. If I were to have anything in the
living room, then I'd tuck the curtains behind them. But usually I
overwinter in bathroom and toilet, partly because of equable cool
temperatures, partly because I see them every day and don't forget them.

Ah, but the living room window sill is the only one big enough to take a big
pot. But it's also big enough that they won't actually be that near the
glass, so maybe they won't be too bad.

I'll experiment,t he worst that can happen is I end up with some dead
plants.