Overwintering chillies and peppers

Here we treat chillies and peppers as annuals — botanically they are not. In their homeland they grow as perennial shrubs and crop for years. Bring them through the winter and you save yourself the whole propagation next year and harvest four to six weeks earlier.

Overwintered plants shoot from a root system that already exists. They are where a spring sowing only gets to in July. The effort is modest — you just have to accept that the plant looks bare and sorry for itself through the winter.

In short

It works best with Capsicum chinense and Capsicum baccatum; sweet peppers are trickier.
Bring them in before the first frost and cut back hard, to a third or half.
Overwintering spot: bright and cool at 10 to 15 °C — not warm in the living room.
Water hardly at all and do not feed. The root ball must simply never dry out completely.
From February, move somewhere brighter and warmer, repot, and it will shoot again.

The right moment

Chillies tolerate no frost. Even temperatures around 5 °C set the plant back. Bring it in before the first cold night is forecast — usually early to mid October.

Pick all ripe and half-ripe fruit beforehand. Unripe green pods can stay on, they often ripen indoors. Anything left on the plant costs it strength it does not have in winter.

Preparation: cutting back and pest check

Cut back to a third or a half. It is fine to leave only the woody main shoots with a few branches. Above each cut there should be a side shoot or a visible bud.
Remove all leaves or let them drop. The plant retires anyway; remaining leaves are only a target for mould and pests.
Inspect thoroughly: aphids, spider mites and whitefly like to overwinter indoors with you, where they find ideal conditions without predators. Hose the plant down first, and treat it if necessary.
Repotting is not needed now. That comes in February. If you cut back hard, you can carefully reduce the root ball a little.

Caution

The commonest mistake when overwintering is a pest brought indoors. A single colony of spider mites multiplies unchecked in warm, dry winter quarters and ruins the plant by January. Check carefully before bringing it in, and keep it separate for the first two weeks.

The right winter spot

Chillies do not take a true winter rest like a fruit tree, only a growth pause. They therefore need light — but little warmth.

Ideal: a bright, cool room at 10 to 15 °C. A stairwell, cool bedroom, unheated conservatory or a cellar with a window.
Also possible: warm at 18 to 20 °C by a bright window — then it keeps growing, needs more water and definitely a grow light. Without extra light the shoots turn long and thin.
Unsuitable: a dark cellar without a window, and rooms below 5 °C.
Not next to the radiator. Dry heated air is an open invitation to spider mites.

Care through the winter

Watering: a small amount every two to three weeks. The root ball should stay slightly moist, never wet. Too much water in the cold means root rot.
Do not feed. From October to February the plant gets nothing at all.
Check: look over the shoots and the root ball briefly every fortnight. Scrape off any mould on the surface and ventilate.
A bare plant is normal. As long as the shoots are green under a fingernail scratch, it is alive.

Restarting from February

From mid February daylight increases noticeably. Now the second season begins:

Move it brighter and warmer, to 18 to 22 °C. A grow light helps a lot in the first weeks.
Repot into fresh compost. Shake off the old soil carefully, cut away dead roots, use the same or a slightly larger pot.
Water normally again and start feeding at half strength after two to three weeks.
Be patient with the first shoots. It can take three to four weeks before anything happens. Do not give up too early.
Harden off from April, outside by day and back in at night — exactly as with young propagated plants.

Tip

Overwintered plants often flower as early as March. Pinch off the very first flowers while the plant still has little leaf area. Otherwise it puts its strength into two early pods instead of building itself up — and crops less over the whole season.

Frequently asked questions

Which species overwinter best?

Habanero and its relatives (Capsicum chinense) and the Aji types (Capsicum baccatum) are the most rewarding. Capsicum annuum, which includes sweet peppers and jalapeño, is shorter-lived and succeeds less often.

How long can a chilli plant live?

With good care easily five to ten years. Yields rise noticeably in the first years because the root system keeps growing.

My plant is losing all its leaves — is it dead?

Usually not. Leaf drop is the normal response to less light and cooler conditions. Scratch a shoot with a fingernail: if it is green underneath, the plant is alive.

Is it worth it compared with sowing again?

Yes, if you have a variety you like and a halfway suitable spot. The head start is four to six weeks, and slow varieties such as habanero benefit enormously.

And if an overwintering attempt does fail: our pre-grown chilli and pepper plants arrive well rooted in spring — the lost plant is quickly replaced.