Peppers

ReptileAddiction · Mon Jul 09, 2012 11:36 am

Hello, I want to start a pepper plant and over winter it so that I have a huge plant in the spring. Should I start it now and just pull off all the blossoms?

manny · Mon Jul 09, 2012 11:02 pm

I want to try this too. From what I have read you don't want the plant to grow too much because you will need lots of light to keep it healthy. I think you want to let it grow well this summer trim it down a bit and let it be dormant over the winter and then plant after your last frost. I look forward to seeing how right/wrong I am!!

applestar · Mon Jul 09, 2012 11:27 pm

Here is one of the overwintering pepper threads I was thinking of: [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=31055]Winter Pepper Torture[/url]

Ruffsta · Tue Jul 10, 2012 4:16 am

I'll be growing peppers indoors again - I start them the same day my kids go back to school (this keeps me in winter routine - just like the kids have for school). your best bet is to get some sort of T-5 lighting.

PunkRotten · Tue Jul 10, 2012 5:48 am

Since you are in Socal like me the pepper will overwinter just fine outside. Just plant it now and let it go. You will probably get a harvest right before it goes dormant. I have a Serrano pepper on its 2nd year. When mid November came around the plant seemed to just stop growing (went dormant). When late January rolled around the plant picked up right where it left off. It started to produce new flowers and peppers. What I did though was in late February or March (can't remember), I pruned everything down to a few inches from the ground. Only reason why I did this was late in the season prior the plant has some issues and loss a bunch of its leaves and some of the stems seemed to be wimpy. After pruning it the plant came back fast and as of now it is growing vigorous and loaded with peppers.

rockhound · Tue Jul 10, 2012 6:42 am

I'm in TN z7 and started my Numex Bailey's Chile Pequin in Sept last year, inside. It had bloomed but not set any fruit until April 15, the normal plant-out date here. Immediately it went into high gear producing blooms and peppers. I will look for an early pic. It is in a 5-gal bucket and has been cut back once but the plant is about 18 inches tall and bushy now. Has around 60 peppers in various colors from purple to yellow to orange to red. They dry very easy, just pick and leave them on a plate til dry and crush into a jar.
ETA: These are blooms it had by December.
[img]https://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o182/Rockguy46/CIMG1063.jpg[/img]

PunkRotten · Tue Jul 10, 2012 5:27 pm

That was my experience too. My Serrano had a huge head start on everything since it had an established root system. The Serrano peppers were the first thing out of everything to produce. And all season so far it has been nothing but a juggernaut in producing peppers. I expect it to pump out peppers up until it goes dormant mid/late November.