David,

A 31° frost should not have been catastrophic. Rinsing the frost off with a hose before the sun hit the plants would have saved them. Chances are they will still just lose leaves and live.

Been through frosts and freezes many times here in MIsery.

Fingers crossed for you!

jt

Thanks, jt, I've got them covered for tonight as well, just in case. I won't pull them until they fall over.

Hows the new growth tip? If thats still green that plant has a chance to recover. The IFFY thing is will it recover in time for you, for a harvest.

Ach. We had a freeze again last night, and forecast for the next two nights. I have grass clippings heaped up all over them, and they seem about the same. Fingers crossed.

Are you sure you live in zone 5? LOL Actually, I know where you live and will be sure to stay away. I hate cold weather now that am in my dotage.

Keep us posted!

Update - I snipped off all the dead leaves, and then left them alone. Three weeks later, those whose main stem wasn't damaged are growing new leaves and flowering from the top, so I have a whole bunch of chili plants with nothing at all for a foot - 16 inches, then a whole cluster of new leaves and blossoms.

Those that had the main stem damaged are toast.

Looks good for at least a partial harvest.

I hope you will get a reasonable harvest. they might not ripen red but you should get some nice green ones. You might be able to bring a few plants indoors to ripen later in the fall if you need the seeds.

I would not cut off the tops of the branches because then you will get fewer blossoms and peppers at harvest.

what varieties do you have. were some varieties good but other varieties hit hard. or was it more the location. some varieties take the cold better some put on peppers faster. etc.

I just had a dozen each of some sweet peppers, Gypsy and California Wonder, and the other 60 or so plants are New Mex Big Jim - I'm addicted to mesquite smoked / roasted green chili, and go through an embarrassing amount every year.

But no difference on which ones froze and which ones didn't. Plants look like some Dr. Seus idea of a pepper plant....

Frozen Peppers and Weeds

I am david52
I am david52
david52 I am

That david52-I-am!
Than david52-I-am!
I do not like
that david52-I-am!

Do you grow
Frozen Peppers and Weeds?

I do not grow them,
david52-I-am.
I do not grow
Frozen Peppers and Weeds.

Could you grow them
here or there?

I could not grow them
here or there.
I could not grow them
anywhere.
I do not grow
Frozen Peppers and Weeds.
I do not grow them,
david52-I-am.

Could you grow them
in a house?
Could you grow them
with a mouse?

I do not grow them
in a house.
I do not grow them
with a mouse.
I do not grow them
here or there.
I do not grow them
anywhere.
I do not grow Frozen Peppers and Weeds.
I do not grow them,david52-I-am.

Could you grow them
in a box?
Could you Grow them
with a fox?

Not in a box.
Not with a fox.
Not in a house.
Not with a mouse.
I could not grow them here or there.
I could not grow them anywhere.
I could not grow Frozen Peppers and Weeds.
I do not grow them,david52-I-am.

Could you? Could you?
In a car?
grow them!grow them!
Here they are.

I would not,
could not,
in a car.

You may grow them.
You will see.
You may grow them
in a tree!

I would not, could not in a tree.
Not in a car! You let me be.

I do not grow them in a box.
I do not grow them with a fox.
I do not grow them in a house.
I do not grow them with a mouse.
I do not grow them here or there.
I do not grow them anywhere.
I do not grow Frozen Peppers and Weeds.
I do not grow them,david52-I-am.

A train! A train!
A train! A train!
Could you, would you,
on a train?

Not on a train! Not in a tree!
Not in a car! david52! Let me be!

I would not, could not, in a box.
I could not, would not, with a fox.
I will not grow them with a mouse.
I will not grow them in a house.
I will not grow them here or there.
I will not grow them anywhere.
I do not grow Frozen Peppers and Weeds.
I do not grow them,david52-I-am.

Say!
In the dark?
Here in the dark!
Would you, could you, in the dark?

I would not, could not,
in the dark.

Would you, could you, in the rain?

I would not, could not,
in the rain.
Not in the dark. Not on a train.
Not in a car. Not in a tree.
I do not grow them, david52, you see.
Not in a house. Not in a box.
Not with a mouse. Not with a fox.
I will not grow them here or there.
I do not grow them anywhere!

You do not grow
Frozen Peppers and Weeds?

I do not
grow them,
david52-I-am.

Could you, would you,
with a goat?

I would not,
could not,
with a goat!

Would you, could you,
on a boat?

I could not, would not, on a boat.
I will not, will not, with a goat.
I will not grow them in the rain.
I will not grow them on a train.
Not in the dark! Not in a tree!
Not in a car! You let me be!
I do not grow them in a box.
I do not grow them with a fox.
I will not grow them in a house.
I do not grow them with a mouse.
I do not grow them here or there.
I do not grow them ANYWHERE!

I do not grow
frozen peppers
and Weeds!

I do not grow them,
david52-I-am.

You do not grow them.
So you say.
Try them! Try them!
And you may.
grow them and you may, I say.

david52 !
If you will let me be,
I will try them.
You will see.

Say!
I grow frozen peppers and Weeds!
I do! I grow them, david52-I-am!
And I would grow them in a boat.
And I would grow them with a goat...

And I will grow them in the rain.
And in the dark. And on a train.
And in a car. And in a tree.
They are so good, so good, you see!

So I will grow them in a box.
And I will grow them with a fox.
And I will grow them in a house.
And I will grow them with a mouse.
And I will grow them here and there.
Say! I will grow them ANYWHERE!

I do so grow
Frozen Peppers and Weeds!
Thank you!
Thank you,
david52-I-am!

-Snort-

Is that a good snort or a bad snort? LOL
I think if the roots didn't freeze and there is some undamaged stem above the first leaf node they might come back.
Some pepper plants I've seen come back year after year if the roots don't freeze.Tepins are one that does come back a lot of times after the top gets messed up during the winter.
I've seen some pepper plants even grow new stems from the roots that refused to die.Only a couple times but it does happen.
I think you need at least 1 leaf node for new growth to sprout from most of the time.

-snort- being the go get the Windex, paper towels, and clean off the monitor snort Flowers, no lil' baby peppers. And the annual, there-is-always-one %%&*@@!! rogue deer, that finds the gap somewhere in the defenses, was in the yard checkin' the remaining pepper plants out - shooed off just in time.

It never stops.

*golf clap*