Nice pictures! I live in the Florida panhandle, and I am debating if I want to pull mine out of the ground or not. This is my first year growing anything, and had some good success. Here in the panhandle it might freeze ten nights the entire winter, one or two nights might hit the low 20's.

What type of soil did you use in your pot, and are you just keeping the plants in a sunny window??

Sam

Those are some nice pictures. Just one question, How far down did you prune the plant. I live in So.Cal. and I 've been wanting to prune mine down, just didn't quite know how far to prune it. Just a quesstimate I would say 1 foot from top of soil to the top of the plant. Again nice pics Greenman.
Jesse

Fantastic!! I pulled 4 plants for overwintering in late October. They have all fleshed out except the Ancho. I did Serrano last year and have that same plant on the second overwinter just to see how it goes. I will try to post pics on another thread soon - do not want to hijack your thread :-))

DL

You can really prune the plant to a nub and it will come back.....it's really hard to kill a chile.

This tepin was pruned to a nub and the second pic is the same plant later.

Thanks, folks!

Jesse, I just measured again for you! ;) I pruned this pepper to exactly 8 inches tall. You can prune yours taller or shorter, but it requires more energy to maintain a taller plant. As Willard demonstrated, you only need a nub for fantastic, rejuvenated growth. Living in So California, your plant will explode with growth! Also, consider where you'd like your plant's trunk to begin branching...if you'd like a taller, central stem, then prune higher up. If you like a bushier presentation, prune lower. Then, of course, keep pruning until your plant has the aesthetic and/or structural features you desire.

Dancinglemons, I can't wait to see the pics!
I started growing peppers to see how long I could keep one alive. That was last year. I still have my Hungarian wax pepper, and my fingers are crossed.

Sambo, you might want to put your peppers in pots just so that they don't get too wet. The temps shouldn't be a problem, as long as the plants are covered during those cold dips. My peppers are outdoors when the temps are above 50° - and indoors when the temps are below 50°. At the beginning and the end of the growing season (after planting and before digging up), I use old waterjugs to "greenhouse" my plants. Foreground, to the left: Hungarian. Foreground, center: Thai. Foreground, right: Thai hybrid shown above.
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The potting mix that I use is bark-based.
Small pine/fir bark, sized 1/8 to 3/8 of an inch.
Perlite for open drainage and to keep the weight down. Then I add Pumice for moisture retention and stability.
Then I add sharp Quartz gravel (sized 1/8 to 1/4 inch) for open drainage and to balance the weight of the Perlite. I also add a bit of Osmocote 3-4 month fertilizer...since the potting mix has almost no nutrient value.

My plants are located next to an eastern window, and I put them outside whenever the weather allows for it. It's 40°F out right now, so I haven't put my plants on the back deck yet today.

Willard, thanks for posting those pics!
Your pics were some of the first that convinced me to give overwintering a try.

Josh

Hey, everyone!
I hope your wintering projects are coming along nicely!
I'm dealing with aphids....but, hey, what else is new. Here's my hybrid Thai. Despite the aphids, it's looking decent.

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Greenman28, the plants are looking good. Hope you find good ways of dealing with the aphids. I had trouble with them last year and decided not to bring any peppers inside this year. The houseplants look kinda sad without the peppers mixed in among them this year. People suggested ladybugs as the best control to me. For the few plants I had, the minimum order seemed excessive and I tried to fight them other ways. I think the peppers got put into the shower more often than me last winter.....and yet the aphids just kept on building up again.

They did pull through, though, and grew well outside once spring arrived. Guess the natural predators out there controlled the aphids.

Hey, Naturegirl! Thanks! I'll keep battling the bugs!
Thankfully, I know of a local place where ladybugs bloom in the tens of thousands. I might have to appeal to them for help. I hiked to the land of the ladybugs on Saturday - to show a friend - and I took these pics:

Josh

The aphids never relented, but this vigorous pepper just keeps putting out growth...
A few days ago, I happened to find a ladybug in the backyard, so I transferred it to my pepper plant.
The next day, I discovered eggs...and the day after, hatchling larvae. This morning, the hatchlings are spreading throughout my plants and eating the aphids.

What luck!

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Fantastic thread! Those ladybug pictures are amazing! I've never seen so many!

Thank you!
It's hard to convey the incredible number of ladybugs in that location!

Josh

Cool thread, I will be trying this over wintering process pruning back heavy as well as root trimming (which I have never tried before).

Well first i'd like to say, "nice pics"! I was about to ask how to overwinter pepper plants and this thread popped up. Greenman28 , I have one question. What do I need to do once I have pruned and potted my plant? Once it's inside, wha kind of light will I need? What other specifics as far as caring for it overwinter? Your threads and comments have already helped me out a great deal. Any advice would be appreciated.

Hello, Nitti! Thank you!

Once your peppers are indoors, you'll want to give them as much light as you can.
I put mine close to an eastern window, and that's all the light that I provide.

Water when the soil-mix becomes fairly dry, and fertilize at a reduced rate several
times throughout the winter - at least once a month, I'd say.

Josh

Thank you again Josh! I'll be doing that within the next 45-60 days.

My pleasure!

I'll be pruning and re-potting my peppers in November, so feel free to ask any questions
and to share your experience.

Josh

Here's a pic of the hybrid Thai this morning.
(Arbol to the back left, Hungarian to the right)

Josh

Reading this thread I am surprised that no grow lights necessary to overwinter peppers indoors. I suppose many chile peppers are fast growing and hardy and can get through a winter on a windowsill. My shishito peppers are slow growing and therefore I am leaning toward a grow light setup to keep them going this winter. I suppose worst case with the grow light is that I spend money I didn't have to spend...you guys have any advice for a newbie?

Reading this thread I am surprised that no grow lights necessary to overwinter peppers indoors. I suppose many chile peppers are fast growing and hardy and can get through a winter on a windowsill. My shishito peppers are slow growing and therefore I am leaning toward a grow light setup to keep them going this winter. I suppose worst case with the grow light is that I spend money I didn't have to spend...you guys have any advice for a newbie?

The more light you can provide, the better the growth will be.
Don't let your plants get tall and skinny during the winter. Continue to selectively prune.
Fertilize at reduced strength about once a month or so. Use a soil that is fast-draining so that
you can water frequently and thoroughly without worrying about root-rot.

I grow on a windowsill because I have good eastern-southern windows.
And as soon as I can in the Spring, I begin setting my plants outside in partial shade.
Over the course of two or three weeks, I introduce my plants to more and more sunlight
and wind - this is the process of "hardening off" the leaves and stems.

Josh

It doesn't take much to keep them alive. As long as you aren't trying to keep them setting fruit, it's really minimal.

Exactly!
During the winter, I treat my peppers as foliage plants.

For production of pods, you really need a lighting set-up.

Josh