Many gardeners regard pepper plants as annuals, but with a little pepper winter care indoors, you can keep your pepper plants for the winter. Overwintering pepper plants can be a little tricky, but if you own a specialty pepper, especially chili peppers, keeping peppers over the winter is a great way to get a jump start on the season next year and increase the length of the production period of your pepper plant. Keep reading to learn how to keep peppers over winter.
How to Winter Peppers Indoors
A note —if you plan on overwintering pepper plants, realize that doing this will keep the plant alive, but it will not produce fruit. In order to produce fruit, peppers need a certain temperature and amount of light that the average house in the winter cannot provide. If you want to grow peppers for fruit in the winter, you will need to do so in a greenhouse with supplemental light.
The first step for how to keep peppers over winter is to bring them indoors. When you do so, thoroughly spray the plant down. This will help to knock off any pests that may be hiding on the leaves. Remove all pepper fruit, mature or immature from the plant.
The next step for how to winter peppers indoors is to find a cool, dry location to store the pepper plant — somewhere that remainsaround 55 F. (13 C.). An attached garage or a basem*nt is ideal. For pepper winter care, the pepper plant won’tneed much light, so near a window or near a lamp with a fluorescent bulb will be enough light in these locations.
Once you’ve placed the pepper plant in this location, cut back the watering. When you’re keeping peppers over the winter, you’ll find that they need far less water than in the summer. You’ll only need to water the plant once every three to four weeks while overwintering pepper plants. Don’t let the soil stay soaked, but also don’t let it dry out completely.
Shortly after you place the pepper in a cool location and cut back watering, you will notice the leaves starting to die back. DON’T PANIC. This is normal. The pepper plant is entering dormancy. It’s almost the same thing as what happens to trees outdoors.
Once the leaves start to die, you can prune back the pepper plant. Prune back the branches of the pepper plant to a few main “Y”s on the plant, leaving about 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm.) for the upper part of the “Y”. This step in overwintering pepper plants will remove the dying leaves and make the plant less susceptible to pests. The pepper plant will grow new branches in the spring.
To finish your pepper winter care, about a month before your last frost date, bring your pepper plant out of the cool location and move it to a brighter, warmer location. You may even want to use a heating pad under the pot to add additional heat. Resume watering, but make sure not to overwater the pepper plant. In a week or so, you should see some new growth appear.
That being said, even if you correctly follow all of the steps for how to keep peppers over winter, you may find that your pepper plant doesn’t survive. When overwintering pepper plants, some varieties will perform better than others. But, when keeping peppers over the winter works, you will be guaranteed a bumper crop of your favorite peppers.
FAQs
In a nutshell, overwintering helps your plants go dormant during cold weather so that they can come back next spring. You typically do this by bringing outdoor plants inside. For chillies, you'll start winterizing pepper plants well before the first frost because temperatures of 32°F (0°C) and below can kill them.
Can I save my pepper plants for next year? ›
Peppers of all types are grown as annuals by most gardeners: sown, grown, picked, then condemned to the compost heap at the end of the season. Yet these hard-working plants are perennials that, given the right conditions, will happily overwinter to next year.
Can you leave pepper plants in the ground over winter? ›
It is possible to overwinter your plants outdoors in the garden as well, at least if you live in zones 9 or 10. You'll just have to protect them and keep them warm. Once nighttime temperatures start to dip below 50, you'll start to see signs of cold stress.
Is it worth over wintering pepper plants? ›
For peppers, it is relatively easy and rewarding to overwinter plants. They are extremely resilient and usually come back stronger than ever after the “hibernation” period indoors. Most growers choose to force the plants into a dormant state, growing very little new foliage through the winter.
How do you prolong the life of peppers? ›
Partially-eaten peppers will last longer by storing them in a sealed container with the seeds and stems still attached. For cut Bell Peppers, store them in a sealed container or plastic bag with a paper towel to absorb excess moisture. Keep them in your crisper drawer—just don't forget about them!
Can you leave peppers on plant too long? ›
Sweet peppers can be picked once the green fruit gets to the mature size described on the label. If left longer on the plant, they will turn red; or if yours is one of the more exotic varieties, it will turn purple, black or orange.
Can you overwinter peppers in the dark? ›
Now you will need to find a spot to keep your overwintering pepper plants. Here are a couple of options: In a basem*nt, garage, or other dark space. When you leave the peppers in a dark, dry, and cool climate, they will go dormant.
Do you have to harden off pepper plants? ›
And, making sure to harden off your pepper plants before you transplant will also ensure that they won't get transplant shock. We recommend planting in the evening or in the early morning so the plant has time to recover before the heat of the day with full sun.
Can you freeze pepper seeds to plant next year? ›
Freezing is a great way to store seeds for the long haul. If you're planning on sowing them within a few years, it's probably not going to make a huge difference, though it couldn't hurt. Just be sure: Only freeze seeds that are completely dry.
How often do you water overwintered peppers? ›
Step #3: Cut back on watering
Once you have placed the pepper plant in this location, cut back the watering. When you are keeping peppers over the winter, you will find that they need far less water than in the summer. You should only need to water the plant once every three to four weeks.
Prune off the lowest leaves to keep them away from ground-dwelling pests. Slugs and snails and other pests find pepper foliage delicious. When pepper leaves touch the soil, or they're very close to the ground, these pepper pests have an easier time gaining access to a favorite food source.
Should you remove Early peppers? ›
Timing is everything! If you have recently planted outdoors (within the last 2-4 weeks), you should pick off pepper flowers and any early-forming fruits. This will allow your plants to focus energy on producing a large root system and lots of foliage before switching to fruiting mode.
Is it better to freeze peppers whole or cut? ›
Bell Peppers Are Easier to Freeze and Store When Diced
Although you can store bell peppers whole, it might be easier for you to store them when they're diced up. You'll have an easier time fitting diced peppers into an airtight container than you will whole peppers.
How do you prune pepper plants for the winter? ›
Prune back the branches of the pepper plant to a few main “Y”s on the plant, leaving about 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm.) for the upper part of the “Y”. This step in overwintering pepper plants will remove the dying leaves and make the plant less susceptible to pests. The pepper plant will grow new branches in the spring.
Should you trim lower branches of pepper plants? ›
Prune off the lowest leaves to keep them away from ground-dwelling pests. Slugs and snails and other pests find pepper foliage delicious. When pepper leaves touch the soil, or they're very close to the ground, these pepper pests have an easier time gaining access to a favorite food source.
How cold is too cold for peppers outside? ›
Most peppers are not happy when temperatures drop below 50-60˚ F. If you live in a short season climate, we recommend starting pepper seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost of the spring is expected, and wait to transplant outside until it's warmed up to at least 55-60˚ F at night consistently.
