Forum home› Talkback
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Talkback: Overwintering chillies

Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
in Talkback
I disappear to a warmer land for 3 months in winter. This year I have two 3 foot high avocados doing well in sheltered corners of my garden.
Has any one suggestions about helping them survive the winter eg smothering in compost & horse manure.Will the heat generated harm them ? would a framework surrounded by bubble wrap do the trick ? alternatively maybe I could transfe them to my greenhouse floor.But I really want to leave them where they are ......
«13

Posts

  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    Dear ShensiHarness, I've never kept avocados outside, but mine have always survived over winter in a very cold conservatory, so maybe just make sure the roots are well covered as you suggested and wrap them in fleece? I'd be interested to know how they get on!
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I used to live in Zimbabwe where we grew chillies all year round and some of our plants were years old. I like you tried to overwinter but gave up and just keep the seeds now but start early in the season. This year I was harvesting chillies in July and still have much to go...
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I do understand you not wanting to do away with the chilli plants, but I always freeze, and also dry surplus chillies and find they last the year round so no need to keep the plants. I have also grown them indoors and they make lovely plants all year round and give the hanging chillies away to visitors.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    All the tops of my potatoes have suddenly wilted and died. Any comment on what could have caused this and what I should do next?
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    Isn't that great that the chillies kept going, got to say I kave only just got the flowers on mine the plant has excelled in stature and leaf but it's the end of September and no fruit as yet, it's in the green house and has been so all summer being mollicodled
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    Went to a "Chilli Event" this year and bought several new plants and really hope to overwinter them.At the moment they are all flourishing in the greenhouse but the nights and mornings are getting colder so I will have to move them soon.I plan to bring some into conservatory end of kitchen. I also have a plastic "greenhouse" inside the potting shed so I will try a couple in there. Fingers crossed! I'll also save some seeds-just in case- and freeze some of this years crop
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I've got four chilli plants (2 Dorset Naga, 2 Hungarian Hotwax) that, due to my being rubbish at gardening, have only just started to flower. So I might have a go at overwintering, just so that there's half a chance I might get some fruit from them. Could be difficult as the Dorset Nagas are now pretty big and we don't have a greenhouse - I'll try and find a space in the garage, keep them covered in fleece or something and hope for the best.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    If you put your chillis on the window in the warm. For winter and treat them mean as in very much on the dry side they will over winter fine. Expect the foliage to drop of but by march when the light comes back the twiggy growth re shoots again that is the time to re pot them into a slightly bigger pot. Feed them just a very little I use a high potash feed and mine are between two and three years old now. The fruit is smaller but no less in flavour.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    We grew chillies very successfully last year and I too couldnt bear the throught of throwing them on the compost heap! I decided, as an experiment to overwinter in our conservatory. As it got colder the plant looked decidedly sadder, so I brought it into our dining room. For a long time it looked like sticks in a pot. But once the weather started to turn and it could be put into the conservatory again it flowered and produced many fruit. I have to say I looked after it through the winter like a small child, dont think I'll do it again til I get a greenhouse, but it can be done and quite successfully.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I grew two chilli plants this summer, managed to get a hand full of chillies off of the green one and too many to count off the red one, I consider myself lucky here in south Essex as we get relatively mild winters. I'm going to overwinter the plants in my large warm shed, it has large windows and is quite warm, however I was wondering whether or not to prune them and how I should go about it, any suggestions?
Sign In or Register to comment.