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How To Overwinter Your Pepper Plants ????



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While most of us grow pepper plants as annuals, did you know that pepper plants can actually be grown as perennials? People who live in frost free areas can keep their peppers going for a very long time. ????????

I have a few favorite pepper plants that I really like to keep, so I decided to overwinter them. Doing this method will give you a head start on the next growing season, which can lead to a much better yield.

Here’s how I overwinter my pepper plants:

???? If planted in raised beds/ground, carefully dig out the plant.
????Wash the roots thoroughly, removing as much soil as possible. The reason for this is to not bring any pests inside the house that might be hiding in the soil.
????Transplant your pepper plant in a clean pot with fresh/new potting mix. The pot doesn’t have to be very big - I usually use a 3 gal, the one in this reel is slightly smaller. You can trim the roots if needed.
????I don’t fertilize unless I plan to grow it in my grow tent. I give it some worm castings just to give the plant enough nutrients.
????I prune back the branches and remove all leaves. Just make sure you leave a few nodes and it should be able to regrow. Leaving leaves on the plant will attract aphids and other pests. When pruning, I usually leave 3-4 little branches attached from the main stem (this plant somehow only had 2 strong looking ones).
????I water it and put the plant inside the house next to a window. In the winter time, I don’t water it often. I just check every couple of weeks or so and if the soil’s really dry, I give it just enough water.
????In the next growing season, when the weather starts to get warmer, I slowly harden them off just like I do my seedlings.

*Unfortunately, this doesn’t always guarantee that the plant will wake up in spring. Last yr, I overwintered 7 pepper plants, and 2 of them didn’t make it.


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Vegetable garden
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