Talkback: Overwintering chillies - Talkback

25/09/2009 at 10:41

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 ......

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25/09/2009 at 11:06

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!

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25/09/2009 at 11:19

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...

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25/09/2009 at 14:00

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.

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25/09/2009 at 16:38

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?

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25/09/2009 at 19:58

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

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26/09/2009 at 08:40

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

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26/09/2009 at 12:22

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.

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28/09/2009 at 00:54

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.

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28/09/2009 at 18:33

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.

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29/09/2009 at 09:16

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?

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03/10/2009 at 06:00

hi all!!!! look im after some help, i really need someone to tell me the best conditions to grow my chillys. Is flooding a problem? what about sewerage? ok it would be awesome if some one could post a reply because id really apprieciate some advice from an expert or less. Thanks a tonne.

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03/10/2009 at 06:07

hi tom i think the best way to prune them is to just roughly grab the stem, aquire an extremley sharp pair of pruning scissors and just snip everything right of till there is practically nothing left!! works a treat on my plants...... but about the shed, it might not be suitable... how big are the windows? the length of say a large dog? if so then thats good thats the right size. hope this has helped!! mwa

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03/10/2009 at 15:18

Having got the chillies to turn from green to red when is the best time to harvest them for use. Are there any tell tell signs to look out for ?

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05/10/2009 at 15:01

Hello, How do you prune Orchids, and Wisterias??

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07/10/2009 at 12:44

I have a really good crop of chillies this year - far more than I can use. Are there any good ways of preserving them?

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10/10/2009 at 16:22

Please could you help me. i have just bought a cherry tree (prunus avium 'sylvia) for my patio and l'm won dering what compost l should put it in, or should l use a john innes with soil Thank you

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11/10/2009 at 20:39

Like Shrub, I've had a bumper crop of chillies and no idea what to do with them all. I grew F1 Apache and Chillie de Cayenne which were planted straight out in the allotment once they were 15 cm high. They have had whatever weather nature threw at them since the start of May and no special protection or care. Next year I will have only a couple of plants, but I still have 600g of fruit from this year to find a use for. Any ideas?

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24/10/2009 at 11:33

I have had a bumper crop of chillies this year and have plenty of recipes to use them for. My problem is that no matter what I do, boil, fry, roast, the skins and flesh remain hard and crunchy. Comments appreciated.

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24/10/2009 at 12:35

I freeze mine until i need them