Overwintering Chillies: How to Get Your Chilli Plant Through the Winter

Chillies aren't annuals. In their native Central and South America, they grow into small shrubs over many years. Here, it's just the winter that's too cold. Bring your plant indoors in time, and it starts spring with a head start and often fruits earlier and more. Here you'll learn when to bring it in, how to prune it and which spot is right.

Is overwintering worth it?

Yes, especially for varieties that take a long time to set their first fruit, like Habanero or Carolina Reaper. An overwintered plant already has sturdy wood and strong roots. It flowers earlier in spring than a freshly sown plant.

• Well suited are almost all chillies. Varieties of the species *Capsicum baccatum* (for example Aji) and *Capsicum pubescens* (Rocoto) are especially tough.
• Less worthwhile are small, fast-growing varieties that you can simply sow again in spring.
• Don't overwinter plants with a heavy pest infestation. Indoors, they'll infect your other plants.

When should you bring your chilli in?

Chillies don't like the cold. Bring them indoors before nights drop below 10 °C, usually from early October. The plant won't survive frost. If there's still fruit on it, harvest it first. Green pods often keep ripening indoors.

Step by step into winter quarters

• 1. Check for pests. Look under the leaves. Aphids, spider mites and whitefly love dry, heated air. Give the plant a thorough shower first.
• 2. Prune it back. Cut the shoots back by about a third. If you want to overwinter the plant cool and in less light, prune harder, down to the first branches. It will sprout again in spring.
• 3. Repot if needed. A pot that just fits is enough. A pot that's too big stays wet for too long in winter.
• 4. Choose the right spot. More on this in the next section.
• 5. Water sparingly. Only water when the top of the soil is dry. In winter, the plant needs hardly any water and no fertiliser.

Bright and cool, or warm with a light?

There are two ways to overwinter. Both work as long as light and warmth match.

• Bright and cool (10 to 15 °C). For example a bright stairwell, a cool bedroom or a frost-free conservatory. The plant rests, may drop some leaves and needs hardly any care.
• Warm with a grow light (above 18 °C). In a warm home, your chilli keeps growing. Window light in winter isn't enough for that. Without a light, the shoots grow long and thin. With 12 to 14 hours of light a day, it sometimes even keeps flowering. You can read more about the right lighting in our guide Grow light for herbs.
• Warm and dark is a bad combination. This is the most common mistake: the plant sprouts, finds no light and grows weak.

The most common problems in winter

• Leaves are falling off. That's normal when overwintering cool. As long as the shoots are green and firm, the plant is alive.
• Sticky leaves or fine webbing. These are aphids or spider mites. Shower the plant and raise the humidity. Yellow sticky traps help against whitefly.
• Long, pale shoots. It's lacking light. Move the plant somewhere brighter or cooler.
• Yellow leaves and wet soil. Too much water. Let the soil dry out well between waterings.

A fresh start in spring

From February, the days get longer. Now move the plant somewhere warmer and brighter and water a little more again. Cut out dry shoots and repot it in fresh soil. As soon as new leaves appear, start feeding lightly again. Once the last frosts have passed in mid-May, it can go back outside. Give it a few days in the shade to get used to the sun, or the leaves will get sunburnt.

Growing chillies fully indoors

No balcony, or want fresh pods in winter too? Then grow your chillies indoors from the start. In the GreenBox, plants get light and water on a schedule, whatever the season or window. Choose compact varieties like Chili Mild, Chili Spicy or Chili Dirty Devil. If you like it hot, go for the Peperoni de Cayenne. To get started with tomatoes and chillies, there's the Cherry Tomato & Chilli Mix.

Learn more about the GreenBox

In a nutshell

• Chillies are perennials and are easy to overwinter.
• Bring them in before nights drop below 10 °C.
• Check for pests, cut back by a third, water sparingly, don't fertilise.
• Either bright and cool (10 to 15 °C) or warm with a grow light. Never warm and dark.
• From February, move them somewhere warmer and brighter, and back outside after the last frosts in mid-May.

Enjoy your chillies!
Your BERLIN GREEN team