Growing and caring for chilli plants

I tried to overwinter my chillies, eggplant, pepinos, ginger, lemon grass and sweet potato. The eggplant and ginger didn't make it and both gone to a better place.
The others are doing well. They are all in pots, under the pergola, next to a north-facing wall.
The ones in smaller pot are put into clear plastic bags, tightly sealed from the top. This way I don't have to water them.
The rest are covered in plant blanket.
I will go back to check if there are any new shoot coming! Very exciting!!

Alicia

I hadn't heard the term overwintering before. I had to Google it.

"Overwintering simply describes the process of keeping your plants alive thoroughout the winter. Doing so means that next year you will not have to just rely on plants you have raised from seed in the spring."

I'm keen to grow some jalapeno plants in the spring. Do you have any?

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/1752#Comment_1752

Hi, my Jalapeno and Black (turns red when ripe and has small cherry size fruit with very dark coloured leaves) Chillies have started to sprout again. I don't know what this wet cold spell will do to them. I still have them mostly protected. I'm not sure about the Birdseye, Nellie Kellie and Cayenne. The stalks kept dying back so I have kept trimming them back. They are still alive so with a bit of luck they'll be ok. The capsicums haven't started to shoot yet but they are still green (stalks), so when the weather warms I think they will come into leaf as well.
🍻bergs

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/63221#Comment_63221

I'm having my first go at growing jalapeno chillies. I'm starting from seed so wish me luck...

Well done keeping your plants alive over the winter. Hopefully they can produce plenty of fruit for you in the warmer weather (hopefully coming soon!)

Jason

Brad

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/94115#Comment_94115

Good luck with growing from seed @Jason.

I have found Jalapeno winter well, Habenero did to a point, Cayenne still going but Indian ones have not done so well.

Kermit

Are chillis hard to grow in general? I've never tried but my suspicion would be that they would be easier than most vegies because they are used to the heat and don't need a lot of water. Is that right?

Brad

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/1916#Comment_1916

They can handle heat fairly well and are less thirsty than most. Cold and Aphids are the biggest problems I have found.

Some people work on a theory that if you stress the plant by withholding water you get more heat. Not for me.

Powerfeed and Seasol have given me healthy plants till I tried the superhots which are more temperamental.

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/63228#Comment_63228

I agree with @Brad. Chillies are heavy feeders, the more fertilizer, the healthier plants, the hotter fruits.

They are not hard to grow in hot weather. For Victoria, summer is the time to grow them.

I still have mine under the plant blanket. The mornings are still too cold for them.

Good luck @Jasonto your first trial.

It will be interesting to see what you all do with the abundant chillis.

I freeze mine and use them when required. A friend makes jars of sweet chilli sauce to last 12 months. What do you do? Any good receipe?

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/94123#Comment_94123

Some of my Jalapeno's are shooting. I will trim them back a bit more when they really start growing strongly. Mainly to make them look tidy.

Earlier this year I strung some Cayenne's up by their stalks and hung them in the garage in a dry spot and just use them as required.

I am going to try and pickle them this season in a vinegar solution. There are few different ways to do it. If you Google chillies there are plenty of ways to do it.

Cheers🍻bergs

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/94115#Comment_94115

Progress shot of my Jalapeño babies.

Looking forward to eating my poppers!

Jason

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/113466#Comment_113466

Hi this is my Black Pearl Chilli from last year. It should really accelerate once we get some decent weather here in Vic.

my Jalapeno's have started to grow as well but need a bit warmer days to really take off.

I trimmed a lot of the old wood off to give the young shoots a good start. Thre out of five have sprouted new shoots but the other two haven't. I have planted new Birdseye as last years didn't look like shooting. They are growing well and have flowers coming already. I find the Birdseye have just the right amount of bite (for me anyway) and give your dishes that little bit extra. They are pretty much the same as Nellie Kellie but are easier to find in the nurseries. My Nellie Kellies last year were absolutely loaded.

Jason your little ones look very healthy so they should be ok when temperatures rise a bit. Hopefully when it does warm up we might have an extended length of warm weather and a longer season which will mean more chillies.😀

Cheers🍻and happy and fruitful gardening over the next months or so. bergs

Live your heaven on earth now.

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/124325#Comment_124325

Thanks @bergs. Mine don't look strong enough to be transplanted as yet - would be a little too small to handle. But yes, hopefully the sun will come out soon!

Jason

My jalapeno plants are going well @bergs. I have three strong plants about 70cm tall. It won't be long until I can eat some.

Will need your tips soon on how to keep them alive over winter in Melbourne.

Jason

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/2622#Comment_2622

Hi all,

Jason those little seedlings are are doing wonderful, you'll get some great enjoyment from harvesting your own.

My over wintered Jalapenos have fruit on them, so with the weather we've been having, they won't be far away. They can be eaten green but they're not as hot.

Since I regularly started eating chillies I have lost 15 kilos and I put it down to the capsaicum which is in them. Apparently it will burn off excess fat, but you still need to eat healthy. In or on your meal once a day, one medium sized chilli is all you need.

The following photos are of my over wintered Jalapenos and my Black Pearl.

When I over wintered the Jalapenos I just left them in the same place in the garden, trimmed back the foliage a bit and when they began to shoot I tidied them up a bit, as noticeable in my earlier photos. My son in law doesn't trim them until the following year when they show signs of movement. They were slower growing than the chillies I bought for this years crop but they have caught up quickly.

The Black Pearl was in a pot, so it was easy to just put it somewhere sheltered. They a bit hotter in taste and they also make a great ornamental plant. They are green in foliage turning to a darker colour as they age and fruit starts of black and grows to about marble size and turns red when mature. It also self seeds quite easily.

Cheers😀and happy gardening.

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/63616#Comment_63616

Fantastic. Many thanks for the tips @bergs. Looking forward to making some jalapeno poppers soon, and keeping the plant alive for next season!

Jason

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/94326#Comment_94326

Here's my first harvest.

I made poppers last night and they were delicious. I stuffed the jalapenos with cream cheese and bacon, and then crumbed them and pan fried them. They probably would have been better in a deep fryer but we don't have one.

Most of them were very mild but a couple had some decent punch. I obviously need to leave them longer for the real heat to develop.

Jason

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/113556#Comment_113556

Awesome! I think they will turn red and the heat will kick in. It shouldn't take that long with the constant hot weather this week. Enjoy!

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/124386#Comment_124386

Thanks @QuailFlock.

I had read that you're supposed to pick them before they change colour. Do you know whether its better to leave them on the plant to heat up or pick them and leave them for a while before eating?

Jason

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/131637#Comment_131637

Chillies only ripe on the plant so once you pick them the heat will not increase.
If I pick them green when I am desperate, I leave the seeds on to have the maximum heat.
Otherwise I will leave them on the plant until they turn bright red - but don't leave them out too long after the colour changes. Insects tend to eat them once they are red.
You can freeze thered chillies. When you need them, put them in water for 5 minutes, then use them the usual way. No change of texture or flavour.

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/136058#Comment_136058

I picked more last night @QuailFlock as I noticed a few had discoloured - not in a good way! Perhaps a little burnt by the hot sun this week?

Jason

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/139083#Comment_139083

Oh no! They are such princesses, cant be too hot but cant stand the cold, don't like wet feet and needs lots of fertilizers!
But with the taste, it is definitely worth the effort!! 🙂

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/141117#Comment_141117

My capsicum plant that over-wintered.

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/139083#Comment_139083

I think my plants are nearly finished for the season, not many chillis left. Was the consensus to trim them back before winter or after?

Jason

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/141126#Comment_141126

I dug out two of my capsicum plant last week, trimed the branches that beared fruits and put them into big pots in the greenhouse. The leaves were started to turn yellow so I think it is the good time.

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/142658#Comment_142658

Thanks for the update @QuailFlock.

I might have to invest in a little greenhouse.

Jason

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/143736#Comment_143736

Hello, I have almost harvested all my chillies except for the Nellie Kellie. There are still plenty on the bushes which are turning colour, but I think that's as far as they will turn because the warm weather has slipped away now. The Jalapeño's that wintered over from last year had a lot of fruit on them, mostly mild, so the wife had those.
I did trim mine back last year and left them in the ground where they were growing. They put out new shoots early in the season, but the seedlings that I bought, out grew them very quickly. My son in law doesn't shift his but trims them back coming into the next season and seems to have plenty of growth and they fruit well.
My over wintered plants are in a very sheltered spot nearly under a large Lilypilly and root system from that is choking my plants so I probably won't over winter them because I'll have to dig the soil over and remove a lot of the roots as well as add more compost etc.
The seed I collected previously was sown last July but the plants are only fruiting now. They were Nellie Kellies but are completely different to the parent plant. I think they may have crossed pollinated with my Birdseye.
A Malaysian lady gave me some Burmese chillies that she grows and they were really tasty with a nice bit of bite. I have saved seeds from them for next season. She told my wife that she had just picked 4 kilos of them. Now that's a serious amount of chillies!
I think it depends on what region/climate you're in as to whether you lift them or leave them in their growing spot.
If you're in a cooler area you can make a little cold frame to go over them. Any sort of frame from what you may have lying around or just some tomato stakes with plastic attached. You can pick up plastic pretty easy. Everything you buy nowadays comes wrapped in it.
Well good luck with your chillie, I'm going out to plant some Broad Beans
Cheers bergs

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/144552#Comment_144552

Plastic or frost cloth both works fine. Good alternative to a green house if you don't have the space. More flexible if you are not prepare to dig up the plant. I used frost cloth for 2 years and worked very well.

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/145146#Comment_145146

The recent frosts in Melbourne haven't been kind to my jalapenos. I cut them right back but not sure they are going to get through the winter. I will try some new plants alongside the old ones and let you know which end up being more fruitful in the summer.

Jason

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/145615#Comment_145615

Hi Jason, my Jalapenos have definitely seen beetter days, the frost hasn't been too kind. The leaves have burnt but I just picked half a dozen fruit that were changing colour. These chillies will be coming into their third year this coming season. I will trim them back when the new shoots start to emerge.

Cheers bergs