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Hi, I'm trying to over winter my Chillies. Last season they were all coming on strong when Autumn came. I thought that if I tried to keep the plants alive it would give me a head start this season. I'm in Victoria (cool temperate).
I have googled it, but it's mainly British and American area guides. I trimmed them back fairly harshly and located the potted ones in a sheltered spot in the garden and backed the watering right off. They are a mixed variety.
So far one is showing signs of shooting. There has been a fair bit of die back which I have now trimmed off. The weather is not far away from getting a bit warmer, so the hopefully, they will take off again and give me earlier crops.
I had preserved (pickled) quite a few but stocks have run out.
Has anyone else had any success in over wintering Chillies? If so please share your methods with us.
Thanks and Cheers🍻Bergs
How are everyone's chilli plants going this summer? I'm particularly keen on seeing yours @bergs!
My jalepenos are starting to come along, I'm hoping for a late flourish before the cooler weather sets in. Here's one of the plants that I grew from seed in the winter, then planted the seedling in spring.
I'm really pleased with how my capscicums are going. I expect to be eating them next week. I have four large plants which I grew from seeds on the kitchen windowsill. There's a lot of fruit on the plants now, and hopefully I can wait until most of it turns red. The only concern is that the ants seem to really like the plants, which suggests there's another pest attacking the plants that the ants are eating. I haven't been able to see any evidence of aphids or scale though.
Looking forward to seeing shots from your garden.
Jason
Hi @Jason your plants look really healthy and are producing, well done.
Well it's been a topsy turvy season in the vegie garden. Cool at the beginning then warm windy and cool again, then all of a sudden opressively hot.
It has been hard trying to keep the plants hydrated as sometimes when watered the wind has dried the moisture up very quickly.
There hasn't been much rain since late last year which doesn't help much either.
Even with this weather I think my chilli harvest is going to be better than in other years. I even look like having plenty to preserve.
I still have Thai, Super, Habanero, Manzaro, Jalepeno and a mixed variety that has a few different shapes on each plant fruiting at this stage as well as probably twice as many Cayenne's to come. Love
this time of the year
Cheers @bergs 
It has been a harsh summer with fluctuating temperature and hot dry winds! My tomatoes really suffer, no passata this year
Capsicum plants seem to be happy. I have been harvesting one or two per week for a month now. But this Sunday I picked 7!! I don't leave them to turn red as the rats will get them before me.
I picked them once there is a slight orange and leave them at the northern window sill to turn red.
I will try to winter my oldest plant again this year. It will be its fourth season if it survive. May be I will overwinter another plant as Plan B.
Will you guys continue to overwinter your chilli plants?
Thanks for the update @QuailFlock. I'm going to leave my chilli plants alone this year and see how they go over winter. I found last year that the plants that I trimmed were far behind one that I just left alone. Hopefully I can look after them if there's any frost around during the winter.
Jason
Hello All,
My garden has taken a pounding from the heat late last month while I was away in Echuca for ten days. Gee it was hot up there, (here as well) in the high 30's and low 40's. I lost a few potted plants and cuttings as there was no one around to give them a drink. My chillies came through ok but last weekend they got blasted by the winds. I propped them up a bit and they are ok now and are fruiting profusely. I have enough to preserve and dry this year and also different varieties. My fifth season Nellie Kellie have plenty of fruit on them and are quite larger than last years fruit, more like the first year I grew them. Super chillie and Thai seem to be much the same but one is a bit smaller. Abundance of Cayenne and mixed varieties, Black Pearl. I'm getting a good handful chillies every day or two. The bushes are loaded at the moment. Habanero's are loaded as well and just started to ripen in the last couple of weeks.
The heat has gone and the cooler weather is coming so get your chillies into a warm spot, if in pots and if in the ground, organise a cover of some sort for when winter gets here in southern Victoria.
My chillies have done far better than in past years and I have had enough to pickle and preserve, to hopefully tide me over until next season.
I was away over Easter and when I got back I had good harvest of fruit (350g) of different varieties.
Cayenne are by far the most prolific cropping along with Thai and Super Chillies, (Super Chilli is one I bought and I think it is a type of Thai Chilli) they both have a good bite. My Habanero's are producing very good. Small fruit with plenty of punch in them.
I still have as many if not more on the bushes than I have already harvested so far.
Good luck with your chillies
Cheers @bergs
Heya @Aussie-Garden,
Just wanted to give you an overdue but very warm welcome to the Workshop community. We're rapt that you could join in the discussion here, and trust that you'll get loads of helpful advice and inspiration for your projects around the house and garden from our clever and creative members.
Please let me know if you ever need a hand getting the most from the site. We look forward to more of your posts soon.
Jason
Very hot chilli.
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