5 Tips for Overwintering Pepper Plants

Overwintering is the process of ensuring a plant survives the winter by protecting it from the cold and providing the extra light needed in the long, dim winter months. In the case of pepper plants (genus Capsicum), perennials native to the American tropics and subtropics, gardeners can overwinter by letting the plants go dormant or bringing the plants indoors.

Overwintering is an excellent way to grow peppers season-to-season—whether that’s mild bell peppers, spicy jalapeños, cayenne peppers, or super-hot chili pepper varieties like habaneros and ghost peppers.

You can grow peppers as annuals, starting new plants from pepper seeds each spring, but overwintering can give the plants a head start for producing larger fruit in the next year. Try one of these methods to overwinter your pepper plants:

1. 1. Keep the peppers in your garden. The simplest method is to let the pepper plants go into dormancy on their own. When the nighttime temperatures begin to dip below sixty degrees Fahrenheit, you will notice that the plant begins to lose its leaves. As long as it doesn’t frost, the plant should survive. This is an option if you live in a warmer climate that only gets mildly cold in the winter months.
2. 2. Dig up your pepper plants and pot them. First, harvest any remaining fruit and prune the plants thoroughly. Then, gently dig the plants up with a spade. Dig an area that will approximate the size of the pot you’ll be transplanting them to. Gently shake out the remaining soil attached to the roots. Place the plant on its side and break up the tighter clumps of soil with your hands or water from the hose. Prune the roots back, add a small amount of potting soil to the bottom of the pot, and then place the plant in the pot. Finally, fill the pot with more new soil, gently packing it around the base of the plant. Water the potted pepper plant, and place it somewhere cool (about fifty-five to sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit) with a moderate amount of light.
3. 3. Repot outdoor plants. If you’ve been growing your pepper plants in pots outdoors, repot them for overwintering. Loosening the soil with your hands is usually enough to get the root ball free of the pot. Discard the old soil, and clean and prune the roots to ensure that no pests, like aphids or fungus gnats, come along for the ride inside. Then, move the plant to it’s new pot of potting mix.
4. 4. Grow peppers indoors. Overwintering pepper plants indoors will keep your plants for the following season, but the plants will not produce fruit. However, if you have the resources, you can also overwinter pepper plants inside as spicy, fruiting houseplants. Move your potted plants into a controlled environment, like a heated greenhouse or an area in your house with grow lights.

Peppers can overwinter and come back stronger than ever in the spring, but they can also succumb to the stress of the transition. Below are some tips to help increase your chances of successful overwintering:

1. 1. Thoroughly prune your pepper plants. Remove all the leaves and all but a few of the nodes to reduce your pepper plant to a simple Y-shaped stem. Pruning down to the main stem will prevent pests from threatening your plants.
2. 2. Choose the hardiest plants. Even under ideal conditions, overwintering will stress your pepper plants. Only choose the plants that are the biggest and healthiest to overwinter, as these will have the best chance of survival.
3. 3. Clean the roots. After removing as much soil as possible from the roots, give them a quick dunk in a solution of water, neem oil, and insecticidal soap. One tablespoon of neem oil and soap in three gallons of water—enough to dunk the roots and stem—is sufficient. Let the plants soak for a few minutes, then take them out, letting the remaining water drain off before repotting.
4. 4. Water the plants sparingly. While dormant, the pepper plants need much less water than when growing. Usually, watering every two weeks is sufficient.
5. 5. Wait until the last frost to bring plants outdoors. You should wait to replant or move your plants outdoors until after the last frost date. You can harden off your pepper plants by bringing them outside during the day to partial shade, increasing fifteen-minute increments for about a week, and then letting them sit outside overnight, provided night temperatures don’t get below fifty-five degrees Fahrenheit.

Grow your own garden with Ron Finley, the self-described "Gangster Gardener." Get the MasterClass Annual Membership and learn how to cultivate fresh herbs and vegetables, keep your house plants alive, and use compost to make your community—and the world—a better place.