How to Winterize Your Pepper Plants for a Bountiful Harvest Next Year
Most people tend to treat peppers as annuals, but did you know they’re actually perennials in warmer climates? By winterizing your peppers, you can save your plants from the cold to cut down on growing time and potentially enjoy a bigger harvest next season. Let me walk you through the steps to do it effectively!
Watch the video version of this guide where I show how I winterize my pepper plants:
Why Winterize Peppers?
Before diving into the how, let’s discuss the why. Peppers are perennial plants, which means they can survive multiple years if protected from frost and freezing temperatures. By overwintering them, you preserve the root system and main stem, giving them a head start in the spring compared to growing new plants from seeds. This method works for various pepper varieties, including bell peppers, jalapenos, habaneros, and even ornamental types.
Not all pepper plants are worth saving, though. Choose plants free of disease and major pest infestations. Some of mine have white flies, a tough pest to tackle, so during the winterizing process, I cut down plant stems and remove all leaves to get rid of them. I also spray my pepper plannts with organic insecticidal soap every 10 to 14 days while they are dormant to kill any pests that might still be on them.
Find the same organic insecticidal soap I use HERE.
If a plant gave you an amazing harvest, it's a great candidate for preservation. Rare or slow-growing peppers, like hot peppers or specialty varieties, are also excellent options for winterizing. I have a few Caribbean varieties that are extremely cold-sensitive, so I’m definitely protecting those!
When to Start Winterizing
Begin the winterizing process about two to three weeks before your first expected frost. This will help your peppers transition into winter dormancy. Harvest any remaining peppers from the plant before proceeding.
Pruning and Preparing Plants
Don't be nervous about pruning. Look at your plant and cut it in half with clean, sharp pruning shears or scissors, being sure to remove any damaged or diseased parts. This encourages strong, healthy growth in the spring.
Overwintering Methods
There are two primary ways to overwinter your peppers: transfer them into pots and bring it indoors or in a greenhouse (which is what I am doing), OR you can prune them down, cover with protection, and leave it in the ground. I prefer to move mine into pots so I can use the growing space to plant winter crops or cool-season crops.
Carefully dig around your pepper plant’s root system if it's in the ground, saving as much of the root as possible, and transfer it to a pot with fresh potting soil or compost.
Place the pots in a location that stays between 50 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit—like a sunny windowsill, a greenhouse, or a basement with grow lights. The goal is to keep your plant alive without encouraging active growth. Water only when the soil is dry and avoid fertilizing during this time.
Bringing Peppers Back to Life
When spring temperatures start to rise, usually after the last frost, you’ll notice new growth on your peppers. Begin watering them more frequently and consider a liquid fertilizer to boost them out of dormancy. For indoor plants, gradually expose them to outdoor conditions over a week or two. Transplant your revived pepper plant back into the garden or continue growing it in a container. Either way, it will be ready to produce earlier and more abundantly than a new seedling.
This simple method saves time, money, and effort, giving you a head start on the next growing season.
Here is my YouTube video tutorial showing how to plant peppers into the garden so you know how to do it once your winterized peppers are ready to go back outside.