April - Over wintering Disappointment

It's a good job the Naga success has cheered me up. April always seems to be a 'tidying up the garden sort of month' and one of the worst jobs is throwing away last years Chile plants that failed to make in through the winter. This is always a job I hate. They may look like sticks but you always hope that when the spring sun returns, new leaves will suddenly spring up on last year's prized plants as they magically return from the dead. This year most of my sticks have remained sticks. A quick incision of the stem reveals little signs of life with once green stems not brown and wooden.

Despite the name of the most common Chile species annuum (meaning annual), Chile plants are in fact perennials and can grow happily for several years before they eventually lose their vigour if protected over the cold winter months. However 'over wintering' as its known can be a very fickle & challenging affair particularly in Northern climates where over the long winter months temperatures regularly fall below zero and light levels decrease.

Some Chile species definitely over winter better than others. In my experience, many of the pubescens species (like Rocoto/Manzano) whose natural habitat is the cool mountain regions of the Peruvian Andes over winter well. Tepin, an annuum, also seems to have some tolerance to cooler (not freezing) temperatures. On the other hand I've again had very little success over wintering many of the ornamental annuum varieties like Purple Prince and Prairie Fire. Members of the sub tropical Chinese species are also very fickle and need much more care with success often hit and miss. Last year I successfully over wintered Chocolate Habanero, Jamaican Red Hot and Fatalii. This year they died despite been kept in the same place indoors. However a Habanero Red Savina, Habanero White Bullet and Yellow Jellybean plant also kept in the same room have all made it through the this winter unscathed. It's a strange and frustrating hobby Chile growing!!