It's starting to average 40°F during the night here in PA. I still have several ghost pepper plants loaded with peppers that aren't ripened. What's best for this scenario? My smallest of 8 plants dropped all of its leaves last night, the rest look fine. I have an enclosed porch buy I feel like they still will take ages to ripen
by Relyt4
10 Comments
Bring it inside and put it in a window
Can you bring them inside overnight and put them back out during the day?
Frost is bad. I usually cover mine with a sheet for those early frosts. Also peppers will ripen when picked and inside.
In at night and out during the day will give them the best chance of reaching their maximum heat levels as long as day time temps are 65 F and higher during the day. Anything under 55 will murder your plants fairly quickly and, from experience, frost is just lethal. The plant will look fine for a day or two and then just start wasting away into a stick in a pot.
My superhots started dropping leaves when temps dropped below 60 and just turned into sticks when they dropped much below that. I am trying mulch in my pots for the first time and want to see if that does:
1) lower the number of times I have to water in hot weather – it’s been 92+ nearly every day in N Texas.
2) be more cold resistant when daytime temps drop into the 50’s and 60’s (maybe by January this year?)
They are hardy and it’s not close to freezing this week,
Live a little and leave them out 😊
If you harvest, the greens will have heat and no flavor. Which is ok if you’re blending them into a flavored sauce. Otherwise let it go until its too cold
I actually use the green ones for my pico de gallo. Only I can handle the real heat in my family. Also I’ve chopped them up and mixed them into burger meat with garlic and tomato. Beat burgers you’ll ever have. Use gloves…
I leave all my pepper until they start turning color… I’ve also found they get a little hotter too
Anecdotally, it’s been getting down to mid/low 40s here in Colorado and the ghosts in my raised bed seem to be doing fine. But since yours are in pots, I would just bring them into the garage or something at night.