Why no vertical growth ?

Hi everyone

New to the group but have perused a lot of posts.

I sowed scotch bonnet seeds in early September last year (seeds where taken from a supermarket scotch bonnet as an experiment) they have been growing since then, I have had pest issues and transplanted due to fungal gnats which could have stunted growth for a time but…. They seem to just bush out and not grow vertically.

Can anyone please help ?

Thanks.