It always seems a bit over-wintry generally here in Ireland. However, in gardening terms overwintering plants correctly can maximize their performance the following season.

At the start of last December, I saved much of the tarragon by freezing it in ice cubes. Shortly afterwards, the tarragon went brown and died down. I then removed all parts of the plant from about 2-3 cm above the soil level upwards and left the plants be for the holiday season. Upon checking them this week I noticed some very promising new growth which you can see here:

I also spent a considerable amount of time figuring out the best POA for the chili plants. They produced many chilis during late summer and august but have been quiet since it got colder and darker.

Many pages on the Internet suggest a hardcore pruning procedure and a hardening off phase before first frost. We are now considerably past first frost (and subsequent frosts) and I hadn’t done that and was concerned. I posted on the irishallotments.net forums and got some helpful tips.

Further reading on the Internet led me to the conclusion that:

1. If possible, bring chili plant indoors (if not already) and let it lie low for a while. Water every fortnight, fertilize monthly and don’t mind leaves dropping off because the pepper species are tough nuts and are just shedding excess while dormant.
2. If leaving outside or in a potentially cold porch or greenhouse, do the pruning thing. Pruning the roots in this case seems like a trendy thing to do too.

Seeing as mine are indoors all year round I don’t have to do anything to overwinter them – suits me fine! Coming closer to the warm(er) seasons I will probably repot the plants though with some fresh compost.

Lidl: €1.69

I’ve transplanted them each now into 5 inch pots each (as much as it pains me to use the imperial system!) so no supermarket will have an unfair advantage.