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Eggplant, bell pepper, tomato, can they be perennial?
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Posted by
ju1234 8 TX (
My Page) on
Sat, Nov 3, 12 at 14:57
I live in Dallas, TX (8a). This is first year I have had good summer garden and have some Eggplants, bell peppers and tomato plants. I was wondering, if they survive through winter, will they fruit next year again?
Here we get few light (one night long) freezes, occasionally several days long hard freeze. I know that even hardy plants don't make it thorugh those hard freezes but what can i do to have these plants survive from the overnight freeze, keeping them in their original planted location outdoors.
I was thinking: I should take most of the leaves and small branches and top of plant off leaving behind the hard woody stem and few of the lower branches, put a wire cage or other structure around the plant and fill it with leaves, mulch etc. Water the soil may be once every two weeks or so. This way even if the top of the tree dies, the roots will perhaps survive the winter.
My thinking is that fully rooted plant in original location will grow back in spring much better and faster than a new seedling or transplant.
Suggestions? Thanks.
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Eggplant, bell pepper, tomato, can they be perennial?
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| Do a search here and elsewhere for 'overwintering' and 'peppers.' Everything you need to know. Tomatoes tend to build up diseases, and I'm not sure about eggplant. |
RE: Eggplant, bell pepper, tomato, can they be perennial?
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| One night of freezing temps last year, and my plants were deader than Elvis right down to the roots. I suggest you pull those up, and start new plants indoors in January, and get them in the ground February-March. |
Here is a link that might be useful: DFW Gardener
RE: Eggplant, bell pepper, tomato, can they be perennial?
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| You can sure give it a try if you want but the odds are against you unless you lived in the tropics. Even if the plants do survive experience proves that production will be less and of a lesser quality with tomatoes, peppers tend to do a bit better. If the tomatoes are determinate varieties then that would be a waste of time. Only indeterminates can be perennialized. Good luck. Dave |
RE: Eggplant, bell pepper, tomato, can they be perennial?
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RE: Eggplant, bell pepper, tomato, can they be perennial?
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| My peppers survive outdoors all winter, but I'm in 9b and it's only the ones that are against my west facing stucco wall. I think I'll plant some on my south facing wall next year so I can have more winter peppers! (Yes, they keep giving fruit year round) |
RE: Eggplant, bell pepper, tomato, can they be perennial?
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| Mike McGrath once published a paper in OG about up-potting and overwintering peppers, if I am not mistaken, it was long ago, I think it was him. I tried. Successful with a local heirloom small hot peppers only through 1 winter, died next fall by itself. |
RE: Eggplant, bell pepper, tomato, can they be perennial?
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| I have 4 year old eggplants and peppers. |
RE: Eggplant, bell pepper, tomato, can they be perennial?
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| Tracydr: Do they produce less or more in the subsequent years? |
RE: Eggplant, bell pepper, tomato, can they be perennial?
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| I've had peppers overwinter, but we sometimes go all winter without a frost. My Romanian rainbow produced many more peppers the second year than the first. After that, it was toast. |
Here is a link that might be useful: What's Growing On?
RE: Eggplant, bell pepper, tomato, can they be perennial?
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No, so far they' just keep producing like crazy. I give them organic fertilizer every couple of months and ironite if therye yellow. If they are getting eaten by tomato worms I spray with BT. I don't do much else. I prune the eggplants very aggressively about twice a year but I don't prune the peppers. During the heat, I have eggplants coming out my ears!
In the winter, I cover with boxes or sheets and they have gotten a bit of freeze damage just a couple of times. I cut back anything damaged. I get very little production in winter.
The eggplants have gotten eaten by spider mites and other pests but noting seems to really bother them enough to stop producing. |
RE: Eggplant, bell pepper, tomato, can they be perennial?
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| I was getting ready to prepare the plants for protection. So I dug them out of ground, put them in 1 or 2 gallon containers, pruned the plants about 50% to reduce the load on the roots. I was going to put the contrianers in the soil upto the top of the container and then put leaves etc around the base of the plants and then cover the whole thing with plastic tent. But before I could do this protection step, last night there was light frost (The forecast was supposed to be 39 degree low). Today, all the leaves (Bell peppers, eggplant, and tomato)were damaged but the stems looked Ok. Will they still survive? Should I even bother putting in the extra work of putting them in the ground etc. If you are wondering, why I dug them up in the first place: they were in several different areas and far apart, too much area to cover with tent. So, I potted them to put the pots in the ground close together thus placing them in small area and easily cover them. |
RE: Eggplant, bell pepper, tomato, can they be perennial?
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| Last fall I had peppers hit by a light frost one lost all it's leaves I cut it back some and potted it with about half of it's roots into a two gallon bucket. I took it into the house and put it under a twin bulb 40 watt per bulb shop light. Well it sprouted new growth and grew all winter. I then planted it in the spring in my hoop house. I had the last ripe pepper two days ago. This year I just saved seeds from it. I think it will be a lot less work and I will not have the increase in electric bill from a whole winter of extra lighting. So yes it can be done If you really want to Curt |
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