I have never attempted to over winter a bell peppers, but I think I would treat it much like I do hot peppers and many other plants that I intend to keep growing (minimally) indoors over the winter.

What I do is basically hack up the plant. I remove most of the roots and most of the above portion of the plant and then repot in a very fast draining media. With hot peppers all that's left is a few/couple inches of main trunk and for roots all that is left is a few inches there as well.

This makes for a very tiny plant with minimal requirements. Then I let it grow and provide a sunny window as well as artificial light. In my case I have HID lighting, but overwintering plants are generally not directly under them, they just get a little of the 'stray light'.

There is nothing magic about what I do, and my success rate is not 100% (though it is pretty close). The logic I use for doing things this way is that it's easier to care for a tiny plant indoors than it is a large plant. Lots of leaves = lots of water loss from low indoor humidity, more food for pests to munch on etc. Come outdoor time the plants are generally regrown to the point where it's a relief they can go outside again. Also, don't be afraid to do another pruning before the plant goes outside. If it's looking ratty it's a good idea. Otherwise it's foliage is likely to not adapt and will just die anyway so may as well prune it off and trigger another growth spurt.

Hey, Ferretbee!
I do the same with my hot peppers...although I grow mine in-ground during the summer, and then pot them for the winter. If all peppers are perennial, then there should be no reason why a Bell wouldn't work as well as a Hot.

As Justaguy mentions, I prune the foliage way back, and then clean and trim the roots to fit a one-gallon container. A small plant is easier to deal with: watering, lighting, moving. I use a mix of Pine/Fir bark and Perlite, with just a little Pumice for water retention.

If you wish to see pics of my method, follow the links below (located in the Hot Pepper Forum):

Hungarian hot wax - second wintering (pics)

Thai Hybrid overwintering (pics)

Josh

Thanks for all the great info. I took the first step and cut the top off at about 8 inches (that hurt).

I'll try to pick up some bark tonight for the base of a new mix. I have a little pearlite, a lot of MG mix, and Sta Green mix. I'm thinking bark, pearlite, and a little of the Sta Green might be OK. Let me know opinions and proportions. Gritty mix would probably be ideal, but I haven't tracked down all the ingredients and this potting is only for short time frame.

To take the sting out of the pruning I put some cuttings that showed some new growth in a cloner I built.

I try to err on the side of dryness with my winter pepper potting mix. Last year, my mix stayed too wet for my Hungarian, and so there wasn't much root-development when I transplanted in May. This year, I used far, far more Perlite in the mix for the Hungarian. It's better for a mix to dry out more often than stay wet for too long, in my experience. I'd avoid the MG or Sta-green personally.

My ratios aren't exact, but I'd say the mix is something like:
4 parts Bark -
4 parts Perlite -
1 part Pumice -
1 part Quartz -

I toss in a bit of 4-month release Osmocote, too.

Josh

Hey everyone...Great info..

I hope I am not asking a dumb question. But is there a stark difference between starting one from seed and re-growing one from last year?

I suppose it would definatetly have a head start, but are the peppers bigger, or plant bigger and so on? What are the advantages of keeping the pepper plant over the winter?

Thanks alot.

Mike..::-)

Hey, Mike!
Not a dumb question at all! The advantage of over-wintering a pepper plant, in terms of production, is that you get a headstart on the growing season. With judicious pruning, you can create a stout/sturdy plant capable of supporting a lot of pods.

But I also think the plant is attractive enough to keep as a bonsai - bonchi - (which is what drew me to growing peppers in the first place). If you like a particular pepper, you can guarantee the same fruit by keeping the plant alive - you could clone, as well, and have a constant supply of your favorite pepper. Some peppers are said to produce hotter pods (and more copiously) as the plant matures. I'd like to find out.

Let me share comparison pics of my Hungarian Wax Pepper - January 16th 2009 and January 16th 2010. Despite an aphid attack last month, the plant is looking good! Much better than last year. Notice how I pruned it back to a single trunk this year, too.

1/16/2009
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1/16/2010
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And here's a shot of my three hot peppers. Thai (left), Thai hybrid (right), and Hungarian Wax (in back). The Thai was hit hardest by the aphids, as its growth seemed to be the most tender. I'm hoping for a full recovery.
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OK, the pepper is out of it's peat soup:

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I rinsed off the roots as much as I dared and potted it in a mix of about 3 parts bark, 2 parts pearlite, and 1.5 Tbs Osmocote:

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Would a reflector light with a CFL bulb help?

Anything I missed?

It looks great!
Keep it out of direct sunlight for 3 - 5 days, as it won't be photosynthesizing as much with its roots compromised. You should see new growth within a week. A light will definitely help, once it has recuperated.

Josh

A few days after the last post, the leaves began dry up and die. I pruned all the damaged leaves off and trimmed another inch or 2 off the stem. I added a CFL light and a couple weeks later fertilized with some very weak MG 12-4-8 solution. There were a couple of small leaves throughout all this, but about a week ago I noticed some more signs of life:

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I'm hopeful it will make it to spring now. I am wondering if I should have added lime to the mix or if it'll be OK without.

I had some extra mix left over from the pepper, so I re-potted some scallion roots that weren't doing anything:

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Last summer I had great luck growing the roots from grocery store scallions (green onions), but my luck ran out in the late fall. I wish I had a 'before' pic of these, but they were in trouble, the greens were very thin and they were dying off one by one. After just a week in a fast draining mix of bark and pearlite they started growing great. I've even trimmed the greens a couple of times for eatin'.

Excellent! Thanks for the update!
I think your pepper will do just fine until Spring.

My peppers have been hit over and over by aphids this Winter.
One of my Thai chiles is dead. The others, however, are looking good.

Josh

How do ya prune bell peppers to bring in while they are still producing? Tonight's first frost!!