I grow my plants directly in the garden, though under a row cover until the temps really warm up. I have never pinched them, they have always branched out nicely on their own and never grown overly tall, maybe 18" at the most depending on the variety. Though, I'm not saying that pinching is not a good idea ...

Terry

We too grow peppers in the garden, and I never pinch them back. Peppers love heat and perhaps yours got too much of a good thing last year and that's why they grew so tall. The only way I can see to keep them shorter is to cool the greenhouse off somehow

I only pinch mine late in the summer, to get them to put more energy into the peppers that are on the plants. Like you Bdgardener I grow mine in the GH. Last year the plants got over 4 foot tall. They seemed to branch pretty good by themselves. Got lots of yellow & red peppers, as big or bigger than you buy in the store.

Natural "pinching" occurs with the onset of flowers, as they become the terminus of the stem and force the forking of the stem. This normally occurs at every node thereafter, so the effect of manual pinching from this time on would not produce a bushier plant, but would prevent further flowering for an unknown amount of time after each pinch. The result would be less fruit.

IMO, the only time pinching might produce a bushier plant is if it is done before the first flowering. Still, realising the nature of a pepper plant, the risk of those additional side branches braking off would be great.

So I would recommend no pinching at all, except in the case that sprayman suggests.