They're producing as many fruit as they think they can. If you're satisfied with that, I'd leave them alone. Fertilize properly. If you transplant you may encourage increased production later., but you could damage existing production. Um, they're inside because of hot weather and abundant rain? Peppers LOVE hot weather and rain.

Thanks for the comment.

I had them out on my deck in the full sunlight and temperatures were hitting 95 +.

We then had some very violent showers come through that dropped ALOT of water.

So, I got concerned and brought them in.

Since bringing them in though, they have been growing very well so far.

But again, this is my first try at this.

Well, again, peppers will do better in the heat (and in full sun) than in indoor temps. But need to water properly. As to the rain, if the soil drains properly you should have no issues. You don't want puddles collecting on the surface.

Your peppers are doing Excellent for growing about a dozen plants in what appears to be 18"x18 x10" container? No yellow leaves at all, not even in the shady interior. You have a green thumb fer sure. Rather than replanting them I might thin out the smaller non-producing plants for better air circulation, solar penetration, and less competition for food and water. But heck they look Great so what do I know, nyuk..

thx!

I have been nurturing them very well.

I thought about thinning them out, so thank you for that tip also.

I open the windows every morning to get outside air in and give them artificial light until natural light comes through the window.

Yes, the container is about that size and is a self-watering container.

I appreciate the comment.

Great and thanks!

So, in thinning them out. Do I just cut the stems that have no fruit on them?

I was examining them and just about every stem has fruit on them. So, I was unsure if I should mess with it.

My plan was to take the seeds from the first harvest and replant them, but in better conditions and spacing.

With that tightly packed root environment I'd snip the weak plants off at soil level rather than trying to pull them out which may damage the remaining roots.

FWIW, I have an 18" planter and only have 1 pepper plant in it. It's as wide as the planter. A single jalepeno plant will easily be at least a foot wide. They get quite large and bushy. I agree with VG to cut whole plants at the soil level so you only have a couple stems growing from the soil. I can't see them thriving much more - I think they'll start to compete for space and nutrients and may start to decline for lack of space to grow.

FYI - "thinning" refers to getting rid of entire plants so you only have the optimal ones left. "Pruning" is what you're refering to when you ask which stems to cut. You prune individual stems to give the branches that are left more space, light, nutrients, air flow. You thin (ideally at the seedling stage, not bigger plants) to get rid of entire plants because they are growing too close to each other for the plant to thrive.

Also, FWIW, if you have additional large pots, you could carefully dig out a large chunk root ball with several plants and try to carefully separate each individual plant, with as much root and soil intact, to transplant into their own containers. Or, separate out in small batches, thinning all but one, and then transplanting that, if separating all of them is too hard - until you get down to just 2 in your original planter. I just did that with 6 dozen basil - they had some transplant shock at first but recovered and are growing well now. I used a chopstick to slowly carefully separate/untangle the roots of 72 plants from each other.

Good job with your first foray into veg gardening.

P.S. - put the plants back outside! You'll need to water more frequently in 90+ heat but they love full sun and heat! They will eventually start to fade/die back from lack of full sunlight.

I guess it is too late to comment on this strand now, but for what it is worth. You could transplant the entire tray into a large container and if they separate easily into 2-4 large containers. I have grown jalapeno plants every year for at least 30+ years. They definitely grow best in mostly full sunlight (can be shaded for a couple hours a day) with the proper smount of water. The peppers on the plant will get hotter in heat and a watering regime of once every 2-3 days. Plants that have been inside their entire life cycle will have to be hardened off (placed in the direct sun for a gradual increase of time over a week or so) before placing them outside. Too much water will make the peppers less hot-unless they are ghost peppers which defy all attempts at classification and are some of the easiest plants on earth to grow (at least in Texas).

Thank you everyone for your assistance.

So, I did thin them out, cutting at the roots about 10 plants that had no fruit growing on them at all. This did give them a little more space.

Yes, they are starting to branch out more for space, but I am just letting them grow for now. I am considering transplanting them after this harvest and seeing how it goes.

I want to keep them indoors to produce fruit all year long, with a lamp and the light they get through the window, but not sure about that just yet.

My biggest problem now is bugs eating the leaves. Not sure where they came from as it has been in the house. I found a grubworm in the soil, a caterpillar on a stem and small on a leaf.

I sprayed a Neem oil + peppermint spray that did not do much. I also mixed vegetable oil, Dawn and water and sprayed it all over. And still I see leaves getting eaten.

Any advice on where that came from and how to get rid of them?

How strong did you mix the neem oil? You might try a stronger mix. It is really hard to hurt plants using neem oil. You do have quite a few Jalapenos, so it might be a good idea to harvest most if not all of the jalapenos before transplanting. Transplanting with fruit on a plant can kill the fruit and they will wilt and be inedible.

Have to assume the bugs came from the soil, which I presume had an admixture of outdoor soil. Next time, you'd be wise to use sterile potting oil, or sterilize the soil by baking it. Neem works well only if sprayed repeatedly, Like once a week. Single treatments won't do much.

Do you have any pets? Some of the damage looks like big chunkc torn off.

OTOH, it may be an insect that is feeding at night. Moths could be laying eggs and they mostly hide during the day too.