I have been growing veggies in N. California zone 9b for many years now. I'm so behind! My husband who is disabled with a neck injury since 2001 has developed more medical problems, add the holidays and just a lazy funk I seem to be going through. I have tons of things that should have already been done, not to mention all the January stuff that I should be doing. I keep adding projects to my list, like adding new raised beds. Anyway I was going to clean my raised beds out so I can plant the pea seeds that have been soaking a couple days now and must be planted today. I discovered two of the tomato plants and 3 pepper plants that still have green stalks. The tomato is a Cherokee Purple it is an indeterminate beefsteak It's Organic heirloom and Non GMO. I'm not sure about the other tomato, I wrote down tomato, but not which one. The peppers were bought as plants at the garden store. One is Bell Pepper, one is Orange Lunchbox Pepper, and the smallest one was a cyan pepper. All the plants that seem to still be alive are planted in hugel beets. We have had a very mild winter. The tomatoes I will want to relocate if they survive. My thought on them is to dig them up trim the dead stuff off and pot them and let them live in my little greenhouse until spring. The peppers are fine where they are. I'm worried when I clear out the veggie bed it will expose them to much and kill them off. I'm wondering if anyone has had any experience with this? Should I put a cover on the peppers? Should I not waist my time? I have just never had anything survive this long. I would love to hear what you think. Thanks
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cyan pepper
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Bell Pepper
Orange-lunchbox-pepper.jpg
Orange lunchbox pepper
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tomato
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” — Abraham Lincoln
I wish I had seen this thread sooner. I just started a new thread about perennial tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant.
https://permies.com/t/178550/Perennial-tomatoes-peppers You can keep them going, if they survive the winter. It takes some heavy pruning in January-February, and they will continue to grow and produce. I have never transplanted mine (I grow in containers only), so I'm really curious how these worked out for you.
Unfortunately shortly after I removed all the dead veggies the tomatoes and peppers died. Oh well.
This last year we got a couple of good hard frosts so nothing survived.
My son and I are building a greenhouse, so I plan to plant a few tomatoes and peppers in large pots, so I can move them into the greenhouse. It won't be heated, but I hope it will be warm enough to keep them alive.
Thanks for posting, I enjoyed your pictures.
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” — Abraham Lincoln
I got this tall by not having enough crisco in my diet as a kid. This ad looks like it had plenty of shortening: