possibly stupid question

[stompyfairy]

We are growing edible plants. chillies, mint, basil and coriander on our window ledge inside our flat. The stupid question is

1) If our plants die over the winter will the roots stay alive? is it worth continuing to water them in the hope they will resurect in spring when the light is better?

2) When should I harvest the chillis

Thanks guys

Comments

[sinmara]

I found that herbs don't really spring to live again when they go brown and die off, sadly - hardy plants like sage though are fine, they can be left.

Don't know about the chillies, never have grown them *G*

[kekhmet]

Other than the mint, they are all annuals. when they are dead, they are dead. Mint might be able to come back out inthe ground, but honestly with potted plants of all sorts I tend to find when they're dead, they're dead. Of course, this may be down to the fact that the main reason potted plants indoors die on me is 'cos I forgot to water them one too many times ;-P (chilis in their native land are actually tender perenials I guess)

Chilies you harvest when you want to eat them*. Many kinds of chillis are regularly used at both the green and the ripe stages. Chili plants are capable of flowering and producing ripe chilis at the same time in fact (though they don't always do that of course.)

*If the plant dies, then you just harvest all the remaining chilis and use or dry them

[stompyfairy]

Have decided to focus on keeping the chillis alive and rescuing the mint. I will replace the others with seeds when they die and freeze and excess herbs I harvest for winter. When they die I am going to bin them and plant seeds. Just brought some online including purple basil which I am deeply excited about (and have a spare pot for). Currently the chillis look good and the mint looks a bit like it is dying.

As fotr the annuals the basil looks like it is about to keel over :( and the corriander is taking over the window ledge :)

[kekhmet]

Basil and coriander/cilantro are not just annuals, they are sometimes quite short lived annuals by their nature. For example- you have to keepthem from flowering and regularly pinch off (and use) the topmost parts of the stems so they stay leafy and bushy- once they start trying to flower in earnest, their lifecycle is ending as leafy herbs. Their natural cycle is to go all leggy and go to seeds and then die, leaving the seeds behind to sprout anyway. Various stresses (or just not keeping up with stopping them growing flowering stalks) will accelerate the flowering - seeds - dying part of the cycle.

[stompyfairy]

This is really useful advice. I am kind of learning about pruning and stuff as I go along.
The coriander had a haircut last week and has perked up since. I gave the basil and mint a haircut yesterday so fingers crossed. The fresh corriander tastes amazing with aubergine flesh, garlic onion and tomatoes.

[stompyfairy]

The chillis look so preety and taste so good. I hope I can keep them alive i brought them some more compost today. I want to grow a small vegetable and herb garden on our windowledge I prefer plants I can use or eat preetiness is a bonus. BTW the anonymous comment is me.

[paceflag]

I've got a chilli plant here that is in it's third year and still making a few chillis, so it is possible for it to survive over the winter :-) On mine, you need to fertilise the flowers - move the pollen from one flower to another. I use the rubber on the end of a pencil for this. Good luck with the gardening! Sounds lovely.

[paceflag]

We had some of our chillis tonight with cous cous. very tasty. One of the chilli plants is doing really well but the other to look a bit weedy. Thanks for the end of the pencil tip. Wow 3 years is impressive. My purple basil seeds arrived today. I like the idea of purple food