Growing bell (capsicum annuum) and chili peppers as perennials.

Most home gardeners grow bell peppers as an annual starting the plants from seed, or from a nursery seedling, in the spring and pulling them out in the late fall after the first frost. However, bell and chili peppers are actually perennials which can live for many years in temperate climates like we have in the bay area, and most of California for that matter. A mature pepper plant may look a little yellow and ragged during the cold winter months, but as long as the main branches of the plant remain green they will survive the winter and thrive again in the spring. The advantage of over-wintering these plants is that you have a fully mature plant in the early spring of each year that will produce an abundance of fruit far earlier than the nursery plants you plant each spring. If you live in a area that has less ideal growing conditions consider growing a few pepper plants in pots and bringing them indoors during cold winter months. You will be well rewarded for your effort.