I'm looking for tips on prepping my plants for the winter months before I bring them indoors. I'll be bringing in herbs, lettuce, tomatoes, and peppers that are in grow bags or pots—nothing directly from the ground. I've heard about using beneficial nematodes to tackle any potential fungus gnat issues, but I'm curious if there's anything else I should keep in mind. Also, I need advice on dealing with spider mites on my pepper plants before they come inside. I live in Pennsylvania, so any local tips would be great!
3 Answers
I'm not sure about pest control, but I'm really interested to see how your tomatoes and peppers do indoors. Some people have great success overwintering their peppers, although they can go a bit dormant. Tomatoes tend to catch diseases easily when indoors, so that's something to watch out for. Have you considered starting fresh herbs and lettuce in new potting soil instead? That can often yield better results indoors.
Bringing in your peppers is a good idea since they'll last for a few years. The rest of your plants might seem odd to some, but why not? I totally get wanting fresh herbs throughout winter. I have a bunch of dried herbs, but having fresh ones would be amazing. Plus, it's all about trial and error in gardening. If the tomatoes don't work out, at least you'll find out early and can toss the plant!
Exactly! Gardening is about experimenting, and every season is a chance to learn something new!
You could try using Xerotol combined with horticultural mineral oil; they have some solid pesticides at Bonide. Arbico Organics has beneficial insects that have worked well for me indoors during the winter. I would recommend using two generalists and one specialist to keep things balanced, just make sure you can recreate the conditions they need to thrive—then you might end up with even more bugs in your house!
This will be my first time trying to bring in peppers and tomatoes indoors too. Worst case, they might not produce anything, but it’s worth a shot! Plus, I'm experimenting with a hydroponic setup this winter.