Pepper: Piper nigrum

[Fey]

Look what I managed to find. Something to compliment the Turmeric. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get it through the winter. How do you give a plant shade but keep it warm (almost hot) in winter? A shade house with a plastic covering? I know in the U.S. there are hot houses that are heated electrically or even with a wood burner, but that really isn’t on my agenda for growing herbs.

Maybe if I do the plastic covered shade house thing and cover the floor with fresh stable droppings/sawdust or mulch that hasn’t broken down yet. It might generate enough heat through the winter to keep it going. (Far enough away from the plant of course). Any ideas?

Pepper isn’t grown commercially in the U.S. This perennial vine is hardy only in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 11b through 12, and thrives in moist, humid conditions. Few U.S. locales provide the necessary growing requirements.However, you can grow peppercorns at home with a little extra patience.

The plants need rich, moist, well-draining soil and warm, humid conditions. Peppers can’t tolerate temperatures below sixty degrees. Bring plants indoors or wrap them in a blanket if colder weather threatens.

In other parts of the country, plant peppercorns in large pots. Grow them outdoors during the summer and move them indoors during the winter, or grow them year-round in a conservatory or greenhouse. Houseplants need bright light and consistent moisture. Spray the foliage regularly with a bottle of water to increase humidity. Don’t allow room temperatures to fall below sixty degrees.

(Just as a note: I’ve got a Damiana diffusa plant that isn’t supposed to survive below 10 C (approx 50F), I bring it inside through the winter and even though it gets down to -6C (approx 20F) in the house, it survives easily)

Pepper plants have long, vigorous vines and can reach twelve to fifteen feet high. The plants need a strong trellis or structure to scramble over. Indoors, you can install a trellis in a large pot or even grow them as a hanging plant instead.

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[IdahoHerbalist]

Indoor spraying, high humidity and high temps are sure to bring out the fungus gnats, white flies and an abundance of other nasty critters.

[Fey]

IdahoHerbalist wrote: Indoor spraying, high humidity and high temps are sure to bring out the fungus gnats, white flies and an abundance of other nasty critters.

I only need these conditions for a couple of months through winter. I have these conditions already through the year. I don’t even know what a fungus gnat is – never seen one – and the one time I bought a plant from a nursery and introduced white fly, I knocked them out fast with home made white oil.

Plus, these “nasty critters” would be out of season. Even in warm winters, the summer pests don’t show up.

If I focused on what pests might turn up, I’d never set foot outside my door to plant a seed. I will deal with whatever comes my way when or if it ever happens.

[Author]

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