[Ian_P]

:cry:
Last year at the end of the summer I pulled up my chilli plants, hung them upside down in the garage and they dried out nicely through the winter, and we still had some left which I finished off in the oven and crushed for chilli flakes in September this year.

This year I did exectly the same, even hung this year's crop on the same nail. But they all went soggy and dropped off the plant, leaving the seeds on the stalk.

What happened? There is no sign of mould or rot, they are just mushy, and just the same colour as when I pulled the plant.

Any clues?

thx

[muntjac]

welcome back ian .long time no see .. its probably damp mate tey mould gets into the joint where the stem joins thew fruit .try drying the rest off in the oven as you did before .may save what you have left  

[gobs]

There can be so many reasons for unsuccessful drying. The most important factors with peppers(apart from healthy, undamaged fruit) is temperature and humidity levels, which in a garage quite commonly would be very dependent on outdoor weather conditions. Might be worth considering other ways of drying, where you are more in control of those.

The sunny kitchen and utility window sill works a treat for individual picked fruit, and the oven as you both say.

Might be a lot of other factors, as well, though.

[flowerlady]

gobs ... if I'm trying to preserve the whole plant to grow on next year will I have to heat the greenhouse?  I have no window cills  :cry:

[gobs]

To grow as a perennial? Yes, def, do not stand any frost them peppers.