Greenhouse Capsicums - What to do with plants going into winter???

[Enonymous]

I have a bed of very strong plants leading into the winter and they are in the greenhouse. We are till a month or so off Autumn, but I am wondering in advance what do I do if I want the plants to survive the winter? Do I need to overwinter them? If I do over winter them, can it still be done without pulling them from the ground? Or, do I leave them be seeing as they are in the greenhouse?

Temperatures here in winter get to 4 degrees overnight, so maybe 8 degrees in the GH. We are in Victoria Australia.

Any insight is much appreciated?

 

[Marck]

A low of 8º C would probably be enough warmth to keep Chile Peppers (Capsicum annuum) alive over winter, but they won't be too happy about it. If you have a warmer, sunny spot (indoors I presume) you might try a few plants there as well.
Bring them in either by digging them up and re-potting them or by taking cuttings. Either way, begin the process now as you will want them recovered and rooted by mid-Autumn.

Of course, the biggest experiment will be to measure if these over-wintered plants end up giving you an earlier harvest and/or larger yield, than new seedlings grown in Spring. If you don't get many more peppers sooner, don't bother again, as there is a potential danger that overwinting plants will also overwinter pests and diseases, giving them an earlier start in Spring as well!