Question
QUESTION: I live in Northern VA;  I have a beutiful habanero and super chili plant, with about 15 green peppers on each of them;  is there a way that I can harvest them now and have them ripen indoors off the vine?  or should I try to transplant my entire plant into a pot for continued indoor ripening with a grow light???

ANSWER: Janice:
They may turn red after harvesting, but they will also shrivel as they start to dry out. They won't be as hot as they would on the plant. I wouldn't try to transplant them at this point.

Your best bet is to leave them in the garden until frost threatens - you could cover them with garden cloth or create a mini-greenhouse with plastic and wire. When cold weather threatens, just pull the entire plant out and hang it upside down in your garage or basement or wherever you can. They don't need light to ripen, but good air circulation and warm temperatures (heat not necessary). They will shrivel a bit, but not as much as if harvested. You can also use them at the green stage.

Elyse

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thank you;  frost is the problem;  we have  just had one, so I was trying to salvage the fruit that was left.   the plants won't survive if I transplant them indoors to continue to live/nourish/ripen the peppers???  thank you again  :)

Answer
If the frost hit the plant, forget trying to ripen them on or off the plant. Just harvest and use them. If it hasn't been frost damaged, you could certainly attempt to transplant them if you like, but you're unlikely to be able to dig the plant out without disturbing the roots. The result would be that all the plant's energy will be going into the roots for the first couple of weeks or so, not into ripening the fruits.

Elyse