Trying out overwintering

[Mczee]

I've got a chili plant that did way better this year than I expected, and instead of letting it die off, I'm going to try overwintering it indoors. Never done this before, so I'm equal parts excited and nervous
Right now it's sitting in a pot by the sunniest window I've got. I trimmed it back pretty hard, but I left a few branches since it felt wrong to cut it all down to stubs. The leaves are already dropping faster than I thought they would, and I'm not sure if that's normal or a sign I shocked it too much.
If you've overwintered peppers before, what worked best for you?
Also, do I just let them go dormant in a cool spot, or keep them growing slowly under a light? My main hope is to get a head start for next season instead of starting from seed again.

 

[OutChiliMe]

Bro, that's awesome! Overwintering is super rewarding, and you'll love getting that early start next year. Don't worry about the leaves dropping, that's totally normal. It's just the plant's way of adjusting to the lower light and the stress of the big haircut. It might even drop all of them, which is still fine. Both the dormant and active approach can work, but for a head start, you'll want to keep it slowly growing. A cheap LED grow light will do wonders. The sunniest window in winter isn't usually enough, especially if you're in a northern climate. Just give it a few hours a day under the light and keep the watering minimal, only when the soil is completely dry. A cool spot is okay if you're aiming for full dormancy, but if you want that jump on the season, a steady, slow growth is the way to go! Keep us posted how this goes!

 

[MutantRyeff]

My winter temperatures typically only drop to the upper and mid-20s, but they routinely stay closer to 40°F, so my experiences differ from yours. I have a huge fiber-reinforced, heavy-duty, clear tarp that I put over a large raised bed. I have a Wi-Fi thermostat that allows me to monitor temperature and humidity remotely. My options are using an electric oil heater or just running the sprinklers under the tarp. I tried using large garbage cans of water to capture heat during the day, but I'm not convinced they were very effective.