Hello, I'm fairly young and just getting into growing plants so I need a few tips.

So far I have grown some little flowers on my windowsill and they lasted a while (until I forgot to water them for a while). But that's about it. I love the idea of growing plants, and I always loved my grandad's garden that's full of delicious goodies like potatoes and tomatoes.
One day I was helping him with a few things on his trip to the local greenhouse centre and I saw a chilli seed section. As soon as I saw them I remembered reading somewhere that they sometimes do better if you forget to water them, so I thought it would be fun to get some to replace my recently deceased flowers.

I didn't really think too much about the fact it was October and its best to plant them in February. I asked my Grandad if it was fine, and he said as long as I am planting them indoors then it shouldn't matter too much. (keep in mind though he has never grown chillies before)
So I got a cute little propagator and planted them. After doing a little research though I haven't found any info on planting chillies in Autumn so I'm beginning to panic a little. I saved half the seeds just incase, and put them in the fridge, so I have some left to try in spring.

Any tips on how to keep my recently planted little seedlings alive and growing over winter?

Does your propagator include a grow light? Chilies can be grown indoors easily enough, if you can provide them with sufficient light.

Got to tell you... My experience is different from the previous poster.
In the autumn.... I dig my mature pepper plants out of the garden... Pot them up and keep them in a sunny window.
They go dormant. I pick the peppers as needed, and eventually... In february, or so... The plants come out of dormancy and start putting out new leaves and blooms, and the dropped peppers start growing litte baby pepper plants...
I failed to set out one of my pepper plants this year... It's still in the pot (outside), and there is little pepper plants coming up in the pot! So...
Yeah, how good are yer plant lights?

Stone my experience is very much like yours. My Hungarian Wax pepper came in each winter, had fruit, then more fruit when it went outside for the summer. It went on for three years. They do appear "dead" but wake up so nicely. They'd get a few drops of water each week.

Pretty good. They should be because they weren't cheap.

It should be noted that growing a plant from seed indoors and bringing an outdoor plant in for the winter are two very different things.

I've apparently had more success than you when moving peppers in for the winter, but it's definitely a challenge. Even with the best grow lights, the move from full sun to inside feels to the plant like it has suddenly been put in the dark. It's as much of a shock to the plant as moving an indoor plant outside (who hasn't killed a plant by giving it too much sun too fast in the spring?). No matter how careful you are, digging a plant inevitably damages much of its root system. By the end of the summer, my peppers are invariably infected with a leaf disease or two. Doesn't seem to bother them while they are outside, but becomes more problematic inside. I sometimes get an outbreak of whiteflies when I bring peppers in for the winter. Predators apparently control them pretty well outdoors, but it's a real battle once they get going inside.

Add all of those stresses up and it shouldn't be surprising if a pepper plant drops all of its leaves after being moved out of the garden and into the house. Light levels are the key. The closer you can get to mimicking the light levels the plant is used to, the more easily it will endure the other stresses.

Plants started from seed indoors, on the other hand, have none of those issues.

Thank you for your replies so far :)
The seeds haven't sprouted yet as I only planted then a few days ago, I have them on a southern windowsill right next to a radiator.
The propagator dosen't have a light, its just a little plastic box with a lid and a compartment where the soil drains into. I don't have a plant light in the house but I do have a few really warm and bright desk lights, if I pop the seeds under one of those will it do?

Unfortunately, probably not. Plants mostly use relatively small parts of the light spectrum for photosynthesis. If the light bulb isn't putting out a lot of light at the wavelengths preferred by the plant, from the plant's point of view it is sitting in the dark no matter how bright the light is. The new fluorescent bulbs are much better for growing plants than the old incandescent bulbs were, but they are still not ideal.

All kinds of peppers need a lot of strong sunlight to bear fruit, as the other posters are saying. So, even in a south window, in the UK your winter sunlight isn't going to be strong enough or last long enough to make the plants flower.

If you can put a grow light or two over the plants, and add a few hours of light in the morning and evening, that will at least keep the plants from becoming leggy and "reaching" for more light. Could you buy a "grow light" bulb for one of your desk lights? It will help your plants a LOT. Even if they don't flower and fruit this winter, when you put them outside next spring they will be ready and waiting to make chilis for you.

As far as the 'forgetting to water' part, if you do that to the baby plants, they sure will not like it. The little root systems and small container size won't let them survive very long if you let them wilt. Once the plants are big, well established and in nice big pots, you can stress them like that for a few days, but once the leaves wilt you must water them really well again. Plants that bear fruit really work pretty hard, and need their water and nutrients.

Some excellent advice, thank you so much!

I will look into getting a little light for them next chance I get. The idea about getting a bulb for my lamps is a great idea, I will probably do that :)

Also thank you for warning me about not watering them before they start growing fruit, that could have been a disaster! I'm usually good when I first start out with plants, I'll keep an eye on them to make sure they are nice and moist.

Also, any recommendations on what type of grow light I should get? Or any ideas on what wattage I should go for?

The more, the better, Charlotte. Check how much wattage your desk lamp will take (they usually say right on them "max. 75 watts" or something) and get the biggest grow light bulb it can handle.

Be aware that your plants could be a foot tall or more by next spring. You might need two desk lamps if you succeed with several plants!

Awesome, thank you so much! Your help is greatly appreciated and I can't thank you enough

The only grow lights I'm aware of that could be used in a desk lamp are the incandescent variety and they do get hot. So if you opt for that type, you'll need to keep them far enough away from the seedlings so that they don't cook them. There are LED grow lights out there, which would be much cooler, but I haven't tried them yet myself.

Starting peppers indoors this time of year is no big deal. The biggest problem will be light cause your plants will likely get leggy without supplemental light.

WRT moving peppers indoors, I over wintered a Jalapeno for 3 winters under lights in my basement. So the plant was moved back out and enjoyed 4 growing seasons in my garden. (We 8 plants all together.) The 4th winter my wife got sick of them and tossed them into the compost heap. Much to my dismay.

David, how large a pot did you have that pepper in? And did you have any problems with aphids or white flies?

woofie said:David, how large a pot did you have that pepper in? And did you have any problems with aphids or white flies?

5 " first winter and 6 " the following 2 years. Plants always trimmed, pruned and root pruned before bringing in. My biggest problem indoors is always aphids, though I have had problems with everything at one time or another cause I over winter so many things indoors. Worst is scale fer sure. They are very destructive and hard to control. Once you see them - they are at an very advanced stage.

I always start with Insecticidal soap. If need be, I move up to Neem oil. If bigger guns are needed, I do not hesitate to use Sevin or some other Ortho product. My plants are far more important than some allegiance to being "organic". Besides - I grow nothing for human consumption. My investment includes multiple thousands and thousands of $ and year and years of my time. (In 2014 for example, I spent over 1,000 $ on seeds alone.)

Yow! $1000 in seeds? You ARE serious!
Well, that is interesting about the Jalalpenos. I always thought pepper plants were annuals.
What kind of lights do you use? Have you ever tried the LED grow lights?

Woofie, for US they are annuals... my sister-in-law in Florida has a jalapeno plant that I sent home with her as a seedling, still growing (outside) after at least 4 (maybe 5? we can't remember for sure) years!

Weedwhacker said:Woofie, for US they are annuals... my sister-in-law in Florida has a jalapeno plant that I sent home with her as a seedling, still growing (outside) after at least 4 (maybe 5? we can't remember for sure) years!

A perennial is a perennial no matter where it is grown. It may be used as an annual because it can't survive outside it's natural zone, but it is still a perennial.

Yep. There are very few true Annuals.

Woofie - I use flourescent lights. Have not tried any of the LEDs.

Many - probably - most things you grow as Annuals - are actully Perennials - just not in your zone. My attitude is Zones be dam***. Pentas? Angelonia? Calibrachoa? Lantana? And on and on and on come in and grow next year. I hate wasting money on "Annuals".