I experimented growing capsicums and extending their season a few years back here.  The experiment was partially successful, but I threw out the plants once they started to look a little withered.  This meant that I had to start over again the following year from seed.  My experience with these plants are that they take a long time to grow and produce fruit, leaving only a short amount of time before our cold season kicks in again.Last year I decided to leave the plants in one of the garden beds that was a little more sheltered from the weather.  That plants looked as good as dead at the start of the summer season and I was ready to pull them out to make way for some new ones.  However, I noticed that some of the branches still were showing some signs of life, so I left them a while longer.  Sure enough, after a couple of weeks, new shoots appeared on the branches and I pruned them back to these shoots.

A few months later and this is how the capsicums are looking!

Its fair to say that the experiment was a huge success!  We usually have to wait until around March or April before the fruit starts to change to the red colour, but this year we already have a bumper harvest ready to go before the end of January.  I also noticed that the capsicum plants are producing a lot of new growth and flowers, which I expect to fruit in March/April.  The interesting part will be trying to keep them alive over this winter to see if we can revive then for next season – time will tell.