I grew some Habs last year in 2 gallon pots just because I had extra seedlings and figured why not. By the end of the season I had between 50-75 ripe peppers off each in freezer bags. With enough sun and nutrients you can grow pepper plants successfully in just about anything. Obviously, the larger the pot the bigger the plant and ultimately the more pods you get. But those 2.5 pots will be just fine. Go for it.
I've said it many times around here that some growers on forums are hobbyists and are looking to maximize their haul every year. That doesn't always need to be the case. You don't NEED to grow in 3, 5 and even 7 gallon containers to have a successful harvest. Use what you have or what space will allow and you'll still get more than enough.
You can absolutely grow in 2 gallon pots. Last time I did it, most of my plants stayed about 2-3 feet max, but they still put out a ton of chili peppers.
Popular YouTuber ChilliChump grows in 10 and 12.5 liter pots, which are essentially 2.5-3.3 gallon pots. Chili growing isn’t a 5-10 gallon or bust endeavor.
I thought about just using them and just upsizing later this year if needed. Would there be any downside to repotting during flower/fruiting? Would the die off or can they handle the transplant fine?
It's best not to disturb plants unless you need to. Stress can result in dropped flowers or fruit.
Last year I dug up 5 plants when fruiting, because tree roots infiltrated the raised bed to where the pepper plants were greatly stressed, trimmed their roots a little, and replaced the soil. I got a decent harvest from the plants.
I wasn't sure they'd make it, as I'd never caused so much trauma to plants mid-season like that before, but they did. It definitely set them back a little.
As long as you're careful and keep an eye on things, the plants should bounce back.
Depending on the size of your plants, I'd step up to the final size and leave them be. Maybe save the 2.5 gallon pots for something else, such as flowers to ward away pests or attract bees.
I grew some Habs last year in 2 gallon pots just because I had extra seedlings and figured why not. By the end of the season I had between 50-75 ripe peppers off each in freezer bags. With enough sun and nutrients you can grow pepper plants successfully in just about anything. Obviously, the larger the pot the bigger the plant and ultimately the more pods you get. But those 2.5 pots will be just fine. Go for it. I've said it many times around here that some growers on forums are hobbyists and are looking to maximize their haul every year. That doesn't always need to be the case. You don't NEED to grow in 3, 5 and even 7 gallon containers to have a successful harvest. Use what you have or what space will allow and you'll still get more than enough.
Great then that’s a relief
You can absolutely grow in 2 gallon pots. Last time I did it, most of my plants stayed about 2-3 feet max, but they still put out a ton of chili peppers. Popular YouTuber ChilliChump grows in 10 and 12.5 liter pots, which are essentially 2.5-3.3 gallon pots. Chili growing isn’t a 5-10 gallon or bust endeavor.
It's going to require more maintenance, mainly more frequent watering, than if you were in a bigger pot.
Doable, but not ideal. Most would say 3 gallon and even 5 gallon is the smallest for good yields and less risk of stress and issues.
I thought about just using them and just upsizing later this year if needed. Would there be any downside to repotting during flower/fruiting? Would the die off or can they handle the transplant fine?
It's best not to disturb plants unless you need to. Stress can result in dropped flowers or fruit. Last year I dug up 5 plants when fruiting, because tree roots infiltrated the raised bed to where the pepper plants were greatly stressed, trimmed their roots a little, and replaced the soil. I got a decent harvest from the plants. I wasn't sure they'd make it, as I'd never caused so much trauma to plants mid-season like that before, but they did. It definitely set them back a little. As long as you're careful and keep an eye on things, the plants should bounce back. Depending on the size of your plants, I'd step up to the final size and leave them be. Maybe save the 2.5 gallon pots for something else, such as flowers to ward away pests or attract bees.
.5 gallons is enough for fruit, but 5 gallons is the minimum I would use.