Overwintering peppers is a must. Production goes up by at least 4 times in year 2, and at least 6 times for superhots. I have some peppers that are now 5 years old, and producing literally several hundreds of peppers (yellow fatali, yellow scorpions, Bombay Morich, Chocolate Congos, habaneros..)
Mild peppers like jalapenos and hot lemon also over winter very well.
Another advantage is that I get peppers much faster - by April or May rather than June.
I have found sweet peppers to be harder to over winter. I lose about half of them. Poblanos are the exception - they overwinter well. In general, sweet peppers seem more fragile and less likely to spring back. But those that do, also produce much earlier. I have over wintered Golden Marconis, sweet cherry peppers, Shepherds Rams Horn, and Pritavit.
My technique for moving them inside is to dig them up, wash the roots bare by dunking them in a bucket of water, replant in fresh potting soil, prune back moderately, and keep them mildly watered. They will lose most of their leaves by 10-12 weeks, by which time in Atlanta it is time to replant them outside. I wash the roots bare again, and plant them in deep compost. That avoids bringing insects inside, and gives them a sustainable life until ready to go outside. I spray with a light kelp mixture every few weeks to give them some nutrients.
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