Is it possible to plant tomatoes and peppers in the same greenhouse: together or side by side

Greenhouse is a unique place for any plant, where you can create the most convenient conditions for a good harvest. But is it possible to plant tomatoes and peppers in the same greenhouse, to combine the cultivation of separate crops under one roof? This question has practical value for every gardener. It costs a lot of work, time and money to build the structure itself and provide conditions inside the greenhouse for the sake of one crop.

Why some vegetables don't get along well together

Practical experience suggests that some vegetables do not get along well together. Processes invisible to us are taking place at the micro level:

1. Pollination. Close crops can exchange pollen. As a result, the harvest may be unexpected. For example, it is not recommended to plant sweet peppers along with bitter ones. As practice shows, bitter will win. That is, it will turn out one bitter pepper, there will be no more sweet pepper in its pure form.
2. Phytoncides. Vegetables not only consume trace elements and water from the soil, but also give back the so-called phytoncides. These are specific substances that determine the individual properties of each plant. Their purpose is to repel pests and microorganisms. For example, if you sprout pepper next to fennel, then such a neighborhood can lead to the death of the crop. Fennel is very aggressive. Each plant, as it were, says to the rest of the inhabitants of the soil: “This is my territory, and I will fight for it.”
3. Evaporation to the environment. Probably, many have noticed that each culture smells differently.This specific smell will not be able to mislead an experienced gardener. These are also phytoncides that can be felt next to tomatoes and which are intended to scare away flying and crawling pests. Simultaneous function - attraction of insects for pollination.

But how can pollen, evaporation into the air and soil provoke oppression by some crops of others? This effect is more pronounced when plants of different species interact. How can a culture that has a neighborhood with other plant species not affect another?

The answer to this question lies in learning the rules of farming. Agricultural technology allows planting crops of the same species in open ground at close range. Their defense systems are similar and do not perceive each other as enemies. Tomatoes and peppers belong to the nightshade family and, as close relatives, they will not conflict much.

What's going on inside the greenhouse

In greenhouse conditions, we observe, in fact, the ideal picture of the content of vegetables:

1. No soil weathering occurs.
2. Many outdoor pests and bacteria are denied access to this plant world.
3. There are no natural factors such as wind, rain or hail, which are not uncommon in an open garden.
4. There is no cross-pollination with other inhabitants of the flora. In fact, the proximity to greenhouse vegetables does not affect other vegetables that live outside the greenhouse.
5. High humidity.
6. There are no sudden changes in temperature. We will not freeze tomatoes at night, the tomato will survive the gradual change in temperature that occurs in the natural environment, only in a milder form.

It turns out that in a greenhouse, tomatoes and peppers can only interact with each other. But since cross-pollination does not threaten both cultures, their neighborhood is conditional. Both cultures belong to the nightshade family. All other factors are positive.

Mutual influence of tomatoes and peppers

And yet, if you grow tomatoes and peppers together, it is wise to use some advice from experienced vegetable growers:

1. The conditions of the two cultures are slightly different. Water after watering in the greenhouse evaporates and remains in the air. Tomatoes and peppers together like high water content in the air, but tomatoes need occasional air blowing.
2. When planning plantings, it is necessary to plan red or hot peppers closer to the walls of the greenhouse - they will be warm and comfortable there. Tomatoes need ventilation, which can provide air flow from the entrance of the greenhouse. It is most reasonable to plant them along the path from both edges.
3. The distance between crops should be at least the width of two beds. Plants, of course, are related, but not so much. At close range, tomatoes and peppers will begin to conflict through the root system and foliage, taking away water and trace elements from each other.We must not forget about phytoncides: plants will start to fight each other.
4. But is it possible to plant several varieties of tomatoes or peppers in one greenhouse? This issue must be treated with extreme caution. Of course, the pepper will not pollinate the tomato and the tomato-pepper will not grow. But red and hot peppers living in the same greenhouse will become friends, and as a result, both varieties will become bitter.
5. What about planting tomatoes of different varieties in the same greenhouse? All nightshade crops are self-pollinating, so if you plant tomatoes of different varieties nearby, this does not pose any danger to the population. Experienced gardeners deliberately shake nightshade crops living in the same bed under the same roof for better self-pollination: more ovaries appear and yields increase.

When growing super elite varieties, it is not allowed to grow crops from seeds of the first and second reproduction together. This restriction includes peppers and tomatoes: these are related plants, and even theoretical influence of cultures on each other.

At the same time, the compatibility of pepper during pollination with other crops is zero. This eliminates the hypothetical possibility of uncontrolled cross-pollination.

How to plan a greenhouse

The main issue for vegetable growers is the maximum possible use of the area under crops in order to obtain a good yield, the proximity to other crops somewhat complicates the achievement of this goal. In greenhouse conditions, this moment is of particular relevance. The conditions for keeping vegetables in a greenhouse environment are almost the same, and it is quite difficult to find a compromise in this matter.

When planting peppers with tomatoes in a greenhouse, you can follow a few simple tips:

1. Plan your total planting area with the location of each crop.
2. When planting pepper in the greenhouse begins, you can look at the agricultural calendar or be guided by your own experience. As already mentioned, growing peppers along with tomatoes requires care when choosing a place for the latter.
3. To maximally distinguish between the conditions for keeping peppers in the greenhouse and tomatoes, you can stretch a plastic film between them.

Ventilation

In some cases, during the daytime, constant natural or forced ventilation is used throughout the area where you plant tomatoes. But how to grow peppers in such a draft? During the purge, the individual beds are insulated with polyethylene film or retractable glass covers. Green, red, bell pepper or other varieties of peppers are only good.

It is necessary to ventilate tomatoes periodically, the frequency depends on climatic conditions. When the first signs of phytocytosis (fungal disease) appear, the intensity of the purge or its frequency must be increased. It is useful to carry out preventive spraying with an antiseptic solution once a month. At night, the greenhouse is closed: this will maintain temperature, humidity and prevent the entry of cold air.

Sometimes it becomes necessary to heat the greenhouse with a stream of warm air. This happens in extreme weather conditions. In some areas, other other crops are planted next to the pepper in the greenhouse for early seedlings. Usually in these cases, one or more heat guns are used with a maximum output temperature of no higher than 40 degrees.

Peppers and tomatoes in the same greenhouse are located on the sides of the track, which is always wider than the row spacing. The flow of warm air is directed through the center of the greenhouse.

Lighting

Sometimes gardeners go even further and organize special illumination with monochrome radiation of a certain frequency. But is it possible to grow two crops from the nightshade family and use additional lighting at the same time? It turns out that in this case, the preferences of the plants are the same.

When vegetables are irradiated with special light, all vital processes in plants are accelerated.

It turns out that tomatoes next to peppers are equally good at accelerating their growth and increasing yields. All gardeners know the attraction to light of plants, but, as it turned out, for the normal development of a culture, lighting of a certain spectrum is necessary.

If we grow tomatoes and peppers in the same greenhouse, then for these crops we can distinguish two points related to additional lighting:

1. Red and blue spectrum will help stems and leaves grow.
2. Green light will cause intense fruit growth.

The processes of photosynthesis in plants are directly dependent on lighting. Cultures die in the dark, but grow well under normal lighting. Lack of light causes these negative effects:

1. Stem thinning.
2. Changes in plant color. The stems and leaves will turn pale green, losing their rich color.
3. Sprouts stretch out in search of light, seedlings become weak and poorly established.

Proper use of agricultural experience in the private sector is a guaranteed result of a good harvest. By studying nature, you can learn not only whether it is possible to plant tomatoes and peppers in the same greenhouse, but also a lot of information about plant life.

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