When asked whether it is possible to plant hot peppers and cucumbers side by side, the answer is quite ambiguous. That is, theoretically, you can plant them side by side.
However, based on practice, many gardeners never plant hot peppers along with other vegetable crops. Most often, it is given a place of honor in a flower garden or in a flowerpot, which is taken away from the garden. But this, of course, is only when several bushes of these “hot” vegetables are planted.
Where is chili usually planted on the site?
Sometimes situations arise when gardeners who have bought or grown chili pepper seedlings and come to plant them find it difficult to find a place to plant them. In this case, it is possible to compact the existing vegetation on the site.
- In open ground, this hot spice is often given a place next to cabbage or carrots.
- If the row spacing of the strawberries is wide enough, then you can plant hot peppers there too. This vegetable tolerates proximity to strawberries quite calmly.
- Hot peppers look great in the beds next to the herbs. It can be planted next to dill, parsley, and green onions.
Compatibility conditions for hot peppers and cucumbers
Where should you plant this pepper if you decide to plant more of it?
Since this is a nightshade crop, it cannot be planted with nightshades (tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, eggplants, etc.).
Cucumbers belong to the pumpkin family. They are a heat-loving and moisture-loving vegetable crop. In turn, hot pepper is a vegetable that belongs to the nightshade family. It is also heat-loving and needs constant watering.
If there is a greenhouse with cucumbers, you can also add hot pepper there. There are only two conditions for the peaceful existence and prosperity of these cultures:
- You cannot plant hot peppers closer than 1.5 meters to cucumbers. This is necessary so that the wide cucumber leaves do not shade the pepper sprouts.
- Vegetable bushes need more intensive ventilation, so it should be planted closer to the open edge of the greenhouse.
Advice:
- Having planted peppers and cucumbers in the same greenhouse, you should also remember that the first of them does not like organic fertilizers as much as the second.If you overfeed the soil under this crop with organic matter, it will have lush greenery, and the ripening of fruits will be extended.
- If there is such a possibility, then each vegetable crop is planted in a separate greenhouse. By cultivating each crop separately and following agricultural technology, ideal conditions and microclimate are created for specific vegetables in the greenhouse, and then their development proceeds faster and better. In this way, you can achieve the best yield of vegetables, including hot peppers.
Are there any common diseases among peppers and cucumbers?
Peppers and cucumbers practically do not suffer from the same diseases. This fact can also contribute to their joint planting in a greenhouse.
However, speaking of diseases, it should be mentioned that these vegetables can be affected by aphids. This insect first of all falls on cucumbers, and then chili is also infected for the second time. Therefore, you need to plant cucumbers across a path about 90-100 cm wide.
Pros and cons of growing peppers and cucumbers together in one greenhouse
Let's consider the advantages and disadvantages of such cultivation:
| Advantages | Flaws |
| Peppers and cucumbers do not pollinate each other | Aphids attack both cucumbers and peppers |
| They do not suffer from the same diseases when they are in the same neighborhood. | If the chilli planting site is not properly organized, it may not receive enough sunlight and develop worse. |
| Excellent yields of both crops | |
| Almost identical care for both vegetable crops (temperature conditions, watering, fertilizing, humidity, ventilation). | |
| Cross-pollination of other crops does not occur. The greenhouse covers the hot peppers and you can plant any vegetables behind the film, including sweet Bulgarian paprika. |
Business idea! Hot pepper lovers probably dream of having a fresh pod of hot pepper grown on their own plot on their table every day. Having a heated greenhouse for vegetables at home, you can grow hot peppers in it all year round. Moreover, in this situation, it is possible not only to provide your entire family with fresh vegetables, but also to sell the surplus and make a profit. Those who already grow cucumbers for sale in their greenhouse can take advantage of this experience and diversify their product range with hot peppers.
Different ways to plant hot peppers
Based on the amount of planting material, as well as the area that you planned to occupy for this vegetable, it can be planted in different ways:
- Planting in a flowerpot.
Seedling method of planting one plant per pot. If you decide to sow the seeds in the same pot where the plant will grow, then sow no more than three seeds, and remove one or two weaker shoots as they grow.
- Growing in a greenhouse.
It is better to plant seedlings of this plant in greenhouse conditions, one sprout every 25-30 cm in a row. You can also plant the plant in a checkerboard pattern (zigzag), then up to 30% more planting material is consumed per unit area.
- Growing in a greenhouse.
Typically, a greenhouse is used for growing seedlings. After the main part is planted, chillies are planted in it. Warmth, as well as loose soil in a greenhouse, are excellent conditions for the development of a good plant. Most often, it is greenhouse bushes that produce the earliest harvests.
- Growing in open ground.
Seedlings are planted on the ground either in even rows, the distance between which is 40-60 cm, or in a checkerboard pattern.Many vegetable growers plant this plant with two sprouts in one hole every 25 centimeters. This achieves more intensive pollination of plants, and also, with such planting, the plants do not break. Plants planted using this technology support each other and grow better.
Vegetable grower secrets
Bitter chili is a spice that contains substances that “burn” our taste buds in the mouth when eaten. Everyone knows that after cutting chili, you should not touch your face with your hands, since when the substances get on the mucous membranes they cause a strong burning sensation. And the main “hot” components are contained in the white veins and chili seeds. Therefore, when working with bitter chili seeds (soaking, sowing), experienced gardeners wear rubber or latex gloves.
At greenhouse plants that grow hot peppers, workers wear masks during flowering and harvesting. Excessive inhalation of pollen from this vegetable can cause a severe autoimmune allergic reaction.
Having grown chili in a pot, you should remember that you cannot leave it on the windowsill in the kitchen. It grows best on a well-lit and glassed balcony.
