Can sweet and hot peppers be planted in the shade?

The level of illumination when growing vegetable crops directly affects the yield. Only after learning how to plant the pepper, in the sun or in the shade, you can start choosing a place for planting it. This vegetable loves warmth and light. In the southern regions, there can be many suitable places for planting crops; residents of the middle lane will have to adapt to its requirements.

How does light affect pepper development?

According to the requirements for illumination, cultures can be divided into 3 groups. The former require a lot of sun for good yields, the latter can bear fruit in partial shade, and the latter develop well in low light conditions. Pepper is included in the first group.

Features of culture:

• Experience proves that with a few cloudy days in summer, you can get an excellent harvest of pepper.
• The vegetable is able to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and accumulate nutrients only in good lighting.
• The higher the air temperature, the more light the plant should receive.
• The optimum level of illumination for flowering and fruiting peppers is 30–40 thousand lux.

At the same time, pepper belongs to crops of short daylight hours. The most suitable lighting duration for him is 14 hours a day. If this requirement is fulfilled, the yield increases, the culture tolerates a cold snap well. In a greenhouse, the length of daylight hours can be controlled by using opaque materials that cover the walls or roof.

Is it okay to plant bell peppers in the shade?

Bell pepper belongs to the Solanaceae family. These cultures are native to Central and South America, they need direct sun for full development. Vegetable vegetation lasts more than 100 days.

Criteria for choosing a landing site:

• Under not quite suitable conditions, the yield of pepper decreases, and the fruits have time to be colored only partially. That is why the more sun the plant receives, the better.
• The vegetable will grow well on the south side of the plot.
• If the pepper is grown outdoors, the bed should be protected from the wind.

In the southern regions, you can plant a crop in a place where the bushes will be in thin shade for part of the day. In hot climates, such a planting will help the plants not to burn in the sun. At the same time, the culture will definitely receive its share of heat and sun rays.

Can hot peppers be planted in the shade?

Hot peppers differ somewhat in their agricultural technology from sweet varieties. We can say that this species loves the shadow more. It is better to plant hot peppers in the open field in a place where there is a lot of scattered light, but at the same time direct rays will not scorch the plant.

According to gardeners, in a shady place, bitter pepper grows into a large spreading bush, bears fruit well. This variety is generally unpretentious and needs easier care. When choosing seeds, preference should be given to zoned varieties - this will enable the pepper to be less dependent on weather changes and give stable yields.

Outdoor Pepper Care

Pepper seedlings planted in the ground will grow well if the soil is mulched with humus or peat. You can plant seedlings under a black film, having previously made cross-shaped cuts in the right places. When using mulching, young plants will be protected:

• from germination of weeds;
• from the formation of a hard crust on the surface of the soil;
• from too rapid evaporation of moisture;
• from a decrease in temperature in the root zone.

When grown without a mulch layer, the plantings are regularly weeded, loosened to a depth of 5 cm, and watered more often. In the first week after planting in the ground, heat-loving peppers require shelter. This will help the plants adapt faster, save them from fluctuations in day and night temperatures, and prevent burns.

When the bushes rise to a height of 20-25 cm, pinch the crown of the plants, after which 2 strongest shoots are left, on each of which 2 branches are also left. As a result, you get a bush, consisting of 8-10 branches. The spacing between the rows of peppers should be 50 cm, the spacing between plants in each row is 45 cm.

The frequency of watering depends on the phase of culture development:

1. Until flowering, the bushes are watered once a week, soaking the soil to a depth of about 20 cm.
2. From the moment the ovaries form, watering is carried out more often - every 3-4 days.

Water for irrigation is preliminarily defended in barrels, where it warms up well. It is necessary to water the plants at the root.

The first feeding is carried out 2 weeks after planting in the ground. It is best to use an infusion of mullein or chicken droppings at this stage. In the future, a complex mineral fertilizer is applied every 2–3 weeks.

In order to get a decent harvest of sweet pepper, it is better for him to provide the most illuminated planting site, the spicy variety is more shade-tolerant and unpretentious. With proper care, the crop can be successfully cultivated outdoors. Vegetable seedlings are pre-grown at home to get earlier fruiting.