Growing Indoor Vegetables in Containers. Need advice.

Yes, JanR's idea is excellent! Provided it's not too cold there - that could really work out for you!

: )

 

Right now the temperature is 39 F. I can't bring myself to throwing them out. They are like my babies now. I need to make every effort to save them and if they die at the end I won't fret over it because I tried. I need to learn more about pollination, though. Gardening is starting to seem more like a science now! How many plants need to be near each other in order to pollinate and is there a rule of thumb as to how far apart each different plant should be from one another. Can a tomato pot be near a jalapeno pot for example when they're indoors?

Oralia S.

 

Tomatoes can be near peppers, no problem. If you have a warm protected spot, try and put them outside for an hour or so each day to harden them off. You can gradually increase the time. You don't usually have to worry about pollinators on vegetables, as most are self pollinating. They just need to be out where bugs nd bees can get to them.

 

Not true, about all veggies not needing to be pollinated! You will never see a single fruit, on an eggplant, cucumber, zucchini, melon, and many others, if no pollination takes place!

Peppers and tomatoes are self pollinating, so you will still get fruits, and it doesn't matter how far away the plants are from each other. Although, when growing sweet and hot peppers together - keep them away from each other outside, because the bees will mix the pollen, and your sweet peppers may end up a bit hot! Inside though, this is not a problem.

Inside, it makes no difference how far apart any of your veggie plants are from each other - so don't worry about that.

As for hand pollinating - you must take pollen from one blossom and bring it to another blossom. I did a lot of research on it, before attempting it though. It's not always easy, and you may not be successful the 1st time you try! It took me awhile to get the hang of it. Practice is the best teacher though.

Hope you are feeling confident about all of this, and are not confused by conflicting information. I have been growing veggies indoors for nearly 6 years now - so I have a lot of experience with them.
Ultimately, it is always better to grow friuts and veggies outside, but they can be grown with much success inside too, if the right environment is provided for them.

JanR's idea about putting them out for a bit each day, is really a good one, and will help the plants make an easier adjustment, to outdoor conditions.

What have you got to lose? It will be fun trying, and you'll learn a lot too. Anymore questions or concerns, feel free to ask...

 

I didn't say that they didn't need to be pollinated, just that they don't need a pollinator. You can have one melon or one zucchini for instance and you will have male and female flowers on each plant, so they are self-pollinating. You will get fruit with only one plant.