Cross pollination for current year

[Tylianna]

I've been trying to look this up, and I can't find it. I even searched in this forum. This is my new post! I'm from Northern Indiana.

My question is about cross pollination. I am growing Celebrity tomatoes, along with some heirloom tomatoes that I am getting from Gurney's. I understand that if they are cross pollinated, that the SEEDS will not be true to the parent. But, will the fruit this year be affected?
Same with peppers... I am growing 6 different types of bell peppers (different colors and types) and 5 different types of hot peppers. They came in a mix package. Can these be planted together with no adverse affect on the fruits? I don't want a weird looking bell pepper with a spicy flavor!
While I'm at it, what about pumpkins and melons? I am going to use the three sisters method with my corn, beans and pumpkin/watermelon. I have a 15x40 garden for this and I was going to use half for pumpkin and the other half for watermelon. Not too many since I know they require LOTS of room! But will my watermelons be pumpkiny? LOL

Last year was my first attempt at a garden and I did REALLY well, considering my garden was not tilled until May and I didn't even get my corn planted until July 10! I had a really good supply of cucumber, zucchini, peas, lettuce, radish, corn, green beans, tomatoes, carrots and turnips. The only things that did not go well were the onions (planted too late), watermelon (planted too late, and fall got too cold too fast), spinach and cabbage (bad seed, and whatever grew, bolted fast).

Thanks in advance for your answers!!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Welcome to the forum. Glad you are here.

Don't worry. Of all the stuff you mentioned, cross-pollination will not hurt this year's crop at all.

 

[ninnymary]

Thanks for asking that question. I was wondering the same thing. With all the stuff I read here I was beginning to get alittle confuse. I don't plan to save seeds, I just want good produce for now.

Mary

 

[Greenthumb18]

First of all !!

Yeah you should be ok with the harvest of those vegetables. You shouldn't have to worry about getting a hot sweet pepper or vice versa.

Good Luck!

 

[journey11]

Hi Tylianna and

I am just learning more about pollination myself because I want to save seeds this year as much as I can, but I will try to answer your questions....

Tomatoes are self-pollinated and aren't supposed to cross easily. The Celebrity's are hybrids, so they wouldn't come back true to form anyway. Your heirloom tomatoes you can save seed off of if you want to. Crossing won't affect this year's crop, but the seeds of next year.

On your peppers, they do cross-pollinate easily, but once again it would be the seeds that are affected, not the fruit. I grew mine all together the past couple years (hot and sweet) and noticed no difference in the flavor, although I've heard it said that the seeds themselves could taste hot...but I wouldn't know about that, because I don't eat bell pepper seeds.

Watermelons and squash won't cross because they are two different species.

I'm going to try the 3 sisters this year too. We will have to have a thread to see everybody's results later on.

Hope you get lots of use out of TEG and have fun! :happy_flower

 

[obsessed]

I keep hearing that cross pollination won't affect this years crop but I believe that it does.

I once grew anheim peppers next to serranos and they cross pollinated. the serranos got really long like an anheim and were hit and miss with the heat. And i did get a cuk/cantelp thing once.

 

[Tylianna]

Thank you for all the help! Sorry it took me so long to reply with my thanks. I lost this site!

I will be growing tomatoes, (celebrity and heirloom), eggplant, peppers (bell and hot), potatoes, zucchini, cucumber and all the little veggies (radish, lettuce etc...) in one garden. In my other garden I will do the Three Sisters, using pumpkin and sugar baby bush watermelon for the vine plants.

As long as there is no worry about the veggies being affected this year, I have no worries. I don't plan on saving seeds for next year. Too much of a hassle for me as this point in my gardening life

Even if anything DOES happen, I guess it is just experimenting for me!

 

[journey11]

Good deal then, have fun!