It was the 'dormancy' of the tomato plants that boosted the growth of my chilli plants. I use that term, but I'd rather say that it was their zombie-like state (my tomatoes were neither dead nor alive) that awakened and boosted the growth of the chilli plants. In fact, for almost 4 months my chilli plants had remained in the plant state. They weren't growing but were gently 'observing' the growth of the tomato plants.
I practised the friendly plants rule. Not everyone recognises them as friends, but I based this on the experience of 3 great gardeners. I gave it a go. I like to test. I've seen it. I experienced the friendship between these plants and I understood.
My mistake was thinking that they could have been friends. When the tomatoes started to decline, the chillies brightened up and started to grow well. In fact, I've noticed that my chilli plants are giving birth to several little chillies, some of which are blushing. They're blushing with happiness because the misfortune of some tomatoes has made them happy. Another tomato plant has come back to life, so let's watch them grow and see if they continue to blush with pleasure.
