Part of garden care involves pollination. In an outdoor garden, bees and other pollinators take care of this task for you. If your plants are flowering but not producing fruit, this could mean you need to help with pollination.
In the indoor garden, some of your plants may need a little help. Depending on the plant you are growing, there are different ways to help pollinate.
Peppers, beans, tomatoes, and peas have self-pollinating flowers which contain both male and female parts. If you give these flowers a little flick or a little shake, the pollen will fall into the stigma and pollinate the plant.
Cucumbers often have separate male and female flowers, and so, if you are growing these in your indoor garden, you will have to help pollinate. You can do this by using a cotton swab or a small, soft paintbrush and gently swab the pollen from the male flower and move it to the female flower.
If you are not seeing flowers, it could be due to the plant directing all of its energy into green growth. To help your plants flower, reduce the time the plants are under the garden light. Cut back by half an hour every three to four days. Take care not to drop the amount of time under the lights below nine hours a day.
Teaching From the Garden 