Have you noticed a lack of pollinators in your garden this year?

Years ago, I never stopped to think about pollinators in my garden. When I planted cucumbers, zucchini and squash plants, they always got pollinated and produced an abundance of beautiful fruit.

However, as years passed, I’ve had to step in and plant flowers in my garden to entice pollinators to stop by for a visit. I’ve even had to fill in for them and hand pollinate the zucchini and squash plants. However, cucumber plants never seemed to have a problem.

This year is a different experience. I filled my new greenhouse with cucumber plants, thinking they would produce a bumper crop of delicious fruit. I even added flowers along all the beds to provide them a runway towards the cucumber plants. Almost as a path of flashing lights leading them straight to the target. I’m sad to say that the pollinators didn’t find their way. The flowers didn’t work and the much needed bees did not come. I watched painfully as any emerging fruit shrivelled up, turned brown and disappeared due to lack of pollination.

Since then, I’ve had to step up my game and do the pollinator’s job. It looks like it’s working and the cucumbers are finally being pollinated.

Check out my video: How to Hand Pollinate your Cucumber Plants. I show you how to identify female from male flowers and the simple steps you need to follow to hand pollinate your cucumber plants.

Happy Gardening!