Yes, Boston Pickling cucumbers are self-pollinating, but there's a bit more nuance to understand:
Here's how it works:
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Cucumbers are monoecious, meaning a single plant produces both male and female flowers.
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Pollination still needs to occur — typically via bees or other pollinators moving pollen from male flowers to female flowers (even on the same plant).
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So while the plant can pollinate itself, it still requires a mechanism for pollen transfer — this isn’t automatic like in true self-fertile plants such as tomatoes or beans.
Summary:
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✅ Yes, they produce both male and female flowers.
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✅ Yes, they can be pollinated by their own pollen.
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❌ No, they don't self-pollinate without help (need bees, wind, or hand pollination).
If you're growing them in a greenhouse or low-pollinator environment, you may want to hand-pollinate using a small brush or by rubbing male flowers onto female flowers to ensure good fruit set.
Great — you’re close to being able to hand-pollinate your Boston Pickling cucumbers! Here’s a simple guide to help you identify the flowers and do it correctly:
🥒 Step 1: Identify the Flowers
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Male Flower:
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Usually lighter yellow.
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Grows on a thin stem (no baby cucumber behind it).
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Inside, it has a single central stamen with pollen.
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Female Flower:
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Often darker yellow.
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Grows with a tiny cucumber-shaped ovary directly behind the petals (this becomes the cucumber).
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Inside, it has a central pistil — looks like a sticky knob, often with 3 lobes.
You described one light yellow and one dark yellow flower — sounds like the light one is male, and the dark one is female. Perfect pair!
🖌️ Step 2: Pollinate by Hand
Option A: Using a brush or Q-tip
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Gently rub a small brush or Q-tip inside the male flower to collect yellow pollen.
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Dab that onto the center of the female flower — make sure the pollen touches the sticky pistil.
Option B: Using the whole male flower
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Pluck the male flower off the plant.
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Peel back its petals to expose the stamen.
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Gently rub the stamen directly inside the female flower’s center.
✅ Signs it worked:
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The tiny cucumber behind the female flower will start to grow bigger within a day or two.
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If pollination fails, it will turn yellow and shrivel instead.