Aghhhhh.............Pollination

[Strawberry delight]

Are you meant to pollinate cucumber plants?
If you do do they go bitter?
My cucumbers died ond fell off the plant when they were only a few centimeters long.
If anytone could tell me why that would be great!
Thanks!

[Alison]

It depends on the type of cucumber as to whether they should be fertilized or not however I never do it for them (life is too short, only intervene with promiscious things that I want to have for seed saving). Ridge cucs such as Marketmore can just be left to get on with things, same goes for the likes of Crystal Lemon / Apple but some greenhouse smooth skinned types will go bitter if fertilised and therefore you need to pick off the male flowers - this is a right pain as you always miss one or two. The other alternative is to buy expensive female only ones which only produce female flowers and so are a right doddle. Anyway, upshot is the answers to you poll will vary depending on which variety you are talking about.

[vicky]

I only get all female expensive F1's or ones which it doesn't matter - so I don't have to worry about this (had one a few years ago that shouldn't be pollinated but was and it was horrid, gutting after all that effort!)

[zazen999]

Only if I'm seed saving some....