Pollination question.

[turnip27]

I'm very new to gardening this year, most of what I'm growing was spur of the moment purchases encouraged by my other half who is now happy to sit back and watch me do all the work, however, things don't seem to be going too badly. Stuck everything in pots and they seem to be getting bigger.

Since I've been reading these boards though, I'm beginning to realise it's probably more than just 'stick them in pots and wait for lots of lovely veg'. My first question of many is about pollination. I vaguely remember learning about flower pollination in biology at school, but never thought this would be of any benefit to me, now that I have things growing I'm unsure what to do.

I've got a pot with beans growing (lost the label, unsure if they're broad beans or french beans), there are lots of little pale purple and black flowers on, and I've seen a few bees going about their business amongst the flowers.

Will it be enough if I leave the bees to do their thing with the pollen, or do I need to be doing anything with the flowers?

Sorry if its a stupid question but I really am learning from scratch, and this seems to be the beas place to do it.
Thanks in advance. Julie.

[turnip27]

Sorry, I mean 'best' place to do it

[magz.mccarthy]

Hi Turnip,

Good news that you have bees around! They will do all the pollinating you need for beans. I think that people mainly do hand polinating if they want to ensure that the fruit that grows is true to the plant, so that they can save seeds, or if the plants are in a greenhouse where bees may not get in.

Margaret

[Two_Sheds]

You can leave most veggies "to it".
People run into pollination problems in greenhouses, if insects are excluded.

As to your sort of bean... if it has a long thin windy stem, it's a runner. If it's more of a stocky plant, it's a broadie.

[simmo 66]

Let the Bees do their work and sit back and watch em grow.....