Self Pollinating Veg

[Davey T]

Hi everyone, I need some help and advice. Firstly, is there a list anywhere detailing all veg (and fruit) which is self-pollinating? I've been searching for ages and the net isn't coming up with anything definitive as yet!

Secondly, a colleague supposedly read a veggie blog and so decided to 'help me' by pruning my Greenhouse tomatoes to encourage faster, healthier fruit which was setting or about to. He pruned off handfuls of flowering stems saying that "it would help whats left on the plant to produce fruit as there was no point in wasting all the plants energy on all those flowers which will not set fruit". Was I mad? YES! Was I sure? No, and so, learned friends, please come to me rescue with some definite answers so I can settle this 'locking of horns' and possible lock him in a set of stocks for an afternoon! Thank you in advance

[Thelma Sanders]

A lot of people do top their plants after 4 or 5 trusses, which removes the top flower trusses, to encourage ripening of the lower fruit.

I don't, but here in the SE the season is a little longer, so fruit tend to carry on ripening longer. You have no location showing, so couldn't say if it was worth it for you.

Self pollinating veg, er Green beans, all varieties, some of the new varieties of Runner beans, several courgette varieties Parthenon, Cavili I think there is a 3rd one but can't remember it.
Tomatoes, as long as you give them a shake now and again, peppers, peas. I can't think of any others.

[Jungle Jane]

I've just been removing the tips of my tomato plants including some flowers,I left some on a cherry variety but they won't really have time to produce fruit as we're now in September,so all the plants energy needs to go into tomato ripening instead of new growth. If you've got loads of green tomatoes,you can take the tomatoes off the plant when they show a hint of colour,ripen them indoors in the sun,then the plant can concentrate on ripening the next tomato,sometimes it takes too long for them all to ripen & you can end up with lots of green tomatoes.

[veggiechicken]

Hi Davey and welcome!
I'm going to answer your questions with more questions!
Self pollinating veg & fruit - why are you asking? I'm curious! Toms, peas, French beans, some cucumbers and courgettes, as Thelma said. However, potatoes don't need flowers to produce tubers and most root veg and brassicas are picked before they flower - so pollination isn't an issue. In fact it usually means the plant is bolting and past being edible.

Tomatoes - were these side shoots on cordon tomatoes that were removed?