There are countless unique qualities to any indoor growing operation. For example, temperature, light, and moisture are all variables that can be controlled. And that’s a good thing for farmers.

But indoor operations also present unique challenges. One of those challenges is created in the absence of bees, bugs, and butterflies. It’s the flying, crawling, and jumping bugs of the garden that pollinate plants often without anyone noticing. Without these little helpers, it’s imperative that the plants be pollinated by some alternative method.

Manually pollinate cucumbers in the raised planters by removing the petals of a male flower and using it to pollinate the female flowers.

Mark each flower that is pollinated by tying a piece of string around the stem. Revisit the plants later to calculate a pollination rate by counting the number of successful and unsuccessful attempts.