Cucumber Marketmore

Should I pick off male cucumber flowers?

I have 2 Cucumber plants, ‘Marketmore’ growing in 6inch pots inside the house. They now stand 18inches (46cm) tall. They are in flower and a few flowers have wilted and dropped off.

Do I need to pinch off the male flowers on these cucumbers?

Do I need to hand-pollinate? There are no bugs/bees inside the house to do the job.

Should I plant them outside now? I live in South-East England.


Cucumber plants have both male and female flowers, but only the female flowers will produce fruit. However, in order to do so, they must be pollinated by pollen from the male flower. This important transfer is usually conducted by bees, but the gardener can increase the quantity of fruit by carrying out some judicious hand pollination. The female flowers are easy to identify because each has a tiny cucumber at the base. Use a small brush to remove some of the pollen from the male flower and gently brush it onto the centre of the female flower. Sowing Outdoors
For the outdoor varieties, you have the choice of starting them off indoors or you can plant them directly into the ground where they are going to grow after the threat of frost has passed. Generally cucumbers are best sown directly where they will remain, but to start off your outdoor varieties indoors you now have the opportunity of avoiding root disturbance by planting them in bio degradable pots – such as Jiffy Pots. You can plant both pots and plants directly into the soil … no mess, no problem … no root damage … and they get well established quickly.
Your cucumber plants will thrive best in a well protected, sunny spot with them spaced about 18” apart. You should dig down between 8-12” into the soil before planting, enriching the soil with loads of organic matter before planting … and keeping your plants topped up with fertilisers when the fruits start to set.
Or, you can grow your outdoor cucumbers on little ‘hills’ or mounds of soil, compost and organic matter combined.
Dont plant out-doors if there is still frost on the ground
If cucumbers drop off the vine just after they start to develop, it’s usually because they haven’t been properly pollinated. Good growing conditions — watering and fertilising — will also improve the size and quality of a cucumber crop.