E-mail- Screened Enclosed Plants and Polination

Hi Dr. Myers
You have answered questions from me in the past and I do have another one.
In addition to my indoor garden, I have an outdoor vegetable garden. I just recently moved these plants inside my screen-enclosed pool area. Question: doesn't tomato, pepper,etc. rely on bees and other insects to pollinate and create the fruit ? So, if these vegetables are enclosed..... they will not ever produce fruit because insects and bees cannot get to them..... is this correct ?  Thanks in advance
Thanks for your E-mail. I am always happy to help, if I can. You have a good question, the answer is it depends if the plants are self pollinators or cross pollinators.  Self pollinators are plants that produce flowers that are usually fertilized by their own pollen, commonly when the male and female flower parts are contained within the same flower. These plants usually don't need an insect polinator.  Cross pollinators are plants with flowers that require pollen from another flower -or from another plant to produce a fertilized seed and the fruit that surrounds it. Cross pollinators commonly require the help of insects or the wind or YOU to achieve pollination.

Self-pollinated vegetables include: bush and pole beans, lima beans, chicory, endive, lettuce, most peas, and tomatoes. These plants don't need any help they will produce fruit if they get enought light and nutrients.

Wind-pollinated vegetables include: beets, chard, sweet corn, and spinach.

Insect-pollinated vegetables that won't produce fruit well in an enclosed area with out your help or insects are: cucumbers, eggplant, gourds, muskmelons, mustard, okra, parsnip, hot pepper, pumpkin, rutabaga, squashes, turnips, and watermelon.

You may want to see my post about how to collect pollen and do so for some of your pepper plants, all the flowers should produce it, and use your finger or a brush etc. and put the pollen from one flower (or better yet from one plant) into another.   Also, look at my Blog postings about how to transfer pollen.
Good Growing,
Dr. E.R.Myers