My garden tool kit includes an electric toothbrush

Last year after watching an instructive YouTube video I used an electric toothbrush to pollinate my tomatoes and green peppers. You simply place the vibrating back of the toothbrush lightly against the stem of a flower or group or flowers for a couple of seconds. The reward is a puffy stream of pollen. Tomatoes and peppers will self-pollinate without your help; the wind, bees and other insects tickle the flower into releasing its pollen. However, this method garners incredible results - virtually 100% pollination. This year the first flowers are just starting to open up and I have my (actually, my husband’s) toothbrush ready.

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This sounds like a really neat trick. My tomatoes started flowering a couple of weeks ago while still under lights and I now have a couple of lonely little tomatoes per plant - I wonder if I had used this method if I might have had some bunches instead!

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I love this idea Linda, but kind of ashamed that I didn’t think of it myself. I have an Aerogarden in which I grow cherry tomatoes during the winter and that is exactly what I use to pollinate the flowers. Should have thought that it would work outside as well …

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