Why More Plants in Your Garden Can Improve Pollination

Hey all! Real Farmer Jeff here.

I recently had a frustrating experience in the garden. My tomatillo plant looked healthy, had tons of flowers – both male and female – and yet no fruit.

I assumed it would pollinate itself just like my tomatoes do. But after some digging, I learned something surprising. Tomatillos are self-sterile. This means that even though they have all the flower parts, a single plant often won’t produce fruit unless there’s another tomatillo nearby to cross-pollinate with.

That got me thinking. How many other plants need companions for better pollination? And even for plants that technically can self-pollinate, could more of them help improve yield?

Plants That Require More Than One for Pollination

Some plants simply won’t fruit well or at all unless they have another compatible plant nearby. This is often due to self-incompatibility, meaning a plant’s own pollen can’t fertilize its flowers.

Examples include:

• Tomatillos: Usually need at least two plants for fruit set
• Certain Heirloom Eggplants: Benefit from multiple plants for better fruit production
• Apples, Pears, Plums, and Cherries: Often require a different variety nearby that blooms at the same time

Plants That Benefit From Having More Nearby

Even when a plant isn’t strictly self-sterile, growing several plants can improve pollination and fruit set. This is especially true for crops like:

• Squash
• Cucumbers
• Pumpkins
• Melons
• Zucchini
• Blueberries
• Persimmon

These plants produce separate male and female flowers, and having more plants increases the chance that male and female flowers are open at the same time.

Do You Need the Exact Same Variety for Pollination?

It depends on the plant.

• For fruit trees like apples, pears, and plums, you generally need a different variety within the same species that blooms at the same time to ensure cross-pollination.
• For squash and other vine crops, exact variety matching is less critical. Most varieties within the same species can cross-pollinate successfully.
• Keep in mind if you save seeds, cross-pollination can affect seed genetics, though it won’t affect the fruit quality that year.

How Close Should Plants Be?

Pollination depends on how easily bees or wind can move pollen between flowers. Here are some general guidelines:

• For smaller garden plants like squash or cucumbers, keeping plants within 10 to 20 feet usually works well
• For fruit trees, being within 50 feet is typically close enough for bees to transfer pollen
• Wider spacing may reduce pollination success, especially if pollinator activity is low in your area