I'd recommend that you get a propagation book from the library and read up on hand pollination techniques. Sorry I can't be more help.

Some choices are: The Complete Book of Plant Propagation (Taunton Press); The Complete Book of Plant Propagation (Sterling Pub.); Plant Propagation (DK Pub.); Making More Plants: The Science, Art and Joy of Propagation (Clarkson Potter)... and there are others.

Good luck.

Thanks, Juli, for your suggestion. It helps. I'll go to the library for some of the books you mentioned. I just thought you all have some personal tricks to do this. Thus it helps me not to have to read a thick book.
Thanks again

The problem with giving advice about something like veggies in general is that different plants generally have different requirements (at least as far as trying to ensure best possible results). One-size-fits-all advice really wouldn't be appropriate. It's a real pain to have to dig through a thick volume (trust me, I know) but that's probably the only way you'll get the information that's best suited to your situation and the plants you have in mind. Good luck.

Alternately "dusting" the stamen/pistil with the softest possible "duster" should work, no?

If you want to grow tomatoes inside they need to be polinated to produce fruits. One way for inside tomatoes is to shake the plant lightly and this way it gets polinated. they do sell tomatoe shakers for large quantities.
Also if you want to grow any of the cucumber, squash, melons . they could be polinated by hand, there is male and female flowers and they need to touch. the male could be picked and kiss all the female flowers.
The same applies for Orange and lemon trees.

Ahem. Not to be indelicate, but how do you tell the male & female flowers apart? (I have images of holding them upside down and looking at their bottoms, like kittens )

Donna

I like to gently tickle pollinate using just my fingers. Best to do just one variety at a time, to avoid cross pollination (of next year's seed),
and peek for insects first -
especially outside or you can get stung!
A paint brush (or q-tip) can work fine...but you'll have to have a collection of brushes and know which goes with each, or maybe leave the paintbush stem stuck in the pot for later reuse.

On some plants you can indeed look at the butt end to tell gender...for example female squash will have a visible ovary behind the flower. After pollinating the fruiters, you can pick and cook the male flowers, which are generally more prolific, and the plant will make more blooms.

On tomatoes & peppers, I tickle everything and leave flowers there, as all who can will fruit. If you are interested in studying botany, you can learn more about gender by studying the pistol/stamen arrangement in the faces of flowers.

I'll get to that someday, too, maybe, when I can slow down and be more Zen. But for now, I find it quicker to tickle all and move on, than to study each.

Different strokes for different folks!

btw, i don't pressure my indoor /wintered-over plants to keep blooming indoors. I let 'em mostly rest till Spring (tho peppers can bear lightly all winter) and hope for quick renewal when it's time to go back outside.