Pollinator friendly
Bees, moths, butterflies and other pollinators play an essential role in creating a fruit-full garden. Pollinators transfer pollen flower to flower, eventually producing the veggies we eat. Roughly 75% of our food crops depend on a pollinator to produce our food. As we’ve all heard, bees and other pollinators are in trouble due to exposure to pesticides and decline in native habitats.
So, to keep your veggies producing and the bees happy here’s some guidelines to help out our pollinators and keep our veggie gardens producing all summer.
- Make sure you plant a variety of plants that bloom all season.
- Incorporate some native plants to help feed the native bees.
- Single flowers, rather than doubles, provide more pollen and food for the bees.
- Avoid using pesticides. They are harmful to bees and other friendly insects. If you must use something, select less toxic ones and apply them when the bees aren’t active.
Be sure in to include some of these flowering favorites in your vegetable garden to attract and keep your pollinators well fed. Annual flowers like Cosmos, marigolds, zinnias are excellent attractors. Let some of your herbs go to flower: Chives, basil and cilantro flowers are a bee favorite. Bach bachelors buttons, calendula and cone flowers attract the butterflies. And. Dill attracts beneficial insects and is a great food source for butterfly larvae
