Pollinators are essential for cultivating a productive vegetable garden, and you can easily attract them by providing flowers, water, food, shelter and shelter.
Plant flowers that bloom throughout the year to provide a steady supply of nectar and pollen. Bees prefer blue and purple blooms while butterflies prefer yellow, orange, and red hued blooms; while hummingbirds adore brightly colored tubular flowers.
Plant a variety of flowers
Dependent upon the species of pollinator you’re selecting for, select plants that appeal to them. They tend to search out pollen or nectar-rich flowers with readily accessible pollen anthers; flowers that bloom throughout the growing season are especially appealing; with this in mind, consider adding flowering native plants into your vegetable garden that provide food sources for pollinators all year.
Native plants in your region have co-evolved with insects, birds, and other forms of wildlife in order to thrive in its climate and soil, making it much easier for pollinators to locate. Natives also provide essential pollinator nutrients. Plant perennials, shrubs, and annual flowers in your vegetable garden so as to attract an array of pollinators.
An ideal garden for butterflies would include sunflowers (Helianthus annuus), cleome (Cleome sinensis), and Zinnia elegans). Hummingbirds like to nest near Fuchsias and Pentas; Bees love Carnations, Nasturtiums, and Daisies! For growing tomatoes or squash, Marigolds (Tagetes patula) can also help deter squash bugs, Thrips, and Tomato Hornworms!
Other flowers suitable for vegetable gardens include Lupine (Lupinus albus), Phloxes and Dandelion fimbriata – these bloom early and tolerate hot summer conditions well. You might also try growing some herbs like Sage Salvia Spp or Coricum Officinale alongside flowers in your vegetable patch.
Consider how flowering plants will interact with the vegetables you’re growing when selecting flowering plants for your vegetable garden. Bees carry pollen from flower to flower, so ideally placing flowers near vegetables allows bees easy access. Bees can visit 50 to 100 flowers every day so giving them easy access to all their necessaries such as vegetables helps. Also leave areas in your garden that provide shelter for pollinators such as bare patches of ground, stacked branches or leaf litter could help pollinators.
Provide a source of water
Pollinators come to gardens seeking nectar and pollen as food to fuel their flight, mating and egg-laying activity as well as shelter from harsh environmental conditions. To ensure pollinators flourish in your garden, it’s crucial to provide different habitat types. Plant trees, shrubs and perennial flowers with various colors so you can attract different pollinator species – particularly reds and oranges which hummingbirds love! Butterflies prefer flowers with funnel-shaped petals and strong perches from which to forage, such as those that bloom blue, purple, pink and yellow hues; butterflies also favor flat-topped blooms clustered together and featuring clusters with multiple blooms. Bees tend to favor yellow, white and blue blooms that exude sweetness; honeybees prefer those releasing sweet scents from their nectar glands.
Add perennial herbs and vegetables to your vegetable garden for maximum pollinator feedings all season long. Plants like chives, dill, parsley, mint are easy to cultivate companion plants for vegetable crops as they offer constant pollen and nectar supplies throughout their bloom cycle. Other great choices may include nasturtiums, calendula and scabiosa as great companion plants!
Add a dash of native plants to your vegetable garden – they tend to thrive better in your climate and soil conditions, not to mention being tailored specifically towards pollinators needs and preferences.
Avoid chemical pesticides to ensure the well-being of pollinators in your vegetable garden, as these chemicals may prevent insects from reproducing or accessing resources they need for reproduction or survival. Instead, opt for organic gardening methods which are less toxic for pollinators and beneficial insects alike – such as crop rotation, companion planting, resistant cultivars, barrier products and cleaning up dead plant material in fall – that are eco-friendly yet encourage pollinator visitations. Furthermore, leave areas of bare ground and natural debris for pollinators to use as shelter – it helps them survive in a way chemical sprays can’t do.
Avoid chemical pesticides
Your vegetable garden relies on pollinators for fertilization, and if your crops don’t seem to produce even when you tend them carefully, this could be a pollinator issue. Chemical pesticides may deter pollinators while making their food unsafe; but natural methods of pest control such as crop rotation, companion planting, resistant plant cultivars, barrier products or cleaning up diseased plants in autumn are much safer alternatives that won’t harm pollinators and other beneficial insects.
Prioritize organic food when shopping, particularly items listed as Dirty Dozen (fruits and veggies that have the highest chemical levels), support local farms without chemical spraying practices and add flowering plants to your garden to attract pollinators populations.
Creating a pollinator-friendly vegetable garden means filling it with flowers that provide both nectar and pollen for pollinators to feed on. Choose perennials like lavender, agave, mint or sun-loving blue and violet blooming annuals like mealy cup sage (Salvia farinacea), purple sweet alyssum (Lotus odoratus), blue mistflower (Senecio fischeri), tall verbena (Verbena bonariensis), Lupines perennis) or tall verbena (Verbena bonariensis). Many of these flowers also act as host plants for butterfly caterpillars.
Plant your flowers in clusters so that pollinators can find them more easily, while adding variety with colors and shapes can further attract different pollinator types – bees prefer white, blue and purple flowers; while butterflies prefer yellow-orange-pink blooms. Hummingbirds tend to gravitate toward bright red tubular blossoms such as bee balm or trumpet vine.
Stagger the blooming times of plants to ensure an uninterrupted supply of pollen and nectar throughout the growing season. Include early spring-blooming varieties as well as blooms from summer, fall, and winter flowers; additionally double-flowered plants make it harder for pollinators access to their pollen/nectar inside.
Create a bee hotel
Solitary bees tend to be more effective pollinators than honeybees for reasons still unclear to experts. Because these pollinators live outside of hives and nest in various places including hollow stems, mud and tree trunks a bee hotel is an easy way to ensure these pollinators visit your vegetable garden regularly.
Bee hotels can be constructed out of any kind of wood and come in any height. The key is using materials that can withstand the elements, like logs or blocks of untreated wood or bamboo canes, which should provide shelter against rain. If using solid materials instead, add roof protection against rain; for added benefit you could add dirt, sand or compost for bees as they nest-build.
Your bee hotel should be situated in an ideal spot, such as south-facing and protected from wind and rain. Plant plenty of wildflowers beloved to bees nearby – including bluebells, knapweed, hellebore and honeysuckle. Make sure the holes of your bee hotel do not exceed 12mm as this size corresponds with mason bee size; any larger will render its use unusable by the solitary bees who nest there.
Clean your bee hotel once a year to remove any build-up of fungi, debris or parasites that have amassed. Painting it a vibrant hue may make it stand out in your garden and could make it more appealing to pollinators. Although not necessary, painting may increase pollinator interest.
When cleaning out your bee hotel, remove any cobwebs and take down and store nesting tubes until spring – about the time of the last frost, when bees will start nesting again. At that point, put them back out so they’re ready for bees to begin building their homes again.