Growing

for Market in partnership
with Johnny’s

Selected Seeds
has created a library of expert
information about growing and selling vegetables and flowers. Links in
the article will take you to johnnyseeds.com. 

Subscribe to Growing

for Market for more
great ideas about growing and marketing!

For more topics in
the series, click on Market Farming Basics in the left
column.

Attract Essential Pollinators To Your Garden

Insect pollination is essential to many vegetable and fruit crops, including tomatoes, squash, pumpkins, watermelons, blueberries, blackberries,
apples, almonds, and many others. In the case of watermelons, there
will be no fruit without pollination. Some vegetables don’t require
pollination to set fruit, but pollination by bees will result in larger
and more abundant fruits. Nearly 75% of the flowering plants on Earth
rely on pollinators to set seed or fruit, as well as one-third of our
food crops, and most pollination is performed by honey bees, native
bees, and other insects. Try Johnny’s Beneficial Insects Attractant Mix. See all of our varieties that are good for attracting beneficial insects.

Yet pollinators are at risk throughout North America. Beekeepers are
losing commercial honeybees to colony collapse disorder. Several species
of bumblebees are nearly extinct and many others are suffering severe
declines. Other pollinating insects are similarly suffering from reduced
habitat.

As farmers and gardeners, we are in a position to provide food and
habitat for native pollinators. We have the land, tools, and know-how to
create insectary plantings and wild areas where pollinators can take
refuge. They, in turn, will provide more abundant food for us, and those
same plantings will attract other beneficial insects for improved pest
management.

Here are some guidelines for the kinds of plantings that will attract and nurture native pollinators, provided by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

• Large natural areas with plenty of flowering plants should be
  located within a half-mile of vegetable crops, because that’s the
  longest distance native pollinators will fly in search of food. In the
  absence of natural areas, you can plant a “bee pasture” with red clover
  to attract bumblebees.
• Long, narrow strips along field edges or waterways, for example
  can be planted with flowering plants to attract pollinators even
  closer to crops.
• Additional small plantings of flowers should be created
  throughout the gardens to bring the tiniest pollinators into close
  proximity with crops.
• Plant numerous varieties of flowering plants that will bloom
  over the longest period possible to keep pollinators fed before and
  after the target crop blooms.
• Choose plants that are native to your area first, but don’t be
  afraid to add non-natives to the mix. Many herbs and cut flowers provide
  food and habitat for pollinators. The best varieties produce a lot of
  pollen (Autumn Beauty sunflower is a better choice than a pollen-less
  cultivar such as Pro Cut) and have single petals (Sensation Cosmos, for
  example, is better than the fluffy double petals of Double Click
  Cosmos).
• In addition to plants, you can also provide nesting sites by leaving some untidy areas such as brush piles and old tree stumps.

The Xerces Society
has numerous fact sheets about landscaping for pollinators, and has
just published an excellent book, Attracting Native Pollinators, that
covers pollination biology, identification, and conservation strategies.

Visit Johnny’s Selected Seeds for more free
information about growing produce, herbs, cover crops and flowers.

• Subscribe to Growing for
Market for the latest news and ideas.

Reprinted

from JSS Advantage May 2011