5 ways to make your vegetable garden a pollinator destination
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Depending on where you are located in the US you already have Spring, or like most of us Spring keeps visiting then leaving to visit someplace else then comes back.
The important question is how can we encourage honey bees and other pollinators to visit our gardens and get value from our gardens as they pollinate our plants to produce the wonderful veg., and berries for us?
- Plant pollinator-attracting plants in and around your vegetable plot.
- Plant so that you can offer a continuous food source— and continuing pollinator activity: Choose plants that flower at different times through the growing season.
- Delay garden cleanup: Leave dead stems, sticks and limbs that are valued nesting sites for native bees.
- Instead of regular mowing, consider using strategic string trimming to maintain neat garden edges and allow central areas to stay wild. This adds flexibility and structure to a space without compromising habitat.
- Implement careful pesticide practices. Avoid broad-spectrum and systemic pesticides; apply in the morning, when fewer pollinators are active; and educate yourself about your garden’s common pests and diseases. This will minimize the chemical impact on the environment and allow pests and natural predators to thrive.
