Is something missing from your garden?
About five years ago I planted my seeds in the type of soil I used the year before. I placed my pots in the sun and watered them diligently. For some reason, several of my vegetables did not do well at all. I still cannot say for sure what happened but for many years I have been reading about something called Colony Collapse Disorder. Bees are dying by the hundreds of millions and it getting worse. Without the bees to pollinate certian flower (which I listed below) our problem will only spread.
A few years ago President Obama announced a plan to protect the bees but it was not enough.
On Tuesday, the Obama administration will announce plans to protect bees, other pollinators, and their breeding grounds. Honeybees are critical to our food supply . One of every three bites of our food originates from bees pollinating the flowers that produce many of our fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Last June, President Obama established a Pollinator Health Task Force to focus federal efforts to stem pollinator loss. The USDA announced incentives to farmers and ranchers in five states who establish new habitats for honeybees. The honeybee population in the United States is now less than half of what it was at the end of World War II. Driven largely by industrial farming practices, that decline was well underway when, in 2006, commercial beekeepers began finding many of their hives suddenly abandoned. Colony collapse appears to be linked to a variety of factors that work in concert to weaken bees.
Crops pollinated by bees include almonds, apples, apricots, avocados, blueberries, cantaloupes, cashews, coffee, cranberries, cucumbers, eggplants, grapes, kiwis, mangoes, okra, peaches, pears, peppers, strawberries, tangerines, walnuts and watermelons
Many gardeners have turned to something called Hand Pollination
About five years ago I planted my seeds in the type of soil I used the year before. I placed my pots in the sun and watered them diligently. For some reason, several of my vegetables did not do well at all. I still cannot say for sure what happened but for many years I have been reading about something called Colony Collapse Disorder. Bees are dying by the hundreds of millions and it getting worse. Without the bees to pollinate certian flower (which I listed below) our problem will only spread.
A few years ago President Obama announced a plan to protect the bees but it was not enough.
Many gardeners have turned to something called Hand Pollination
Hand pollination, also known as mechanical pollination is a technique that can be used to pollinate plants when natural or open pollination is either undesirable or insufficient. This method of pollination is done by manually transferring pollen from the stamen of one plant to the pistil of another. Each year I plant flowers not just because I like colors but specific flowers that attract bees. I have included a link to Grassroots Gardening 21 Flowers that Attract Bees
https://thehoneybeeconservancy.org/2017/03/27/21-flowers-that-attract-bees/
Here is a more inclusive list of plants that require bee pollination.
Wildlife Habitat Management Institute
Table 1 Crops dependent upon or benefited by insect pollination
Legumes and Beans, Cowpea, Lima Beans, Lupines, Mung Bean/Green or Golden Gram, Soybean relatives Vegetables Artichoke, Asparagus, Beet, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cantaloupes, Carrot, Cauliflower, Celeriac, Celery, Cucumber, Eggplant, Endive, Green Pepper, Leek, Lettuce, Okra, Onion, Parsnip, Pumpkin, Radish, Rutabaga, Squash, Tomato, Turnip, White Gourd Fruits, berries Almonds, Apple, Apricot, Avocado, Blackberry, Blueberry, Cacao, Cashew, Cherry, Chestnut, and nuts Citrus, Coffee, Coconut, Crabapple, Cranberry, Currant, Date, Fig, Gooseberry, Grapes, Guava, Huckleberry, Kiwi, Kolanut, Litchi, Macadamia, Mango, Olive, Papaw, Papaya, Passionfruit, Peach, Pear, Persimmon, Plum, Pomegranate, Raspberry, Strawberry, Tung, Vanilla, Watermelon Herbs and Allpsice, Anise, Black Pepper, Caraway, Cardamom, Chive, Clove, Coriander, Dill, Fennel, spices Lavender, Mustard, Nutmeg, Parsley, Pimento, Tea, White Pepper Oils, seeds and Alfalfa, Buckwheat, Canola, Flax, Oil Palm, Safflower, Sesame, Sunflower grains Clover and rel- Alsike Clover, Arrowleaf Clover, Ball Clover, Berseem Clover, Black Medic/Yellow Trefoil, atives Cider Milkvetch, Crimson Clover, Lespedeza, Peanut, Persian Clover, Red Clover, Rose Clover, Strawberry Clover, Subterranean Clover, Sweet Clover, Trefoil, Vetch, White Clover Other Cotton, Kenaf
Legumes and Beans, Cowpea, Lima Beans, Lupines, Mung Bean/Green or Golden Gram, Soybean relatives Vegetables Artichoke, Asparagus, Beet, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cantaloupes, Carrot, Cauliflower, Celeriac, Celery, Cucumber, Eggplant, Endive, Green Pepper, Leek, Lettuce, Okra, Onion, Parsnip, Pumpkin, Radish, Rutabaga, Squash, Tomato, Turnip, White Gourd Fruits, berries Almonds, Apple, Apricot, Avocado, Blackberry, Blueberry, Cacao, Cashew, Cherry, Chestnut, and nuts Citrus, Coffee, Coconut, Crabapple, Cranberry, Currant, Date, Fig, Gooseberry, Grapes, Guava, Huckleberry, Kiwi, Kolanut, Litchi, Macadamia, Mango, Olive, Papaw, Papaya, Passionfruit, Peach, Pear, Persimmon, Plum, Pomegranate, Raspberry, Strawberry, Tung, Vanilla, Watermelon Herbs and Allpsice, Anise, Black Pepper, Caraway, Cardamom, Chive, Clove, Coriander, Dill, Fennel, spices Lavender, Mustard, Nutmeg, Parsley, Pimento, Tea, White Pepper Oils, seeds and Alfalfa, Buckwheat, Canola, Flax, Oil Palm, Safflower, Sesame, Sunflower grains Clover and rel- Alsike Clover, Arrowleaf Clover, Ball Clover, Berseem Clover, Black Medic/Yellow Trefoil, atives Cider Milkvetch, Crimson Clover, Lespedeza, Peanut, Persian Clover, Red Clover, Rose Clover, Strawberry Clover, Subterranean Clover, Sweet Clover, Trefoil, Vetch, White Clover Other Cotton, Kenaf
https://plants.usda.gov/pollinators/Native_Pollinators.pdf
Please subscribe to my YouTube Channel. We are about to start two summer series that you don't want to miss. Also a special series on growing tomatoes.
The Frugal Gardener on YouTube
Show us your garden photos on Gardening Your Way
Don't forget to check out my weekly gardening updates on Gardening on a Budget
Please subscribe to my YouTube Channel. We are about to start two summer series that you don't want to miss. Also a special series on growing tomatoes.
The Frugal Gardener on YouTube
Show us your garden photos on Gardening Your Way
Don't forget to check out my weekly gardening updates on Gardening on a Budget
Comments
Post a Comment