Busy Bees Make Gardens Fruitful

Bees are the unthanked field help of a garden. Many people -- including my fellow gardener, Karen -- can't stand them and don't want plants that attract them in a garden.

On a recent dog walk, I saw a swarm of bees. It was an awesome sight. One bee is one thing, hundreds are something else.

Then this came across the potting bench:

"Unlike honey bees, Mason Bees create nests in hollow spaces like reeds and holes in wood and 'pad' them, as their name suggests, with mud from the surrounding garden. Because mason bees will settle in and colonize in a friendly environment, you can encourage them by providing them a pre-built home like the Blue Orchard Mason Bee Nest available at High Country Gardens."

The nest looks like a piece of clay pipe with straws inside. It has a natural, functional look that would go well in any garden.

I'd never realized before that it was possible to avoid seasonal bee swarms.

The news release went on to say: "By including flowers in your edible garden and orchard plans, you will also provide the perfect "live/work space" for these hard working natives. Fragrant lavender is a favorite as are the many varieties of Echinacea (coneflower), poppy, aster, sunflowers and goldenrod. Don't forget, too, that many flowering culinary herbs are terrific bee, butterfly and hummingbird attractors. Sage, thyme, chives, basil and mint are all beautiful (and tasty !) flowering herbs and will provide a healthy, happy home for both your working bees and your family."

High Country Gardens also pointed out that butterflies and hummingbirds are good pollinators in gardens that include flowers. Our garden, unfortunately, is well supervised by a gang of cats so anything that lures birds would simply be cruel.

Don't miss the water-thrifty plant options in High Country's virtual catalog . . . the colors are wonderful and the shapes varied. Best of all, High Country has thoughtfully provided an online article about low-water gardens. AND . . . there's a blog with photos, articles about different species of wildflowers and how to make your lawn an eco-contributor instead of an eco-drain.

One of my favorites in their catalog are the preplanned gardens. They come with a planting diagram, plants and maintenance instructions. Among the choices are "Pretty in Pink," the Xeric Aroma Garden (low water, highly fragrant). A map in the catalog helps you select plants that will work in your climate. It's a great catalog to savor -- practical, down to earth and it leaves you smarter than when you opened it . . .

Comments

Hand-Knit Trellis Now Ready for Climbing Foot-Long Beans

Just as the "June" gloom is starting to burn off, I finished my knitted trellis for the garden. It completely surrounds one of our bamboo tripods, with space at the bottom for tending the romaine lettuces growing within the tripod. It's knit out of nylon twine on US 35 needles. While the nylon has no stretch (the way a wool yarn does), the huge gauge has loads of give. The piece was knit flat with ties attached along one edge. It is tied to the tripod along one leg. One some early samples for a knitted plant trellis, I experimented with lace patterns. They look lovely, but I realized two things. One, once the plants grow up the trellis any knitting pattern is lost. Secondly, the plants and leaves need space to grow in and out of. I used a pattern for a shawl: k1, yo, k2tog and then repeat. I got lost a number of times: the yarn-overs drifted over other stitches on occasion. As this was a speed project that won't be visible ones the beans grow over it, I didn

Know Your Soil For Best Garden Results

I've always taken soil for granted. It was there. You put seeds into it. You put water on it. Plants grow and produce flowers, fruit or vegetables. Gayle Weinstein, author of Xeriscape Handbook; A How-To Guide to Natural, Resource-Wise Gardening , takes a different view: “Soil . . . acts as a highway between life and death, land and atmosphere, plants and animals.” It stores water, air and nutrients and makes it possible for an exchange of elements and chemical reactions to occur, she adds. She describes soil as being animal, vegetable and mineral combined. Here are six tests Gayle recommends for getting to know your soil. Grab a shovel and a quart jar. Dig up two cups of dry soil two-to-six inches deep from the areas you want to test. Gather a glass of water, dish washing detergent and paper towels. A soil pH kit, a meter or litmus paper will be needed for the final test.

Determinate vs indeterminate: why does it matter?

When Karen and I planted our 2020 garden, we made the one mistake you never want to make with tomatoes: we didn't check whether the plants we bought were determinant or indeterminate. Our assumption that the cherry tomato plants would be small (small tomatoes means small plant, right?) and the romas would be big, was 180 degrees wrong. The Great Green Goddess of Gardening was on our side, however. Karen has been able to stake up the indeterminate cherry tomatoes -- and the determinate romas have plenty of string fencing to grow on. I've been asked to write more about the differences between indeterminate and determinant tomato plants. Since I clearly needed to review, I'm glad to do so. In simple terms, determinate plants are like bushes or shrubs; indeterminate plants are like trees. Determinate plants are genetically set to grow to a certain size and stop. Indeterminate plants will keep producing stems, leaves and fruit as long as they get enough water, light and warmth.

The Fink Farm Dirt

Search This Blog