Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[yarrow@sfo.com]

At 11:54 PM -0400 5/3/07, elderberryjam wrote:
> This year I ordered about $75 worth of seeds from Baker's Creek, and Seeds
> of Change. Now I'd like to know, what vegetables are least dependent on bees
> for pollination?

Basically, seed and fruit crops need pollinators, so the people who 
are most worried about pollination are probably fruit and nut 
growers. Also, if you're a seed saver, you need pollinators no matter 
what you grow (but for the seeds, not necessarily for the edible 
parts). Otherwise...

Leaves don't need pollinators -- lettuce, kale, cabbage, collards, 
broccoli leaves, bok choy, mustard greens, spinach, chard, green 
onions, chives, parsley, cilantro, sage, oregano, thyme, basil, 
rosemary, mints, etc. If you do let them go to flower, most of these 
are magnets for beneficial insects and birds -- I see a hummingbird 
in the comfrey flowers almost every day.

Roots, tubers, and bulbs don't need pollinators -- carrots, beets, 
radishes, potatoes, onions, garlic, leeks, shallots, sweet potato.

Vegetables eaten as flower buds don't need pollinators -- broccoli, 
cauliflower, artichoke, asparagus.

Edible flowers don't need pollinators -- nasturtium, calendula, borage, etc.

Vegetables eaten as stems don't need pollinators -- cardoon, rhubarb.

Grasses are wind-pollinated, so wheat, corn, etc., don't need bees.

Some cucumbers are self-pollinating and can be grown under row 
covers, thus avoiding cucumber beetles. Probably not the heirloom 
varieties you have, though.

At my community garden, it's common for people to hand-pollinate 
pumpkins, because sometimes the male and female flowers on a given 
plant are not in bloom at the same time, but there's often a male 
pumpkin flower somewhere else in the garden when a female flower 
opens up. It'd be worth hand-pollinating winter squash as well, if 
you have only a few plants, and maybe melons.

Tomato growers say (anecdotally) that they get better yields if they 
rattle or shake the tomato cages whenever they think of it -- every 
day, if possible, once the tomatoes start flowering. This is supposed 
to move pollen around, or strengthen the stems, or wake up the tomato 
devas. (Has anyone tried this? I've been meaning to, but I have so 
many other things to do in the garden in the summer that I've 
forgotten to try it regularly the past couple years.)

Common vegetable crops that do need bees for pollination are 
cucurbits (cucumbers, squashes, melons, pumpkins), nightshades 
(tomatoes, eggplant, peppers), legumes (peas and beans), okra.

In my garden, I see a lot of bumblebees, as well as small to tiny 
native bees and honeybees. On cooler or overcast days, often only the 
bumblebees are active -- it could be that it's not warm enough yet 
for the honeybees in your area. I make a point of always having 
something in bloom (I'm in zone 9, so it's easy) to support the 
beneficials year-round, and letting leaf and root vegetables flower. 
Many beneficial insects prefer the tiny flowers of carrot-parsley 
family plants and the tiny disk flowers of daisy-family plants. I see 
lady beetles on the yarrow flowers every day.

So far I've had a pretty good crop of strawberries in my small 
garden, and the snap peas are just starting up.