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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] bees and vegetables

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  • From: yarrow@sfo.com
  • To: Healthy soil and sustainable growing <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] bees and vegetables
  • Date: Sat, 5 May 2007 21:18:30 -0700

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.




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