Pollinators and Your Vegetable Garden: A Welcome Accident

You’ve probably heard about pollinators in the news. The issues with low honeybee populations have been widely reported, and now No Mow May is all the rage this spring to help preserve dandelions. Did you know honey bees aren’t native to the US? They’re actually a European species, and there are many other important pollinators besides the honeybee that don’t necessarily rely on dandelions to survive.

There are over 500 species of native bees in Wisconsin. Along with birds, bats, butterflies, beetles, and other small mammals, the native bees are important pollinators for us. Pollinators are responsible for bringing us one out of every three bites of food. They also sustain our ecosystems and produce our natural resources by helping plants reproduce.

Most pollination happens by accident. Animals and insects aren’t trying to help us, but in the process of visiting the plants for nectar or pollen for themselves, they accidentally pick up the pollen and transfer it to another blossom. In some cases they just shake the plant to make it move to another part.

Many crop plants are pollinated by insects or wind, but for the home gardener growing fruits and vegetables, the most significant pollinators are bees. Some plants such as cucumbers, squash or watermelon have separate male and female flowers. Bees are essential to carry the pollen from the male flower to the female flower. You can do it yourself using a small paint brush but the bees do a much better job!

Other plants including tomatoes, peppers and eggplants have male and female parts together on the blossoms and are pollinated when they are shaken by wind to transfer the pollen. Bumble bees actually do a better job when they vibrate the flower and shake the pollen loose and onto the female parts of the plant. Some plants like greens, cole crops, beans, peas and potatoes don’t need pollinations and will grow all by themselves when planted by seed.

When growing tree fruit like apples, pears and cherries, or small fruit like raspberries and blueberries bee pollination is vital for a successful harvest. Have you ever picked a raspberry that was not fully formed? That is an example of a berry that was not fully pollinated.

You may be wondering what you can do to encourage pollinators for your vegetable gardens and fruit trees. First and foremost, avoid the use of pesticides and fungicides. Planting native plants in the vicinity of your garden will foster a healthy habitat for pollinators. You can also create nesting habitat for ground nesting bees by leaving leaves, brush and some exposed bare soil.

The Green Bay Chapter of Wild Ones, an organization that promotes the use of native plants in landscaping, collaborated with the Garden Blitz to host a Pollinator Garden Kit Sale during the Blitz days this Spring. It was a huge success as we were able to get over 70 kits out into the community along with additional pollinator plants.

Ceci Kiefer has been a gardener for most of her adult life. She and her husband are the former owners of Stone Silo Prairie Gardens in Ledgeview, which specializes in Native species. Kiefer's interest in native plants began when the couple planted a prairie in their back yard, and began to grow in experience while working with the space. She joined Wild Ones, and learned much of what she knows about natives from other Wild Ones members. In addition to her work with Wild Ones, she has participated in Monarch monitoring with Monarch Joint Venture, and is currently the Shoreline Restoration Coordinator for Three Lakes Waterfront Association. 

You can find out more about using Native Plants in your yard or how to join Wild Ones at GreenBayWildOnes.org or look for Wild Ones-Green Bay Chapter on Facebook.