It’s a fact: bee populations are in decline, and gardeners are noticing fewer and fewer bees each year. It’s therefore more important than ever to take bees into consideration when planning and planting edible gardens. In his plan for a backyard beekeeper’s garden, Kenny Point offers plenty of suggestions for enticing and supporting bee populations, and he details the various types of hives and shelters he uses in his own garden.
Kenny’s garden plan is modeled after his own property and includes many edible and ornamental plants, as well as shelters, water sources, and assorted elements that will support the various communities of birds, bees, and pollinators. “There are plants that flower and fruit at various times so that there is a flow of pollen and nectar throughout the seasons for bees and other pollinators,” notes Kenny, adding that he favors native and heirloom selections rather than newly developed or hybrid varieties.
Protecting pollinators. Shelter for bees and other pollinators is also a very important part of Kenny’s garden. His shelters range “from bee houses to hives, and even standing stalks or stems where insects can overwinter,” he says. He especially enjoys the top-bar hives, which are horizontal structures, often supported on legs, with simple bars where the bees attach their comb. In particular, Kenny loves peeking in the windows located at the top of his top-bar hives. It allows him to see the inner workings of the colony without disrupting it.
The pond, located near the back patio, is used as a water source by the insect and pollinator populations in the backyard. The birdbath can also be used by bees and pollinators if a few stones are added to give them landing sites.
Feed for bees. To ensure happy bees, Kenny grows a wide variety of plants, focusing on those that produce nectar and pollen for honeybees. The food plants include fruit and nut trees and shrubs, as well as vegetables and herbs. On the back patio, tender figs and citrus fruits are grown in pots and brought indoors or sheltered for the winter. The fig trees spend the winter in an unheated area, like a garage, while the citrus plants are kept in a heated room. A blueberry hedge runs along the side of the house, providing a long season of tasty fruits — and even longer seasons of beautiful color — with little work. “Blueberries are easy to grow if you build and amend the soil to their liking,” Kenny points out; the challenge is protecting the fruits and young shoots from wildlife.
Kenny provides more forage for his beloved bees and other pollinating insects by allowing clover and dandelions to grow in his lawn. The clover will also fix nitrogen, boosting soil fertility, and the early flowering dandelions will offer much-appreciated pollen to the bees in spring. Kenny encourages bug-munching birds to visit his garden by hanging bird houses and feeders throughout the property.
Kiwi trellis. Not one to ignore an opportunity, Kenny has built a T-bar style trellis near the patio to support food-bearing vines and offer shade to the sunny patio. The sturdy structure bears the weight of rampant kiwi (or grape) vines (pollinated by bees) while shielding the space from the hot summer sun. “The trellis adds to the ornamental appeal of the landscape” he says, noting that he chose to grow kiwi vines over grapes because he was looking for a more challenging and unusual crop.
Favorite edibles. Like most food gardeners, Kenny has a lot of favorite plants, yet his top edibles are garlic and kale. “Garlic is so easy to grow and has medicinal properties,” he says, noting that gourmet varieties taste so much better than the garlic found in the supermarket. “Kale is another favorite because it is so nutritious, can be grown year-round, and is a very attractive plant.” He allows some of his overwintered kale plants to flower each spring as a source of pollen for his bees.
Kenny also enjoys growing heirloom eggplants and gourmet mushrooms. “They’re so unusual, mysterious, and beneficial,” he says. When perusing his favorite seed catalogs looking for edibles to grow, Kenny finds that he usually comes back to the heritage varieties. “There are so many plants that I love and my focus is on heirloom varieties because they are so interesting, different, and come with a lot of history behind them,” he says.
The joy of keeping bees. Kenny notes that he has found beekeeping to be a relatively low-maintenance task. “For the most part they do all the work and are pretty self-sufficient, so it is possible to keep bees and be somewhat hands-off in the process.” To anyone interested in tending bees, he recommends that they pick up a good book and join a bee club, where they can find an experienced mentor. “They are fascinating creatures with incredible lessons to share and an amazing system of organization, communication, and social affairs,” he adds.
Kenny also points out that the bees in his hives travel far beyond his own yard, benefiting the many gardens in the community, but because of this, they are susceptible to pesticides that may be applied on other properties. He stresses the importance of gardening organically to maintain the balance of nature.
