14
Plant Fruit & Vegetables for Bees
Certain food-producing plants provide a hearty supply of pollen and/or nectar, even in a small-sized garden or allotment. We also rely on bees to pollinate a vast shopping list of our favourite fruits and vegetables, from sour cherries to blueberries, apples to avocados. Even plants that don’t rely on insects for their pollination seem to benefit from a bee visit; strawberries, for example, don’t need bees for pollination (they’re self-fertile and can pollinate themselves) but studies have shown that they produce more fruit, bigger, brighter berries and lower numbers of deformed berries when they’re pollinated by bees. Some food crops also don’t need bees to produce fruit but may need them to make seeds.
You may find that only certain types of bees visit certain plants, while others will be universally popular. Planting a wide variety of fruit and vegetables, especially those that don’t flower at the same time, should provide a wide window of opportunity for bees, butterflies and other beneficial bugs. Some plants – such as kale or broccoli – may not seem like obvious food for bees, but if allowed to go to seed will also produce masses of bee-attracting flowers.
NO. 14 PLANT FRUIT & VEGETABLES FOR BEES
FRUIT |
FRUIT |
OTHER FRUITS & VEGETABLES |
|
Raspberry Blackberry Bilberry Blueberry Redcurrant Blackcurrant Whitecurrant Gooseberry Loganberry Boysenberry Dewberry Wineberry Tummelberry Tayberry |
Apple Crab apple Pear Gage Damson Plum Medlar Quince Sweet cherry Sour cherry Sweet almond Peach Nectarine Orange Lemon Kiwi |
Green bean Broad bean Pea Tomato Pepper Chilli Aubergine Squash Pumpkin Melon Cucumber Courgette Strawberry Wild strawberry |
