Grow your own

food for

pollinators

Growing your own food can reduce your impact on the environment – and can also feed bumblebees, butterflies and other pollinators

If you grow your own fruit and veg – or want to have a go at growing your own – now is the ideal time to start. As the weather warms up, many seeds can be sown directly into the soil outside, or started off in pots in a greenhouse or on a sunny windowsill.

Growing your own produce can reduce your impact on the planet in a number of ways. Unlike buying food that's been grown in far-flung places, homegrown food doesn't need to be transported – so it produces virtually no carbon emissions. There's also no packaging to end up in landfill after your fruit and veg has been eaten.

And to go one step further to help nature and the environment, why not grow some food that will also feed beneficial insects?

Bees, bumblebees, butterflies, hoverflies and moths are all important for pollinating many edible crops. And some fruit and veg – such as tomatoes, strawberries and apples – are particularly reliant on our six-legged friends for pollination.

Top: bumblebee on broad bean flower; above: bumblebee on blueberry flower

Insect populations have crashed in the last few decades, so helping them in gardens, allotments and community green spaces is vital.

Here are a few ideas for fruits and vegetables that have nectar-rich flowers that pollinators will love.

Broad beans

Broad beans are easy to grow, and produce flowers that are particularly attractive to bumblebees.  

Sow broad bean seeds in March, pushing each individual seed into a small pot filled with compost. Or, if the soil isn't too cold and wet, sow seeds directly into the ground. Not much space? Try Sutton, a dwarf variety that's ideal for growing in pots.

Broad beans are quite hardy and can be planted out as soon as the seedlings are large enough to handle. The pods begin to form in May, and you should be able to start harvesting beans in June.

For an early-season boost for insects emerging from hibernation, broad beans can also be sown in autumn – these will produce flowers early the following year. Aquadulce Claudia is generally considered the best variety for autumn planting – and the flowers can emerge as early as March, providing food for hungry bumblebees. Autumn-sown broad beans may need some extra protection, such as a cloche or horticultural fleece, if the weather is very cold.

Blueberry

Blueberries are easy to grow at home. They need acidic soil to thrive, so the easiest thing to do is plant them in a tub using ericaceous compost.

Blueberries are pretty plants. In spring they produce sweetly scented bell-shaped blooms that are full of nectar and loved by bumblebees. The green leaves turn into attractive crimson and golden foliage in autumn – and of course the plants produce lots of tasty berries in summer.

Growing your own blueberries is better for the environment than buying them from the supermarket, not least because supermarket berries often come from far-away countries such as Chile.

Good varieties include Earliblue and Bluecrop. To care for your plants, keep them well watered – especially during hot, dry spells – as blueberries are moisture-loving plants. Birds find the berries just as delicious as we do, and will pinch them given half a chance – keeping the pots close to the house can help keep birds away.

The health benefits of blueberries are well known – they're frequently described as a 'superfood', and are packed with antioxidants that can help boost the immune system.

Courgettes and pumpkins

Courgettes, pumpkins and other members of the cucurbit family (such as butternut squash) have large, open yellow flowers. These are full of nectar and easy for insects to access. They continue to flower into autumn, so are a good source of nectar later on in the year.

Sow courgette and pumpkin seeds in April. They are tender plants so it's best to start them off on a sunny windowsill, then plant them outside at the end of May when there's no risk of frost. Water thoroughly during dry spells.

Courgettes can have a tendency to produce a lot of fruit – so be prepared to eat a lot of courgettes once they start to crop!

Herbs

Growing a few herbs – in patio pots or dotted amongst other plants in the garden – is an excellent way to help pollinators. And herbs add extra flavour to all sorts of dishes. Some herbs such as dill, chives and borage are easy to grow from seed – or for an instant herb garden you can buy plants from the garden centre.

Borage. Photo by Kieran Murphy on Unsplash

Borage is one of the best herbs to grow for bumblebees – the plant replenishes the nectar in its flowers every two minutes, providing a continuous source of food for pollinating insects. The delicate blue blooms of borage are edible for humans too, and look pretty when added to drinks and salads.

Chives have a mild oniony flavour and are very useful in the kitchen – use to flavour mayonnaise or chop into salads. The purple summer flowers attract bumblebees, honeybees and solitary bees.

Rosemary produces mauve flowers which attract bees and butterflies. This fragrant herb is fantastic in all sorts of dishes – try roasting potatoes in olive oil with some fresh rosemary, garlic and a splash of lemon juice.

Other pollinator-friendly herbs include sage, oregano and thyme. Grow herbs in a sunny position – they look lovely in patio pots.

Apple trees

Apple trees are brilliant for bumblebees, as they provide masses of nectar-rich blossoms close together. Bumblebees can only fly for around 40 minutes between each feed before they run out of energy – so fruit trees with lots of flowers are a great help.

If you don't have much space, you can buy apple varieties that are grown on special dwarfing rootstock – these produce smaller trees, suitable for smaller spaces. Or look for an apple tree that's suitable for growing in a container.

Butterflies and moths benefit from apple trees too. More than 50 types of caterpillar feed on apple trees, and the blossoms attract butterflies, including small tortoiseshell and speckled wood. In autumn, red admiral and comma butterflies will feed on any windfall fruits.

Whatever you're growing, avoid the use of pesticides and herbicides – they're harmful to insects and other animals. Instead, choose nature-friendly, organic methods to grow fruit and veg – it's an easy way to help wildlife and boost biodiversity.

Little Green Space is a non-profit project sharing solutions to the nature and climate crises, and offering inspiration for a greener lifestyle. If you like our content, please help keep us going with a small donation!

Ads/Affiliate links