Flower strips and their benefits
Flower strips in the vegetable garden not only look good, but also provide a habitat for many useful insects and contribute to a natural garden design.
Planting a flowering strip is a good idea for many reasons.
With a lush sea of flowers, you will of course first and foremost attract lots of bees. In addition to the "attractant flowers", they won't miss out on the flowers of your vegetable plants once they are there. They also pollinate peppers , zucchinis, tomatoes and the like.
But not only bees love flower strips. Many other insects also enjoy the protected habitat of an undisturbed flower meadow. Among them are many beneficial insects, such as the ichneumon wasp. Their larvae parasitize aphids and other pests, keeping them in check.
A flower strip provides a near-natural habitat and thus increases diversity among the inhabitants of your garden. The network of interactions between individual species becomes larger and denser, which ensures a more stable garden ecosystem. For example, in a near-natural garden with several flower strips, the risk of pests such as aphids or spider mites getting out of hand is very low. The balance between the various insects ensures that no population can grow excessively.
Above a certain bed size, the risk of wind and rain erosion increases if the soil is not protected by a plant cover or a layer of mulch . To prevent erosion, it can be helpful to repeatedly interrupt large beds with flower strips.
In addition to these positive effects for your vegetable garden, a flower strip also functions as a refuge for plants that would normally grow in this spot if it weren't for your garden. For example, indicator plants will also appear. A flower strip is therefore also a form of renaturation and thus contributes to species conservation - provided that native species are sown.
Last but not least, flower strips can look beautiful, adding variety and interest to your vegetable garden. If the species composition is chosen correctly, there will be continuous flowering and you can enjoy the sight of your garden from April to October.
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Jonas
Jonas studied agricultural biology. He discovered his passion for plants and gardening through an internship at a permaculture NGO. Since then, he has been gardening on his balcony and in community gardens.
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Hello everyone! I have a lot of seeds left over from purchases, exchange packages, Advent calendars, etc. – about 40 bags 🙈 It's a colorful mix of vegetables, herbs, flowers, and even fruit. No one in our village wants them. If anyone is interested, please send me a PM. Someone is also welcome to use them as a start for a new exchange package. PS: Don't be angry if you recognize one or two of your seed packets 😅 Have a great gardening season, everyone!
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It snowed again yesterday, but the hazel blossoms are already in full bloom here #hazel #hazelnut
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Hello, clever people, Last year, we moved into a house with a garden on a slope. I would now like to build a few terraces for vegetable beds. Since this will be more or less "forever," I want to think everything through carefully. I have sketched a cross-section of a terrace. It should have a slight slope away from the direction of the slope so that rainwater can seep away as much as possible. For the same reasons, drainage is not planned. On/in front of the wall crown, I have planned a 30 cm wide planting strip for perennials and herbs that tolerate dry conditions well. The walls themselves are only hinted at. I'm relying on my dad, who is a master landscaper. ;) However, a gravel foundation is planned and there will be dry stone walls made of various stones. Whatever is available. What do you think? Do you have any comments? Thank you very much!
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