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 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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Hi everyone! I came across the video linked below this year and can confirm the content 100%. If you don't want to watch the video, here's a brief explanation: blossom end rot is not a lack of calcium per se, but rather an inability to transport nutrients within the tomato due to excessively hot temperatures. In a self-experiment, I was able to determine that blossom end rot in my tomatoes in the greenhouse was significantly reduced by covering them with a tarpaulin at over 30 degrees Celsius. It is also important to note that some varieties are much more prone to blossom end rot; for example, more than 70% of my tomatoes affected by blossom end rot were of the Gull Casady variety. As I said, I can absolutely recommend the video! https://youtu.be/Zobfrz7CT3g?si=5bGdRHa-kLgvPhz7 #tomato growing #calcium deficiency
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Relatively new to gardening, but I want to feed myself and my birds next year. I'm getting excited and I can see im probably biting off more than I can chew. If anyone wants to offer advice on the garden I'd appreciate it.
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Although the sunflower is already at the end and totally drying out, a small flower is growing out of the stem 🤗
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