Mr. Hank's Corner 2/21/18

Pollinators Part 2 of 2

Attracting butterflies and other pollinators into your garden is a rewarding moment. It is rewarding not only to see pollinators doing their thing but also a rewarding way to foster a healthy population of beneficial insects that will also attract other life into your garden. Hummingbirds and other birds will begin to join in on the fun as well as lizards, and other animals. Once the growth begins such as Ceanothus which acts as a ground cover, our logs will become homes for many of these native habitat pollinators or a safe place for a Monarch butterfly chrysalis.

I want to continue touching on pollinators and talk more about this important subject matter. Your garden needs to have plants that act as a host and others are nectar providing. Of course there are plants that provide both, and color and time of bloom are also important as well as whether the plants need full or partial sun and important as well is the soil type.

Pesticides are one of the biggest contributors to the declining of our bee population but so is the fact that many of the “Big Ag” companies only monocrop which just strips the land from its’ nutrients as well the biodiversity needed for our pollinators to thrive. When a farmer only grows one type of crop the farmer is then in the hands of the buyer meaning they have no control and the price can plummet if there is an overabundance of a particular crop. Besides this, those pests find their way onto the farms and end up calling the farm their new home which means the farmer needs to spray. But why not introduce natural pest controls and plant natives and plants that will attract “Good Bugs?” Why not rotate crops and sell more than just one crop? When you are trying to create a portfolio for retirement many times your financial advisor will tell you to diversify your portfolio. Then why not do this on our farms in agriculture and with your garden at home?

This is why small to medium farms are important and same with families planting a Victory Garden. When small to medium farms exist we not only allow for competition but also we get the opportunity to maybe know about the farmer, see things actually grow, get fresher produce, less herbicides and pesticides and many of the times non-GMO foods. To me this make perfect sense doesn’t make sense to you?

So if you are thinking of planting a garden this year at home whether it is a Native garden or a vegetable garden think about adding plants that will attract pollinators and use non-GMO seeds. Visit Green Thumb Nursery in San Marcos or Tree of Life Nursery in San Juan Capistrano. Order seeds from High Mowing Organic Seeds, Botanical Interest, Bounty Beyond Belief, or Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company. The smallest of steps you take can end up making some of the biggest impacts to our future of food.

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