PLUS 5 Dreamy Mixes You Should Plant Today
Why Should You Start a Pollinator Garden?
Take a seat and watch any vegetable or edible garden for a few minutes. You'll undoubtedly see a bustle of activity, whether from small song birds like the lesser goldfinch or the systematic work of the countless species of bees that grace your yard. From hummingbirds to butterflies to bugs you have yet to identify, there's a lot going on in any vegetable garden.
Food gardeners have long understood that there are sacred and long-standing benefits to growing flowers in conjunction with food. The term companion planting has been around for generations.
For example, sunflowers are very helpful in providing shade for tender vegetables like lettuces that can easily get scorched by the raging summer sun. Nasturtium are so flavorful to some pests that they leave your kale and broccoli alone and would rather devour these colorful (and edible) flowers. And who can forget the famous marigold? These small beauties are said to attract beneficial insects to your vegetable garden while deterring harmful ones from devouring your crops.
What to Flowers to Plant for Better Food Crops
Over the years, I've tried countless strategies to "fine tune" my flower companion planting approach. For example, I've planted specific companion plants based on what I'm growing in the vegetable garden that particular year. Another year, I decided to invest in some native flowers that would serve as familiar food for the bugs that live in my region. Though each of these strategies were helpful, nothing yielded the same results as what I discovered next.
Ultimately, what I discovered results in the highest yielding crops is the use of wildflower mixes.
Wildflower mixes have proven to be both simple, affordable, and highly effective at helping my food garden harvests. Mixes provide a variety of colorful flowers, textures, and fragrances that appeal to a broad spectrum of beneficial bugs.
A garden that has a vast array of flowers will attract a range of diverse bugs. And I've come to understand that the healthiest garden is not one that is free of bugs; it's a garden that is equipped to naturally handle whatever comes its way.
For example, my region is prey to aphid infestations. Lady beetles are natural predators for these unsightly creatures; the variety of flowers in my garden attract lady beetles and therefore help me combat my annual aphid issues more naturally than in the past. Fortunately, my garden attracts several natural predators to an annoying (veggie-loving) pest - thanks to the varieties of flowers that I choose to grow.
Read on to learn which mixes I rely on for the best harvests!
Oddly, the more I tried to control the outcome of bringing specific bugs with specific plants, the less healthy my garden became. When I grow wildflower mixes in small planters around the food garden, my garden improves overall. Fruits and vegetables grow larger and are less likely get be ruined by pest infestations. I enjoy better wildlife viewing of pollinators, birds, and insects. And the color in the garden is unmatched.
Which Wildflower Mixes are Best for Pollinator Gardens?
Fortunately, there are lots of commercially available wildflower mixes available. They are commonly sold in seed form and the best are 100% seeds (no fillers). The challenging aspect of growing wildflower mixes is just that - they must be grown from seed.
First, it's important to purchase wildflower mixes from reputable seed sellers and don't trust just any old brand. One year, I spent $10 on 10 huge wildflower seed boxes at the local dollar store (score!). Unfortunately, not a single flower even sprouted that year, despite my best efforts and fairly extensive experience as a gardener. I tended to those seeds every day for 2 months and not a single sprout emerged. In that instance, I indeed got what I paid for.
Quality Wildflower Mix #1: Eden Brothers Heirloom Wildflower Seed Mix
Hands down, my favorite and most successful choice of wildflower mixes is the Eden Brothers Heirloom Wildflower Seed Mix. It contains the full rainbow of colors, including blues, pinks, oranges, whites and yellows. Remember that a diverse garden attracts diverse insects. And a diverse garden has the best chance of warding off a range of harmful pests and diseases.
This wildflower mix offers flowers with a range of heights, textures, and fragrances. The seedlings emerged at slightly different intervals, too, offering a late-spring to autumn showcase of color and interest.
Fortunately, Eden Brothers also offers a mountain of discounts and sales. I discovered Eden Brothers because I often shop on Rakuten, where I get cash back from every online purchase. If you sign up for Rakuten here and then make a purchase from Eden Brothers, you can earn up to 10% cash back instantly. The first time I shopped on Eden Brothers, I also signed up for their emails and saved 20% on my purchase. That totaled a 30% discount, even on my sale items.
Quality Wildflower Mix #2: Daisy Crazy Wildflower Mix from Eden Brothers
Another favorite mix of mine for improving vegetable garden crops is the Daisy Crazy blend. That's for two reasons.
One, I love the shade that this blend provides. Daisies range in height from low to the ground to knee-high, depending on the variety. I am a huge fan of growing lettuces and tender leaf vegetables, but they require shade in my region where the scorching sun can burn plants quickly. Daisies offer protection from the wind and especially the glaring summer sun, which is important in my particular region.
Secondly, daisies are great re-seeders! Therefore, they come back naturally every year. I love to harvest the flower seeds in the fall and save them for planting in planter boxes in the spring, in a location of my choosing. Over the years I've worked to find frugal ways to make my garden more and more glorious. Gathering seeds and growing plants from them is one of my favorite ways to save money and grow a beautiful garden.
Quality Wildflower Mix #3: True Leaf Market's Flowering Herbs Mix
Check two boxes at the same time ~ grow delicious culinary herbs in your garden AND attract beneficial bugs to help improve your harvest. True Leaf Market is one of the leading non-GMO seed providers in the US. This blend of nine different herbs is a great find; purchase each of these herbs separately and you'll spend five times this price.
Growing herbs is a joy with this flowering variety; even when they flower, they offer a helping hand to your garden.
Quality Wildflower Mix #4: Summer of Sunflower Collection by High Mowing Seeds
Sunflowers are incredible additions to any food garden. Their strong stalks provide sturdy, tall structures upon which beans and peas love to grow. As they reach for the sun, they cast long shadows over tender plants, providing more and more cover as the heat of summer ramps up.
High Mowing Organic Seeds is easily my favorite company from which to purchase organic and non-GMO vegetable seeds. As a bonus to a large seed haul I ordered one year, I decided to try this Sunflower Collection - and I'm so glad I did. Not only did this blend provide huge, towering blooms; the seeds provided a late fall/early winter meal for countless birds who would latch onto its dried leaves and methodically pull seeds from its spiral center.
If you love easy to grow sunflowers, this mix is great for the garden for many reasons!
Wildflower Mix #5: Edible Organic Flowers Variety Pack from Rebel Gardens Store
Finally, no vegetable or food garden is complete without edible flowers! I am always so impressed when I see a nasturtium or a snapdragon on a dessert or salad. One year a gardener friend of mine sent me these as a surprise Christmas present. I hadn't heard of the brand before but I decided to start these seeds indoors in later February, to create a kitchen window garden.
Once my yard warmed, I decided to grow the rest of the seeds outdoors by direct sowing them in planters in my vegetable garden. Although I separated the garlic chives in order to contain their spreading taste, I combined borage, calendula, and chamomile in the same pot. The result was simple, stunning, and 100% edible!
If you have ever wanted to explore the world of edible flowers, start with Rebel Gardens Mix.
Wildflowers Make The Food Garden Better
How do you use flowers in your food garden? Please send photos and share results on Instagram @planterboxlove
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