May Flowers Bring Bees
Welcome to May! It may be just my memory, but I think this is one of the coldest springs we have had in a while. I got over excited when we had a few warm days in April and planted my summer garden. I am hoping it wasn’t too early! If you have waited, you are smart and all my clients I am suggesting to wait at this point till early May to get the summer garden in. The plants will be stronger and healthier without the drastic swings in temperatures and the soil will be warmer.
As the bee’s are waking up, what can can we do to support them and why are they so critical to habitats? First, of course, we know they transfer pollen from plant to plant. They support biodiversity by pollinating different plants species. Some bee’s have adapted to only pollinate certain plants. The plants provide food and shelter for many other animals. Without the bee’s working to pollinate the flowers or crops we would have much less variety of flowers or food.
You may have noticed when driving through the farm lands that farmers put tons of bees hives (white boxes) out to help pollinate their trees to provide a bountiful crop each year! The farmers are aware of the benefit of the bees.
How can we help the bees? Plant many different types of flowers in your garden that provide food for bees. Native pollinator plants are the best to support bees and local wildlife!
Now to get to the May monthly garden activities! Yay! Early May is the prefect time to plant your summer garden if you haven’t already done so. :) The soil is warming up and leading to warmer days. Be sure to cut any flowers off tomato / pepper babies now to promote healthy strong plant and root growth. It is not time yet for them to start baring fruit. Be sure you are following on instagram @lumafrontyardfarming because I will be posting a how to prune tomatoes video.
Provide staking for peppers and a climbing structure for cucumbers to ensure air movement and over all sun coverage to ensure the most bountiful crop. Plant excess zinnias, cosmos and sunflowers to have a gorgeous cut flower garden. You will get to enjoy the many pollinators for all the wildlife visiting your garden!
If you have fruit trees, take a look and see what areas need to be pruned. You want to make sure that the tree can hold the weight of all the fruit and you don’t loose branches. Thin fruit to eliminate excess weight and any dead branches.
Come say hi at the Eco Friendly Garden Tour on Saturday, May 10th from 10-1pm. I will be at my client’s house to help talk about soil health and of course all the gorgeous pollinators we planted. They are participating in the Sonoma Marin Water Partnership Eco - Friendly Tour through on May 10th - Eco-Friendly Garden Tours! The focus is on water conservation and grey water usage to manage landscaping. What Jay and Miriam have done is truly an inspiration to us all! Come check it out and say hi!
A word of love… there is so much tension, anxiety out there. Focus on shopping local, really being present in your garden, listening to the sounds in your garden, going to farmers markets, of course my favorite Jupiter Foods and Refill Mercantile to meet people in the community!
If we don’t take time in the present moment, no one gets our full attention, least of all ourselves. Focus on community, supporting and loving each other!
We are here to support you in getting the garden of your dreams and give you something to bring you joy, fill your tummy with nutritious delicious food. Schedule a consultation today!
