By Mitch McCulloch
I’m Mitch, a former chef who switched East London for The East Coast in pursuit of more wholesome and sustainable lifestyle. Since relocating I’ve established a mini permaculture based on pre-industrial farming techniques.
It’s lush and full of life, a real safe haven for the local wildlife, which is much needed in this hard agricultural landscape here in Suffolk. I grow with an organic and regenerative approach using a no dig system. There’s certainly no man made chemicals or nasties in my garden.
Being in my growing space allows me to enter into an altered state of consciousness. A magical and spiritual place where I can truly experience the best of who I am and be at one with Momma Earth.
Companion planting flowers in the vegetable patch isn’t just a beautiful addition, flowers attract insects who assist with pollination and the control of pests. With a sharp reduction in the amount of suitable forage available to our pollinators, it’s never been more important to help our fuzzy friends and plant bee-friendly flowers. Growing a diverse range of flowering plants can satisfy the appetites of our local bees.
To give bumblebees the best possible chance to thrive, it’s super important to grow flowers throughout the year. This week I’ll be planting my spring flowering tulip, iris and daffodil bulbs. Come spring this will guarantee the local bumblebees will have an abundance of pollen and nectar when there’s little else in flower.
Bee the Change top tip! Choose native wild daffodils and open-flowered tulip varieties for bumblebees.
Echinacea (coneflower), sunflowers and calendulas (common marigolds) are some of my favourite companion plants.
Calendulas aren’t just a bumblebee’s best friend, their flowers also attract aphids, whitefly, thrips and other insects. This means us gardeners can use calendulas as a ‘trap crop’. A trap crop is a plant that attracts agricultural pests, usually insects, away from nearby crops and susceptible plants, like tomatoes.
So be sure to plant calendulas under tomatoes to keep those pesky pests at bay and encourage bumblebees to your patch. Bumblebees are so efficient at pollinating tomatoes, scientists have found buzz pollinated tomatoes have a higher level of vitamin C and bigger yields.
Did you know? Nearly every tomato you’ve ever eaten has been pollinated by a bumblebee through buzz pollination!
It’s time to Bee The Change! The main purpose of humans is to be caretakers of our planet. The world’s future has never been more uncertain and I strongly believe we as a human race can help save the planet with a growing revolution.
