Pollination

 What's so Important About Pollination? 

Without pollination, vegetables wouldn't be able to grow on plants. Polliantion is critical to the gardening community, and is necessary for a sucessful garden.

Pollinators: 

Sometimes, pollinators (butterflies, ladybugs, bees, etc.) are not able to visit your garden. If there are harsh weather conditions, not many flowers in your area, or there has been habitiat loss / pesticides used in your growing area, pollinators may be unable to thrive. 

What is Polliantion? 

Pollination is the fertilization process in plants. It allows for plants to produce fruit and seeds for future plants. Pollination can happen through wind, water, self-pollinating plants, and animals.  These insects carry pollen between flowers on your plants so that the flowers turn into produce.

Even though pollination is important, it’s not needed if the plant doesn’t produce fruit. For radish, spinach, and basil, pollination is not necessary because only the leaves or roots are being harvested to eat.

Native Species:

If you have noticed you have male and female flowers on your plants but no fruit is being produced, it may be because you are lacking pollinators. First, we recommend planting flowers that are native to the area to attract more pollinators naturally. You can look up what native species to plant HERE. 

Male and Female Flowers:

It is possible that you will only have all male flowers on your plant; these will not produce flowers on their own. You can tell the difference between male and female flowers typically by how they look! For example, male squash flowers look different than the female flowers because they will grow on long skinny stems throughout the plant; female squash flowers will be closer to the center of the plant with shorter stems.