flowers for bees for beans

[john_miller]

Off.

[john_miller]

[patricil1508]

Please, can anyone out there answer whether its OK to leave the covers on these peas whilst they are in flower ???

[patricil1508]

John, Sorry, I just went to page 2 and found your reply - OFF they will be.

[Charlotte Sometimes]

I am going to grow french and pot marigolds, nasturtian and I am going to plant bare areas with red clover to encourage the rarer but more useful long tongued bumble bees.

I think we have been watching the same TV shows. lol  My limited knowledge of bees also extends to facts about tongue-length.

If you're looking for a nice nastiurtium, try Empress of India (dark green leaves, red flowers).  Got 2 packs from Poundstretcher last year very cheap - they were great.  :)

Last year's growing was my first proper year of veg, and a bit of an experimental one... I seem to remember reading that Marigolds (French, not Callendula) are pretty marvellous companion plants - something to do with the rather strong smell, possibly chemicals in the roots, too.  Didn't seem to put the aphids off my runners though, but looked very pretty.

Anyhow, you can see from the picture bellow that I'm not fussy about flowers in the vegetable beds.  We get a smashing assortment of wild poppies here - bright, lipstick colours.  I just haven't the heart to rip them all out!  They look so pretty.  After a while of growing annuals you recognise the seedlings and know what to weed out around your veg.  Hopefully, this method also attracts the bees, maybe just the bumbles.   ;)  

[philcooper]

Pea flowers are formed such that "all the necessary bits" are inside it and it's usually accepted that pollination occurs before the flower opens see hermes.bionet.nsc.ru/pg/32/16.pdf
There is a slight problem in that some cross pollination does occur in the open, this is thought to be only from a few of the ovules that are not polinated inside the flower so if you cover the plants you might find a few empty places in the pods

Phil