Why You Need to Plant Flowers in Your Vegetable Garden

Posted on June 15th, 2017

Do you want to know the secret for what can make your vegetable garden look beautiful with strong and healthy plants? The answer is as simple as planting flowers in your vegetable garden — not in a separate area.

Benefits of Combining Gardens

At first, it might make sense to have separate flower and vegetable gardens. However, when you combine them to make one unified garden, the flowers will help your vegetable plants grow and prevent them from being eaten. Flowers attract native bees that will help pollinate your vegetable plants to make them produce bigger and better crops. Certain flowers will also attract predatory insects that will eat those pesky garden pests.

Tips for Planting Flowers

1. Compatible Bloom Times – Flowers and vegetables should bloom at the same time for optimal results. If your crops bloom before your flowers, they won’t receive any growth benefits. Plant a wide array of flowers to ensure flowers are always blooming.
2. Shape for Bees – The shape of a flower will determine what type of wildlife will visit your garden. Choose a composite-shaped flower to attract bees, like daisies, sunflowers, and zinnias.
3. Strategic Planning – Avoid planting all of your flowers on one side of the garden and your vegetables on the other. Instead, plant each variety in opposite rows so they’re always next to each other. You can even use flowers as a border to the garden or to separate groupings of vegetable plants.
4. Flower Height – Always choose flowers that are shorter than your veggie crops. You want your vegetables to have as much sunlight as possible, so choose a flower that is tall enough to receive sunlight, but not taller than your veggies.

Any advanced gardener knows that planting flowers throughout your vegetable garden is a veteran move that pays dividends.

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