12 April 2025
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Becky Searle explains how to help draw in all pollinators great and small
We ’ve all been there ; the inflammation of spotting a flower on one of your cucumber , courgette or pumpkin plant , only to find that the midget fruit behind it is beginning to rot , rather than swell . Or your tomato put out an enormous truss of flowers , and the ensue harvest is nothing by comparison . This is due to a deficiency of pollination . It ’s a thwarting trouble and can occur more often in a polytunnel than outside .
Why is this ?
It is often the fount that bees , wasps , hoverflies , and other pollinators simply have a harder time getting into a polytunnel . Drawing them in to your precious undercover growing distance is however loose , fun , and unbelievably colorful !
foremost , we must leave polytunnel door opened during the 24-hour interval ( and during summer also , overnight ) to ensure pollinators can enter . A closed ( or netted ) door to a bee is a genuine roadblock . open polytunnel doors in the summertime is also substantive to help ensure sufficient ventilation for your plants .
Having a bee hotel inside your polytunnel for solitary bee is also a groovy theme to serve pad pollinator numbers . Providing that they have suited access and plentifulness of nectar , this will be a valuable resourcefulness . But most importantly , we must implant blossom .
Roll out the flowered rug for our pollinators and invite them in
We must do this more in a polytunnel than in a garden , but many citizenry blank out to plant flowers in their polytunnel at all . Here are a few of my favored flowers to produce .
Marigolds
Pollinators ca n’t help but fall for the bright colours and strong scent . These delightful blush also solve well for cut flower , and can be useful for deterring pests such as Daucus carota sativa flies . marigold also have eatable petals that can be splash on a salad or dry to use as an alternative to saffron . They make a superb fellow traveler works for tomatoes and will fill your polytunnel with colour . I would advise you to go with Tagetes Mini or French marigolds rather than African marigold , as they can be tremendous – specially inside a polytunnel !
Dill
dill weed is a lovely herbaceous plant with a spicy , grassy taste that is brilliant in salads , cooking and Camellia sinensis . It is also a groovy companion flora , helping to attract lacewings and their larva , which are voracious piranha of aphid . Dill ’s delicate bloom are beloved by modest pollinators specially .
Nasturtium
These beautiful plants are a real draw for larger pollinator , such as bumblebees , which are great for pollinating cucurbits . They are also totally comestible , with the leaves , seeds and petals deliver a soft , peppery taste – delicious for adding some zing to your repast . A trailing variety of genus Nasturtium works absolutely around the bottoms of cuke plants to help pull pollinator and protect the grime from dry out out . genus Nasturtium are also very heavily - wearing , so if you need to get your sheers out and turn out them right back , they wo n’t mind ! Just beware that they ego - seminal fluid easily , but if you do n’t need them the following year , they are gentle to take out out . Nasturtiums have the added benefit of being a great companion plant , helping to take in in aphids and caterpillars and acting as a sacrificial plant to help protect your crops .
English Lavender
Lavender is a fantastic plant for so many reasons . It can be used to create teas , cosmetic and oils ; it can be used in cookery or dried for its scent . It ’s wonderfully redolent and relaxing , and the pollinators love it . As a perennial , it will also keep going year after class without much maintenance . Remember to leave the flower on for as long as possible and do n’t glean them all , leaving some for the bee .
