The Lady Slipper newsletter, and now blog, of the Kentucky Native Plant Society has been published since the Society’s founding in 1986. We occasionally feature an article from a past issue. In this article from 2014, Dropseed Native Plant Nursery owner, Margaret Shea, discusses the value of native plants to the home vegetable garden. This article ran in Vol. 29, No. 1. If you would like to see these and other past issues, visit the Lady Slipper Archives, where all issues from Vol. 1, February 1986 to Vol. 40, 2025, can be found.
How Native Plants Can Help Your Veggies
By Margaret Shea, Dropseed Nursery
Are you shocked to hear that there are 4,000 bee species native to the US? I was! Pests and diseases have hurt populations of imported Honey Bees over the past several years, causing farmers to worry about pollination of their crops. Many vegetables and fruits require pollination by bees, and insufficient numbers of bees can be one reason for reduced crop yield. You can increase the abundance of native bees in your vegetable patch or farm by providing them with food and habitat.
A couple native bees you might be familiar with are Bumble Bees and Sweat Bees. Some bees that were new to me include the Mason Bees, Adrenid Bees and Leafcutter Bees. These native bees nest in the ground, wood, or hollow plant stems. Many of the native bees are solitary and do not live in a large hive like the honey bees. Since they do not have a hive to protect, native bees tend to be less aggressive and are unlikely to sting. Having some untilled soil and other vegetation around your vegetable garden will provide habitat for these bees. Growing native plants near your vegetable garden will provide additional nectar and pollen – attracting bees and allowing their populations to grow. A source of water is also important for native bees as well as honey bees.
Native plants that are especially attractive to bees include: Golden Alexanders, Hairy Beardtongue, Culver’s Root, Bee Balm, Slender Mt. Mint, and Smooth Blue Aster. Using a mix of species that flower throughout the season will give bees a constant source of food, and keep them near your vegetable garden throughout the growing season.
There are other insects that are good to have around your vegetable garden – and native plants can draw these species in as well. Insects like Lady Bugs and the Minute Pirate Bug are predators, eating pest insects like aphids, whiteflies and mealybugs. Other beneficial insects are called parasitoids – these insects lay their eggs in a host insect – their young eat and kill the host. Many parasatoids are wasp species, although these wasps do not sting. Parasitoids can kill pests like caterpillars and beetles. Beneficial predators and parasitoids also feed on nectar and are attracted to species including Rattlesnake Master, Boneset, New England Aster, Cup Plant, Blue Lobelia, and Yellow Coneflower. Growing these plants near your vegetable garden can help to create a balanced system, with pest insects under control. Plus, make it much prettier!!
Michigan State University has some helpful publications on beneficial insects that you can download online at: https://www.canr.msu.edu/nativeplants/