LH 21: Creating a Bee-Friendly Food Garden

Welcome to Episode #21 of the Living Homegrown Podcast!

This episode is all about the importance of bees – both in our garden and in our everyday lives.

I interview my friend, Robin Haglund of Garden Mentors® in Seattle, WA.

Robin is a big supporter of bees both in her business and in her own backyard. She tells us how easy it is to help the bees while also improving our own backyard food production.

Now although this episode is geared toward food gardening, I want to point out that you DON’T need to grow food to help the bees.

As Robin explains in the interview, we can make a positive impact on bees simply by creating a bee-friendly habitat.

And we can do THAT with just a few easy steps.

It’s all about being careful in our outdoor practices and adding a few elements to our outdoor space.

You learn:

• Why bees are so important to our everyday living
• How it’s sometimes possible to have bee hives without being the beekeeper
• What makes bumblebees best suited to pollinate our tomatoes
• What must-have flower you should plant next to your tomatoes
• Why cleaning up your garden can be a bad thing
• The top 5 tips for supporting bees in your home setting

Resources & Links:

The Struggles Bees Are Facing:

• The Vanishing Bees
• What is Colony Collapse Disorder?
• Dan Rather Reports on The Struggles of Bees

Links Mentioned in the Episode:

• Garden Mentors®: This is Robin Haglund’s website. If you sign up for her newsletter, you receive a nifty PDF listing of “Pollinator’s Favorite Things”.
• Corky Luster and the Ballard Bee Company
• Bee Preservers by Glass Gardens NW
• The Bumblebee Watch Program

Videos & Podcasts for More Info:

• Growing A Greener World Episode #317 (on Garden Coaching)
• Growing A Greener World Episode #525 (Beekeeping with Corky Luster)
• Living Homegrown Podcast #15 – Beginning Backyard Beekeeping

Articles:

• How to Attract Bumblebees
• Bee Friendly Plants for Your Garden

Transcript:

Click here for the full transcript for Episode #21 

For More About This Podcast Series:

Check out podcast Episode 00 to get:

• The whole scoop on what this podcast series is all about
• My background, experience & training
• What to expect going forward

It’s like an audio “about” page for the podcast.

Thank you so much for listening!

If you liked this episode, I would love for you to help me spread the word.

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Have a Question?

Do you have a canning/homesteading question you’d like answered on a future podcast episode?

Ask me on my Ask Theresa page – It’s easy!

Tell Me…

Did you have lots of bees in your garden this year or have you noticed a decline?

Tell me in the comments!