Sunday, May 11, 2014

Beneficial Bugs and Lettuce

sweet alyssum in row of lettuce

Why would I plant flowers though out the lettuce in the field?

Farm beautification?

...no not quite.

To attract Hover Flies! They look like tiny yellow jackets that can be found flying above (hovering) flowers like Sweet Alyssum.

Hover fly larvae eat aphids.  Aphids love lettuce...I feel confident saying we've all probably eaten an aphid or two in our lifetime.  They are incredibly common.  But let's face it no one likes to knowingly have them hopping around in the salad bowl at dinner.

The use of beneficial insects is an awesome way to naturally cut down on unwanted pest and it works pretty well.

Here's an awesome photo (and link in caption) from a California farm that is using this practice....

field right flower arrangement can improve organic pest control

2 comments:

  1. Great post Rose! Companion planting is AWESOME! GH Organics has a real cool companion planting chart that I refer to hundreds of times throughout the year while planting stuff out in the garden. I started a flat of white yarrow and false queen anne's lace to get those beneficials buzzing in my garden this year! Give us some more posts on this stuff to get people talking about it. Excellent idea on your part to have a post like this!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much! I will absolutely check out the GH Organics chart. As we implement things like this I'll write about them!

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