I may have mentioned once or twice that I am trialling late-sown leeks and broad beans in an attempt to avoid the usual pests and diseases that afflict these vegetables. This is what the leek and bean bed looked like on 7th October 2022...
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| Leeks & Broad Beans - 7/10/22 |
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| Broad Bean Flowers - 7/10/22 |
... and no sign of the dreaded blackfly.
Broad beans self-pollinate but will benefit from some extra help from the bees and other insects. The nectar of the broad bean flower is not as sweet as that of many other flowers so may not be the first port of call for the bees. It is fortunate, then, that at this time of year there are fewer flowering plants to distract them.
Adjacent to my leek and bean plot is a large flowering ivy full of the sound of bees and the chirping sparrows that nest there...
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| Flowering Ivy buzzing with Bees |
... such as this buff-tailed bumblebee...
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| Bombus terrestris on Ivy Flower |
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| Honey Bee on Ivy Flower |
Not all the ivy residents are friendly to the bees ...
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| Garden Spider on Ivy |
Anyway, it's good to know the bees are on hand to help with the broad bean pollination if needed. We just need fair weather for the next month or so to give the broad beans time to develop and grow.
PS The leeks are doing fine as well
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