Flowers to help pollination

[md0u80a2]

Hi

I was wondering if I could get some help.

I am going to essentially be doing a container grown garden next year, mainly due to the horrible soil we have!

I am planning to grow runner beans, container tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, aubergines, courgettes, etc in a number of 12 - 24 inch containers. I even have a half barrel to try sweetcorn in.

My concern is making sure we have enough insects to pollinate as needed (I already have a large number of fruit bushes and trees in containers)

What flowers can I use to? And should I grow them in the containers or in little pots placed around the base of my plants or around the containers?

I was thinking marigolds and dwarf sweet peas, but any other ideas?

If dwarf sweet peas, should I sow in a propagtor now?

thanks loads for your advice

[Two_Sheds]

Many vegetables don't strictly need a pollinator, but bees are good all-round things to have in the garden anyway. Ditto hoverflies, whose young eat aphids.

These are good flowers to have: Calendula, Scabious, Buddleja, Dandelion (early spring food for bees), beans (which of course have their own flowers ~ and bees often rob the nectar from the back of the flower without bothering to pollinate it from the front)

[piskieinboots]

.....verbena bonariensis is excellent for butterflies

[MrsC]

How about some herbs, they'll be tasty with your own grown veg. Chives, majoram, apple mint, lemon balm. These are always covered when in flower in my herb beds and grow great in containers

[littlepooley]

My Mum and me have always grown marigolds around the bottom our tomatoes in pots that are outside - and we've never had any aphids or other unwanted insects on them, and they look pretty too

[Demeter]

We're sowing some sweet peas this weekend if all goes to plan, and have a load more to sow in spring.

Does anyone know the best way to overwinter them - I was planning to o/w them in rootrainers in the greenhouse as I thought they wouldn't be hardy enough to go in the ground? I was wondering today about using sweet peas to scramble over the ground as a leguminous green manure as I have masses of seed (mostly from various freebies, I didn't even bother saving any this year!) but I suppose it would probably keel over at the first sign of frost??

[Demeter]

Oh, and someone on here suggests (sorry can't remember who!!) putting your flowers in small containers as you can move them around through the season to wherever they are most wanted!

[Two_Sheds]

Does anyone know the best way to overwinter them -

They're fine in a cold greenhouse or a coldframe

[Demeter]

They're fine in a cold greenhouse or a coldframe

Thanks - will give my madcap green manure idea a miss then lol