Theo

You can save seeds that are open pollinated or heirloom, but if you save seeds of hybrid broccoli the result might be different that what you had before.

By the way I have tons of bees in my garden and all I can say that I never being stung by one neither my dogs.

They are the best beneficial in the garden.

Here is one working in the borage plant

Silvia

Theo, me too!

Silvia, is it too late to start some of the those borage seeds now?

Tom

I have honeybees and several other types of bees everywhere this year. They are in big quantities this year for some reason and I love it too. I've never been stung either, even when I inadvertantly touch them. Sometimes we bump against each other too. We both just keep going about our business. I think they know I am planting for them!

Anna

I think this year the bees are a bit desperate because of the cold - they're happy with anything and I'm happy to give them anything to keep them reproducing and coming to my yard.

Don't have much recent experience with broccoli and bees - the puppy ate the broccoli crop this year. But I had a great crop last year and let the last of it go to seed.

I can report that I had a seedling come up this year after the puppy broccoli massacre. It must have self-seeded from a bee pollinated flower and just decided to come up after the danger had passed. Sadly - the puppy found it too. But that experience tells me that some broccoli can self seed and can certainly pollinate with local bees.

Unlike other food crops, I leave the broccoli where it is and don't rotate it because I seem to have found the perfect broccoli spot. At least until this year and the grazing puppy. The only broccoli I've got left is in the front yard. Where the puppy can't graze.

There was a recent post asking is cabbage will provide a second crop. I responded that there was a post a few years back where someone had let their plants grow for years and posted some amazing pictures, the plants were 4-5' long, serpent like and very ornamental. Anyone remember this post?

I'm wondering if that can be done with broccoli? I sure hate to pull it out since the bees are so attracted to it.

Tom

Tom

To answer your question about the borage it is too late to plant. In the package it says plant after the danger of frost but mine that is a volunteer survived the freeze. It is doing good now when the big heat comes it will give up. I will save seeds from this plant for you to grow it next season.

About the cabbage I have seen people doing that with ornamental cabbages. I think you should keep your broccoli flowers till you can because with the heat I don't think you can start new plants.

Silvia

Silvia,

I think I am going to take some of these broccoli plants and plant them in front where they are shaded in the afternoon just to see if they survive until the fall :-)

Ok the bees love my flowering sweet basil, unfortunately the plant is on my patio and not near my veggie garden. I guess I should put it next to the veggie garden ?...that will be sort of a pain 'cause my basil needs water every day. I think the bees are coming to my patio to get at that plant and avoiding my flowering veggies. Am I avoiding the obvious?

Am I avoiding the obvious?

Why not just buy a few pentas or gallardia and place them around the garden...it doesn't sound like you want to take a chance on losing your basil.