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Help the beneficials, the front-line workers of the garden


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Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Kathy Morrison PUBLISHED MAY 7, 2020
Give 'em what they like! A lady beetle hangs out on a stonecrop plant at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center last fall. (Photos: Kathy Morrison)

Growing plants they favor will encourage them to stick around



Want some free pest-fighting help in the vegetable garden this summer? Nearby or among the vegetables, grow plants to encourage and feed beneficials -- the "good bugs" that fight the bad ones.

The most well-known beneficial is the lady beetle (ladybug), who famously dines on aphids, but she has plenty of other buddies in the garden that are predators or parasites of nasty, plant-destroying pests. Other "good bugs" include green lacewings, hoverflies, tachinid flies, braconid and other parasitic mini wasps, minute pirate bugs, damsel bugs and big eyed bugs.

A lot of these good guys are teeny, and don't have the lady beetle's showy coloring, so you may not notice them. But they are hard-working and important in the garden. And they need food and water, too.

Incidentally, this is a different kind of list than you usually see for pollinators, although some of these plants appeal to bees and butterflies, too. When choosing plants for beneficials, ones with small flowers are preferable to those with large single flowers. Small insects may actually drown in a big bloom's abundant nectar.

Two important notes:

1) Do not use broad-spectrum insecticides in the garden if you expect these bugs to help you out. Who hires a work crew and then poisons them?

Sweet alyssum is easy to find and grow for beneficials.
2) Choose species that aren’t difficult to control as weeds when the seeds spread into garden. And avoid plants that support insects, nematodes or pathogens that can be problems for your crop plants. As an example, alfalfa, which is recommended as a plant for beneficials, should not be grown near tomatoes. And tansy, another popular plant for beneficials, is poisonous to humans.

So here are some suggestions for each part of the vegetable-growing season:

Early (mid spring to early summer):
The cilantro's starting to bolt -- so let it.

Sweet alyssum -- Lobularia maritima. This easy-to-find bedding plant attracts parasitic mini-wasps and hoverflies.

"Basket of Gold" alyssum  -- Aurinium saxatiles . Lady beetles like this low-water perennial, which naturalizes.

Thyme -- Thymus vulgaris . This is one of many herbs you'll see on this list. Good for sunny, dry soils. It's important to let some of it bloom -- that's what the beneficials are after.

Borage -- Borago officinalis. This tough little herb has blue flowers and blooms all season.

Cilantro -- Coriandrum sativum. This herb drives Sacramento-area gardeners nuts, because it bolts (flowers) as soon as the weather warms. Well, here's a reason to let it bloom.  Lacewings, hoverflies and lady beetles all like this.

Lacy phacelia -- Phacelia tanicetifolia. This California native, with blue-purple flowers and lacy foliage, is one of my favorites. Tachinid flies and hoverflies are attracted to it, as are butterflies and bees.

Midseason (late spring to mid summer):

Basil -- Ocimum basilicum . You're probably already growing this herb for pesto or margarita pizza. Dedicate some of the plants to the insects by letting them flower. Some of the purple basil varieties are especially good for this. And if you can find African blue basil, grab it: It's great insect magnet.

Caraway -- Carum carvi . Another herb, this has a large insect fan base: Hoverflies, lacewing, parasitic mini-wasps, minute pirate bugs, damsel bugs and big eyed bugs.

Lacy phacelia is a gorgeous addition to the spring garden.
Common yarrow -- Achillea millefolium . California native and drought tolerant, it blooms into the late season. Attracts lady beetles. Also fern-leaf yarrow ( A. filipendulina ), which draws lacewings and lady beetles. There are many cultivars of yarrow.

Cosmos -- Cosmos bipinnatus . This popular annual flower blooms June to frost. “White Sensation” attracts parasitic mini-wasps, hoverflies, lacewing, minute pirate bugs, damsel bugs and big eyed bugs.

Dill -- Anethum graveolens. This herb often gets planted near tomatoes. It bolts in hot weather, so let it, and feed lacewings, parasitic mini-wasps and lady beetles.

Sedum -- Hylotelephium spectabile. Stonecrop is good for dry spots, drought- and cold-tolerant, and blooms into fall. The small blooms attract hoverflies, lady beetles, butterflies and hummingbirds.

Late season (midsummer to early fall):

Buckwheat -- Fagopyrum esculentum, It's drought-tolerant and good in any soil. Tachinid flies, lady beetles and hoverflies all like its flowers. Look also for Eriogonum fasciculatum 'Warriner Lytle,' a buckwheat that's one of the 10 Rising Stars at the UC Davis Arboretum.

Coyote brush -- Baccharis pilularis . A California native, this tough little perennial blooms with white or yellow flowers in fall and winter.

Fennel -- Foeniculum vulgare . A perennial herb and member of the carrot family, it's usually grown for the bulb and feathery leaves. The flowers attract a host of good guys: lady beetles, minute pirate bugs, damsel bugs and big eyed bugs.

Goldenrod -- Solidago virgaurea . Gorgeous late-flowering plants, such as Peter Pan goldenrod, bring in hoverflies, minute pirate bugs, damsel bugs and big eyed bugs.

Prairie sunflower -- Helianthus maximilianii . Late-season bloomers can be tougher to find. This tall perennial is a good one: It grows well in average soil, and attracts lacewings and lady beetles.

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GENERAL GARDENING

An article about gardening.

Keywords:
Sacramento pests California natives Farmer Fred Hoffman pesticides good bugs insects gardening integrated pest management vegetables plants beneficials flowers

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Flowers in My Back Yard Series

Aug. 4: Dianthus a deceptively hardy flower

July 28: Naked Ladies put on summer show

July 21: Thank Luther Burbank for these long-lasting beauties (Shasta daisies)

July 14: How to keep hydrangeas happy

July 7: Grow these bright cosmos for bees and butterflies

June 30: Agapanthus adds blue fireworks to the garden

June 23: Easy-care gazanias fill those hot corners

June 16: Daylilies are perfect for water-wise gardens (and a lot more)

June 9: Grow coneflowers for pollinators -- and yourself

June 2: Sunflowers capture Sacramento's summer attitude

May 29: Are your roses going 'blind'?

May 26: Zinnias are the summer flowers every garden needs

May 19: Plant dahlias now for late-summer flower power

May 12: Know your coreopsis from your bidens

May 5: Mums the word on Mother's Day weekend

April 28: Majestic Matilija poppy is worth a look

April 21: Celebrate roses, America's favorite flower

April 14: Small flowers with outsized impact

April 7: Calendulas do double duty

April 3: Make Easter lilies last for years to come

March 31: In praise of a pollinator magnet (small-leaf salvias)

March 24: Azaleas brighten shady spots

March 17: The perfect flower for beginners? Try zonal geraniums

March 10: Keep camellias happy for years to come

March 3: Fruit tree blossoms are a fleeting joy

Feb. 27: Are your roses looking rusty?

Feb. 24: Treasure spring daffodils now and for years to come

Feb. 17: How and why to grow wildflowers

Feb. 10: Let's talk Valentine's Day roses

Feb. 3: Why grow flowers?

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Find our summer recipes here!

Sites We Like

  1.  UCCE Master Gardeners of Sacramento County
  2. Farmer Fred's GardenBasics.net
  3. UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden
  4. Shepard Garden and Arts Center
  5. Placer County Master Gardeners
  6. El Dorado County Master Gardeners
  7. Yolo County Master Gardeners

Garden checklist for week of Aug. 2

Get out early in the morning and monitor your garden’s moisture needs. Deep water and add temporary shade structures for plants that are feeling a little burned. In particular, protect developing peppers and eggplant.

* Put off fertilization until this heat passes; plants need to concentrate on hydration instead of growth.

* Harvest tomatoes, beans, squash, pepper and eggplants to prompt plants to keep producing. Give your plants a deep watering twice a week, more if planted in containers.

* Watch out for caterpillars and hornworms in the vegetable garden. They can strip a plant bare in one day. Pick them off plants by hand in early morning or late afternoon.

* Mulch can be your garden’s best friend – it conserves moisture while blocking out weeds. But don’t let mulch mound around stalks, stems or trunks. That can promote rot.

* Pinch off dead flowers from perennials and annuals to lengthen their summer bloom.

* Pick up after your fruit trees. Clean up debris and dropped fruit; this cuts down on insects and prevents the spread of brown rot.

* Prepare for a fall full of flowers by paying a little extra attention to your garden. Cut off spent blooms from roses, annuals and perennials. Roses will rebloom about six to eight weeks after deadheading.

* Indoors, start seedlings for fall vegetable planting, including bunching onion, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, radicchio and lettuce.

* Sow seeds of perennials in pots for fall planting including yarrow, coneflower and salvia.

* In the garden, direct seed beets, carrots, leaf lettuce and turnips. Make sure to keep seeds and seedlings consistently moist.

* Plant potatoes.

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Taste Spring! E-cookbook

Strawberries

Find our spring recipes here!

Taste Fall! E-cookbook

Muffins and pumpkin

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Taste Winter! E-cookbook

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Food in My Back Yard (FIMBY) Series

Lessons learned during a year of edible gardening

WINTER

Is edible gardening possible indoors?

Hints for choosing tomato seeds

Starting in seed starting

Why winter is the perfect time to plant fruit trees

When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants

How to squeeze more food into less space

Potatoes from the garden

Plant a fruit tree now -- for later

Win the weed war by tackling them in winter

Tips for planting bare-root trees, shrubs and vegetables

Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space

Ways to win the fight against weeds

FALL

Dec. 16: Add asparagus to your edible garden

Dec. 9: Soggy soil and what to do about it

Dec. 2: Plant artichokes now; enjoy for years to come

Nov. 25: It's late November, and your peach tree needs spraying

Nov. 18: What to do with all those fallen leaves?

Nov. 11: Prepare now for colder weather in the edible garden

Nov. 4: Plant a pea patch for you and your garden

Oct. 27: As citrus season begins, advice for backyard growers

Oct. 20: Change is in the autumn air 

Oct. 13: We don't talk (enough) about beets

Oct. 6: Fava beans do double duty

Sept. 30: Seeds or transplants for cool-season veggies?

Sept. 23: How to prolong the fall tomato harvest 

SUMMER

Sept. 16: Time to shut it down? 

Sept. 9: How to get the most out of your pumpkin patch

Sept. 2: Summer-to-fall transition time for evaluation, planning

Aug. 26: To pick or not to pick those tomatoes?

Aug. 19: Put worms to work for you

Aug. 12: Grow food while saving water

Aug. 5: Enhance your food with edible flowers

July 29: Why won't my tomatoes turn red?

July 22: A squash plant has mosaic virus, and it's not pretty

July 15: Does this plant need water?

July 8: Tear out that sad plant or baby it? Midsummer decisions

July 1: How to grow summer salad greens

June 24:  Weird stuff that's perfectly normal

SPRING

June 17: Help pollinators help your garden

June 10: Battling early-season tomato pests

June 3: Make your own compost

May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?

May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days

May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can

May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success

April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?

April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)

April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers

April 8: When to plant summer vegetables

April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths

March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth