Million Pollinator Garden Challenge 2019 Posted on 19 Mar 18:12 , 2 comments

JOIN US in the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge! Have you heard of the challenge?

Mary's Heirloom Seeds is joining National Pollinator Garden Network CHALLENGE. according to their recent updates on their website, they have surpassed the million Garden mark last year.

Woohooo!

California Poppy

In case you missed it, last week we volunteered at a local Elementary School. Our station was making pollinator-friendly seed balls. If you'd like instructions to make your own CLICK HERE. Part of our presentation was teaching kids about growing food and talking about different types of pollinators. Besides the bees and butterflies, a few other pollinators include bats, ladybugs and even Lemurs!

The Million Pollinator Garden Challenge (MPGC) is a nationwide call to action to preserve and create gardens and landscapes that help revive the health of bees, butterflies, birds, bats and other pollinators across America. We will move millions of individuals, kids and families outdoors and make a connection between pollinators and the healthy food people eat.

The focus of the NPGN is: to inspire individuals and community groups, institutions and the garden industry to create more pollinator habitat through sustainable gardening practices, habitat conservation and provide these groups the tools to be successful.

FRENCH MARIGOLDS

So how are we getting involved? We already offer a SUPER unique election of Wildflower Seeds and Herb Seeds that are bee-friendly. We grow organic and plant for the bees in our own gardens.

FIRST, we are adding more Bee-Friendly SEEDS at Mary's Heirloom Seeds. Next, we are giving away FREE SEEDS!

During the entire month of March we will include a free pack of bee-friendly seeds.

BONUS, we have added a new combo pack!

POLLINATOR GARDEN CHALLENGE COMBO

If you haven't read our article Plant for Pollinators and Increase Crop Yields then NOW is the time. Not only are you helping the precious bee and butterfly populations by planting pollinator-friendly varieties, you can boost your crops!!!

BORAGE is a bee-friendly herb and great companion to Tomatoes

How do YOU get involved?

Plant a Pollinator-Friendly "patch." This can be a small area or a huge plot. Every little bit counts.

-Stop using synthetic chemical pesticides in your yard and gardens

-Grow/Use plant varieties that provide nectar and pollen sources

-Provide a water source

-Establish continuous blooms throughout the season. You can do this by staggering your planting by 2-4 week intervals.

-Create large "pollinator targets" of native or non-invasive plants

-Plan your pollinator garden in a sunny spot, preferably with a wind-break

Over the next few days I'll post a bit more about pollinators and bee-friendly gardening tips.

ECHINACEA (also known as coneflower) is another great pollinator-friendly herb

We offer a few combo packs...
"Flower Power" Herb Combo Pack - "Wild About Wildflowers" Check it out!!!

HELPFUL LINKS:

Companion Planting Guide
For more info on what to plant in your area, we have 2 region-specific planting guides

USDA ZONE PLANTING GUIDE

MARY'S 2018 PLANTING GUIDE FOR THE US

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marys-Heirloom-Seeds/229833070442449

Thanks for signing up!

Comments

Mary @ Mary's Heirloom Seeds on 23 Mar 06:03

Thank you for your interest in Mary’s Heirloom Seeds. In order to stay as eco-friendly as possible we do not offer a printed catalog. You’ll find over 600 varieties of heirloom seeds on our website
https://www.marysheirloomseeds.com/

We have a HUGE Companion planting list on our website as well. Here’s the link:
https://www.marysheirloomseeds.com/blogs/news/34317633-companion-planting

If you have additional questions we’re happy to help!

-Mary

Eleanor Buchanan on 23 Mar 06:02

Live on coast in So. Orange Co., California.
Zone 9, planting area gets sun from 11:30 to sundown. Need companion planting for veggies like Tom, peppers, cabbage, brocc, turnips, peas.
Thanks for advice. Also if you have a catalog would be interested in receiving one.

First time growing turnips

These were fast to mature and really tasty. I am new to gardening and didn’t thin my seedlings well enough so many of them did not produce much of a root but that’s okay because we definitely got to use the greens! Photos are of the turnips from the garden to my kitchen and the dish we made with them. Some turnips in the photo are not the purple top variety but overall I think the purple top got larger than the others I planted.

First time growing Mustard greens

This was the first time I have grown greens of any kind and it was a success! The plants are beautiful with the purple veins. I over crowded my raised bed with these accidentally but they still did really well. I started seeds indoors and had a hard time germinating (due to my own fault being new to seed starting) but still planted what I had outside when the time came. I was surprised when I saw the seeds that didn’t germinate indoors started coming up shortly after being outdoors. That’s how I ended up overcrowding my raised bed but on the plus side I now have a ton of healthy great tasting food in my backyard. Photos are of the greens from my garden to my kitchen.

Beautiful addition to any garden!

This is my favorite plant in my garden right now. I started my seeds last winter (2022) and planted in spring 2023. My mullein survived the insane high temperatures over summer and was a refreshing pop of green all winter. I am eagerly awaiting the flower!

Im like a kid at Christmas

These are so much fun. They sell out fast and I try to get at least 1 every year. Last year I was lucky enough to grab 2. I love trying new things and these are a mixture of flower, herbs, and vegetable. One of my favorite carrots came from here. It’s one of three that I grow every year because it’s fun!

Wow at results so far…..

When I bought these I had the intention of testing Mary’s seed Garlic with the sprouting store bought garlic from my fridge. I will be doing another review later after I harvest and I’ll post a picture then. So planted these in raised beds. Both in full sun and planted in different beds. I did the exact same thing to both. My store bought sprouted garlic all died. My Mary’s is still alive and forming it’s bulbs. This was just too good not share!

Mary's Heirloom Seeds