Henry in the Garden: The Pollinator Plan

By Henry Herting, Co-op garden volunteer

It's that fun time of the year when we get to plan our gardens. This year since our pollinators are taking such a hard hit, we are planning a pollinator garden.

Some plants that are considered good for pollinators are not so good fo the gardeners. They are invasive; they are weeds. Nobody likes weeds in their garden - who likes getting down on their knee pads and clawing at deep-rooted weeds growing in places where you don't want them?

My three part solution is always the same: 1) research plants that are not invasive. 2) Buy plants that are easy to grow and take up a good area and no more. 3) Don't leave any open ground for weeds to fill in.

The Co-op can give a full thumbs up to the following pollinator-friendly plants for your garden: Black Eyed Susan, Echinacea, Phlox, and Salvia.

Some other plants to consider planting: veggies - Sugar snap peas & scallions; herbs - culinary lavender, variegated thyme, plain thyme, Tuscan blue rosemary, Italian parsley, sage, various basils; just for pollinators - beardtongue, bee balm, blanket flower, blazing star, columbine, coreopsis, dianthus, English daisy, verbena bonariensis, lupine, painted daisy, pincushion flower, poppy, red valerian, toadflax, and veronica.

More Co-op News

Celebrate Ashland Food Co-op's 50th Anniversary

Ashland Food Co-op has been a staple in our community for 50 years and invites you to celebrate this anniversary with them on June 3rd, 2022 from 5:00 PM-8:00 PM, at the AFC employee parking lot for dancing, food, face painting and more!

Music by Eight Dollar Mountain and Wild and Blue.

Siano's Karibbean Cookhouse, Walkabout Brewing Co. and Rogue Kombucha will be joining us with delicious food and beverages available for purchase.

SOU Students Sign Up!

 

Open House Hiring Event

The Ashland Food Co-op is excited to provide employees with a fun, professional workplace with potential for growth and advancement. We see every day as an opportunity to better our community, our planet, and ourselves! Eligible employees will receive a 15% employee discount on all store purchases, affordable healthcare, 3.5 weeks of paid time off in your first year for vacation and sick days, matching 401K plan after 1 year, productivity and profit sharing bonus opportunities, free organic produce every day... and so much more!

Standing with Democracy

Our Community Food Co-op has joined, along with other co-ops across the nation, to donate to a Disaster Recovery Fund organized by National Co+op Grocers (NCG) Cooperation, Cooperative Development Foundation (CDF) and National Co-op Business Association of the United States (NCBA CLUSA) to Co-op Ukraine to support cooperatives impacted by the war in Ukraine.