Planting for Bees....

[Jed D]

Last year we planted Borage on a couple of acre's ( And got some FAB Honey ).
When the seed dropped , we rotavated it back in the top 2 inches.
Low and behold it now looks like a field of OSR, waiting for winter... (hopefully a mild one )....

My question is what can we do to make better use of the land reference our Bee's. The field sits there all year and for three weeks of Nector , which is great...
But can we get two crops in ? or extend the flowering season ?
As much as next years Borage is already planted , it might not make it to spring.
If so, is there other good bee plants to stagger the the season.
Should add very sandy soil , dry's out quickly....

 

[Erichalfbee]

Clover and dandelions?
There is a field near me that appears to be managed "organically" It glows yellow with dandelions in the spring, is cut just the once, clover takes it over and you can smell it driving past, then the owner puts sheep on it in late summer/early autumn. Wonderful......and my bees do well on it.

 

[Jed D]

After asking the question , I done a quick search and found pages of much the same question...

So now I'm really confused..

I come up with Phacelia as the land gets full sun ' but the soil is also very poor , so if we could get Clover going, it could help retain moisture and put some Nitrogen back in the soil.

We don't have any sheep , will Rabbits do ?

 

[REDWOOD]

Whatever you decide to grow make sure you grow a variety so there will be forage for the bees at different times

 

[Fatbee]

I get a lot of honey from clover. It doesn't all come at once and will keep flowering. Good bee crop

 

[Amari]

I have 40 sq m. of borage on my allotment. Germinated seedlings survive the winter so flower in late spring. Other self-sown seed germinates in spring or summer so today I was watching the occasional bee on the surviving blooms though they neglected my green manure Phacelia. Unlike most forage, Borage is visited by honey bees more than bumbles.
Conclusion: Borage is a three-season forage.

 

[AndriusMasa]

Fhacelia tanacetifolia Benth
300 - 500kg nectar from 1 ha (IF grown like culture and Depends on weather conditions)
Melilotus albus Med.
500-650kg nectar from 1 ha (IF grown like culture and Depends on weather conditions)
Echinops sphaerocephalus L (IF grown like culture and Depends on weather conditions)
500 - 1000kg nectrar from 1 ha
Onobrychis viciifolia Scop
500 kg nectar from 1 ha (IF grown like culture and Depends on weather conditions)

Good day. How many land do you have? I can tell you how to seed, but i need to know how many land do you have and how many hive you would like to have in region where you are seeding. So then i will have information i will be possible to advice you . In my bee yard we are seeding plants ( I whote at the start of the post) . Some of them can be grown on sandy land.

 

[beeno]

Clover and dandelions?
There is a field near me that appears to be managed "organically" It glows yellow with dandelions in the spring, is cut just the once, clover takes it over and you can smell it driving past, then the owner puts sheep on it in late summer/early autumn. Wonderful......and my bees do well on it.

That seems a good system for my plans. When exactly is it cut?

 

[Oscarmonster]

I have 40 sq m. of borage on my allotment. Germinated seedlings survive the winter so flower in late spring. Other self-sown seed germinates in spring or summer so today I was watching the occasional bee on the surviving blooms though they neglected my green manure Phacelia. Unlike most forage, Borage is visited by honey bees more than bumbles.
Conclusion: Borage is a three-season forage.

There are a couple of fields near me which have had borage sown in the past. what is grown in those fields now dictates when we get borage in flower. Autumn sown rape means early flowering, sugar beat means late flowering, cereals mean no borage.

 

[mintmoth]

This page may be useful to you, Jed, it's the top 20 of honeybee favourites.

 

[Erichalfbee]

That seems a good system for my plans. When exactly is it cut?

Beeno, I can't recall. It must be a late Spring cut after the dandelions seed but early enough to allow the clover to come through. The field is white with dandelion clocks then white with clover. Lovely

 

[beeno]

Beeno, I can't recall. It must be a late Spring cut after the dandelions seed but early enough to allow the clover to come through. The field is white with dandelion clocks then white with clover. Lovely

Then white dotted with sheep. Sounds lovely. Thanks I will dream on....

 

[Jed D]

Oh no, I shouldn't have researched this, after reading about " The Black Locust tree" or False Acacia... I've suggested to my wife , we plant a Acacia & Lime forest, with Borage & Comfrey ground cover ,surrounded by dandelion and clover meadow , with a Hazel hedge. And get two sheep.

My Wife being a level headed lady took one look at me and suggested , early and late crop of Borage..

It was going o.k. til I mentioned the sheep..


P.S.
Just on a serious note , If the Borage makes it through winter , I'll leave it alone. If not , I'll re-seed with a mix of Phacelia , Borage , clover. That way we can mower the Borage and leave the clover to enjoy the summer..

 

[bontbee]

Borage flowering from March, and still flowering, and being visited by h/bees throughout...wonderful plant to fill any gaps.

 

[Amari]

This page may be useful to you, Jed, it's the top 20 of honeybee favourites.

Strange that Borage is not included in the top 20 - vastly better than hawthorn IMO. Also the pic labelled 'clover' certainly isn't.

 

[Jed D]

It would be great to get the borage flowering more of the year.
Our reason for planting the borage was to produce some cut comb.
Last season was the first time we actually planted it , hence this is the first time we've tried to over winter it.
Most of our borage honey ended up in jars, as I think I was a bit slow with the new frames , plus we had too many hives next to it.

 

[Pete D]

My 3 acres of borage planted in April has all gone over now and will be rotorvated back in next month to hopefully reappear next spring.

 

[Amari]

My 3 acres of borage planted in April has all gone over now and will be rotorvated back in next month to hopefully reappear next spring.

Envy, Envy! How much honey did it yield?

 

[Pete D]

I had a good year honey wise, the borage yielded but there was also a host of other stuff available locally and I got no what you would call true light borage honey, more a mixed summer blossom with a high proportion of borage.
Next year . . . . .

 

[Jed D]

Brother Pete , if we're not careful , will get nicknamed.
the Borage brothers.
of course it will all be your fault , for selling us half a bag of seed last year.