Bees and water are both important ingredients to growing the fresh food our community enjoys. Rasberrys takes these major contributors very seriously as many of our fresh, seasonal ingredients and dishes depend on them! This spring we overhauled our gardens in a major way. We brought in more veggies, bee friendly plants and flowers and overall reduced our water use. It was a project, but we are looking forward to seeing increased production. The next time you taste a fabulous ingredient as us - it may have been grown right here in the Wood River Valley.

Here are a few ways to make your gardens bee friendly too:

Rethink your lawn, can you add a few flowering plants?
Select single flower tops like marigolds and daisys, the nectar is easier to access
Skip the hydbridized plants, they don't produce alot of pollen
Plan for blooms season round, providing a constant food source
Build homes for native bees, this may mean things like loose soil, hollow reeds, water or mud
Create a bee bath - fresh clean water source
Consider a window container or rooftop if you do not have land

There are many free resources available on this topic a few are The Honeybee Conservancy, High Country Gardens and Pollinator Partnership