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Flowers in your vegetable garden? Yes! It’s not a secret that flowers bring a certain pleasing visual aesthetic to your landscaping. Flowers brighten up your home, both indoors and out. It’s probably not surprising to know that growing flowers in your vegetable garden is beneficial in several other ways as well.
Historically, flowers were given greater importance than they are today. Sure, flowers are currently used to decorate homes, churches and special events, but go back to the 18th and 19th centuries and you’ll find that flowers had far greater significance. If you’ve ever seen the gardens in some of the European castles and palaces, you’ll understand the historical importance of a flower garden. It’s no surprise that several royal coats of arms include flowers as icons with a deeper meaning.

In fact, for a time, flowers had their own language. Sort of an unwritten code. Flowers that women carried or were given as tokens of affection had special meaning, and lovers could communicate through the language of flowers. Even throughout the 20th Century, a suitor would routinely send flowers to the object of his desire, and flowers were all but expected by a woman after a dinner or night out with a gentleman. Flowers have a way of lifting the mood, bringing happy or nostalgic memories with their powerful scents, and of simply brightening the day with their astounding natural beauty.
Obviously, someone had to grow those historic millions of flowers for public consumption, and a great many flower growers made their fortunes by doing just that. This includes specialized growers such as Dutch and Japanese farmers who emigrated to America and brought their generational knowledge of flower propagation to our shores.

For farmers today, in our modern, automated and technologically-advanced world, there are both practical and aesthetic reasons to grow flowers. Adding flowering plants to a vegetable garden is the best way to nourish soil, provide cut flowers for your use, and to beautify your landscape design.
Other benefits include:
Soil Biodiversity
Farming the same garden area repeatedly and growing the same vegetables in the same space will naturally deplete your soil. Change it up with soil amendments and with adding diverse plants and flowers in the space rather than repeating. This gives your soil additional nutrients.
Repel pests
If you have a problem with aphids, mosquitos and other garden pests, planting flowers such as Marigolds, Chrysanthemums and Nasturtiums will help to repel them. If you get hornworms on your tomatoes or peppers. Petunias are what you need.

If moles or gophers are the problem, plant some Gopher Purge to deter them. Do be careful though, if you have cats that go into your garden, as this plant is toxic to them. It’s only a mild skin irritant to the rodent, however, and can be effective in deterring the furry pests from eating up your harvest.
Herbs for the kitchen
Planting flowering herbs in your garden does double duty. Rosemary and Lavender are also pest deterrents and propagating them also gives you herbs for the kitchen. Chives, spearmint and catmint as well as basil, thyme, sage and other herbs give a beautiful visual along with the harvested herbs that you can use fresh or dried for culinary purposes. A bundle of fresh or dried herbs is also a lovely decoration on a gift package.
Profit
If you’re growing your vegetable for a CSA, for farmer’s markets or your own personal farmstand, adding flowers to the mix is simply another income stream you can add in. Who can resist cut flowers in a bucket when they’re shopping for their fresh seasonal vegetables? The more diverse and colorful your stems are, the more beautiful the bouquets will be. The fact that they’re homegrown and freshly cut is also a great selling point.
Fix Nitrogen
I mentioned earlier how soil gets depleted and the need for biodiversity, but there is also a need for nitrogen to be added to the soil to replace that which has been taken out in the growth cycle of your vegetables. The best way to naturally fix nitrogen in your garden is to grow plants that do. Most peas and beans fix nitrogen, and there are also quite a few beautiful flowering plants that do as well. Lupine, Sweet Pea, Red Clover and White Clover also fix nitrogen as well as shrubs like Acacia, Locust, and Mesquite.

Attract Pollinators
Last but not least, (and probably the most important) benefit of growing flowers in your vegetable garden is that they attract pollinators. Plant some flowers out there, and I can guarantee that you’ll begin to see pollinators from bees and butterflies, to hummingbirds and other small birds that are drawn to the nectar of your flowers. You will also likely see a more nourished vegetable crop, a larger harvest and a more healthy garden overall. In warmer climes, set out a dish with some standing water next to your flowers to attract even larger numbers of these essential creatures to pollinate your garden.
When you’re planning out and designing your next garden space, consider adding nitrogen fixing shrubs and flowering plants, as well as decorative and hearty plants and herbs. These will yield flowers that will look beautiful both in the garden or cut and arranged into bouquets for centerpieces and decorative accents in your home. It’s a win-win situation both for your garden and for you.

Unsure what to plant? Take a stroll through your local farmer’s or flower market and just see what you are drawn to. Are there certain colors or fragrances that you like? Ask the farmer /grower their opinion about what flowers are the easiest to grow, the most popular with the public, and the healthiest to add to your garden.
It may take a few seasons of experimentation for you to decide which plants and flowers you want to put in as far as annuals or perennials, and which have the shortest and longest times to harvest. There’s no rush. Have fun with it, and enjoy the benefits of adding flowers to your vegetable gardens. Who knows, you may be putting flowers in all around the farm before long! You’re going to love the way they look.
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