Beneficial Plants
By Bob Randall
Winter 1999

November is an excellent time to plant things that improve your garden.

There are a lot of insects that eat pest insects. They are attracted by the flowers of cilantro, dill, Italian parsley, Queen Anne’s Lace and other plants in this family. All of these should be planted from September to November, but you may have luck planting up to February.  If they come to your garden, they will usually have hungry youngsters who will eat your pests.

Other winter planted beneficial insect attractors include members of the mint family such as mint, oregano, and rosemary. In studies, sweet alyssum was one of the best attractors of beneficial insects.

You can also improve your soil. Berseem and other clovers can be planted until the end of the year. Berseem fixes a lot of nitrogen in its roots. Its high nitrogen leaves can be cut several times to mix with leaves in compost piles, or to put under hay as mulch. If you have enough room, you may want to even grow your own hay. Elbon rye is one possibility.  Berseem and elbon are sometimes available at Urban Harvest, but if we’re out, try Peaceful Valley Farm Supply (PO Box 2209, Grass Valley, CA 95945).