STEP 1

Review the garden insects

As a group discuss invertebrates, specifically insects and how we view their presence in the garden.

Ask the children to suggest some insects that could be listed under the following three headings:

• Pests
• Pollinators
• Predators

(Refer back to the investigation learning activity if you need help with the different types of insects and how they impact the garden).

Beneficial insects include:

• Bees (native and European)
• Ladybugs
• Hover flies
• Mantids

STEP 2

Make connections between the crop and the beneficial plants

Show the children the punnets of crop seedlings and the punnets of flowering plants.

As a group, ask the children to make connections between the food crop and the flowers that have been selected.

Ask the children to make a hypothesis (a smart guess) about how the insects found in the assessment and investigation learning activities might be attracted by these flowering plants.

STEP 3

Planning the planting

Creating a beneficial garden can be a bit of an experiment. Use the activity sheet to map the garden and the beneficial links that you plan on creating.

Use the labels on the seedling punnets to decide on how to space your beneficial plants around your crop. 

Beneficial plants are often planted in clumps around the outside of the garden bed.  This helps with wise use of garden bed space and it helps the beneficial insects to see them.

It is best to plant your beneficial plants at the same time as your food crops.

When planting seedlings, space them in their pots out on top of the soil, check the label, and see that you have spaced them correctly with a ruler.

STEP 4

Plant, care and monitor

Use a trowel to dig a hole just big enough so the plant’s root section can be inserted. Tap the pot gently and squeeze the plant out without damaging the roots, place it in the hole and fill it with soil.

Create a saucer shaped depression in the soil to act as a dam, and then water in the plants gently. Mulch around them to help reduce water loss and suppress weeds.

Check your beneficial plantings over time and make sure they are growing well. Can you find insects to see if the beneficial planting is attracting insects to help your crop? What other biodiversity improvements do you notice?

Complete the activity sheet and the links that you hoped would occur between the beneficial plants and the food crops.

Take notes about the different types of insect you find:

• are they pest species or are they beneficial?
• are there changes or improvements that you could make to the plantings?

Design an experiment to assess whether beneficial planting is effective. What could you change or remove to test whether you’re on the right track?

Design a poster to promote beneficial planting. Focus on three key messages that you would like your audience to know.