Our Process of Growing

Pollination

Bumble Bees are used to pollinate the crops. In out-of-doors, tomato plants are self pollinating. Growing tomatoes under glass in a Greenhouse requires the use of Bumble Bees to ensure good pollination for the development of the fruit.

The Bumblebees grasp the tomato flower and vibrate their thorax to shake the pollen loose. This leaves a small brown mark on the anther cone, making it possible to monitor their work. A colony can pollinate 1000 to 3000 square meters of crop for 6 to 8 weeks. The number of colonies required depends upon the season, the variety, and the number of plants per square meter.

Garden Fresh Vegetables purchases Bumble Bees that are delivered via UPS. The bees arrive in a brown cardboard box with multiple individual hive-boxes within.

Upon arrival, the Grower oversees the delivery. The Bumble Bees are given a sugar water mixture and strategically placed throughout the Greenhouse. The worker bees then leave the hive to gather protein to deliver back to the hive to feed the brood. Pollen is pure protein and the larvae in the brood cannot grow without it.