Protected culture structures, such as
hoophouses and
greenhouses, are by nature limited in growing space. Many growers make the most of the available space by planting crops that have high returns; i.e.,
tomatoes,
cucumbers,
peppers, and
eggplants. In a closed environment, it is also well worth it to put a little of the area aside for
banker plants.
Any crop that provides a habitat for beneficial insects can be used as a banker plant. One of the greenhouses at Johnny’s research farm is dedicated to peppers and eggplants — both of which are susceptible to predation by aphids. In addition to the peppers and eggplants, space has been reserved for containers of oats which serve as banker plants by providing habitat for oat aphids. The oat aphids are released into the oats, which are then covered to allow the population of the pest to grow.
Why would someone release an aphid of any kind into their greenhouse and then build their population? The oat aphid is host-specific to only oats; it won’t attack any other crop. At Johnny’s, once the oat aphid population has grown, Greenhouse Manager Pam Carter releases parasitic wasps that attack aphids of all kinds, including those that pose a danger to the peppers and eggplants. As a side benefit, the oats can also provide habitat for ladybugs, another beneficial insect and predator of aphids.
For those of you with concerns about the use of insecticides, banker plants are a practical alternative. In many cases the resulting natural controls by beneficial insects will reduce the need for insecticidal applications.
Further Resources
Johnny's offers a line of farm seed and other types of seed varieties that
Attract Beneficial Insects »
To learn more, see our articles on
Attracting & Putting Beneficial Insects to Work »
Residents have
enjoyed watching the garden grow and showing off their garden to family
members. The garden for the past 3 months has produced 1,187.58 pounds
of fresh produce! Our facility kitchen staff has taken great pride in preparing
the backyard fresh vegetables and the residents compliment daily about how much
they have enjoyed them. This is a project that speaks of the memories and
tastes of home. We have raised broccoli,
cauliflower, peppers, tomatoes, cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, green beans, summer and winter squash,
zucchini, Swiss chard, and lettuce and
added raspberries, blueberries, and asparagus this season. 
The overwintering trials took place in two of our caterpillar tunnels at the Johnny’s Farm. The caterpillars we used were slightly different from those we offer via the catalog and online, because they have both end walls and side roll-up walls. With roll-up walls, we were able to ventilate much more throughout the trial - until the snow eventually prevented us from doing so. We had several small trials happening in the tunnels, which included Salanova Lettuce, Baby Leaf Lettuce, Greens, Spinach, and Cilantro. 
