Garden pollinator attractors

Going off the bee thread...last two years we've had pollination issues with tomatos, watermelon and corn. Some of this was weather related I'm sure.

So if you just wanted more pollinators in your veggie gardern, what would you add into and around the garden so you don't think break the q-tips out.

Corn and to a lesser degree tomato are wind pollinated and not reliant on bees. However corn can pose a threat to bees as bees readily gather corn pollen. Corn seed treated with systemic insecticides can pose a risk.
All of the curcubits (squash, melons, most cucumbers) are insect dependent for pollination and highly attractive to bees. Brassica/Cole crops are probably the most bee attractive plant in the garden however since we grow brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, turnips, mustard, etc) as leafy greens and rarely if ever let it bolt/go to seed that's a moot point.
The few members of the mallow family (okra, cotton) are nectar and pollen producers.
All of the bean (both snap and lima) and field peas are basically self pollinating with pollen release being a function of the bloom opening (often fully pollinated prior to opening hence the reason you can save bean seed year to year without isolation). Yet to varying degrees beans do produce nectar the bees will work with field peas (blackeye, crowder, etc) having extrafloral nectaries (nectar producing organs outside of the flower).
Carrots and the alliums (onion, garlic, etc.) are attractive to bees however like brassicas rarely allowed to bloom.

Basically, everything you're already planting is attractive to pollinators and lack of pollination is more often an issue of low pollinator populations and or poor conditions for pollinator activity (weather or more attractive pollen/nectar source off site).
I would look to two items to improve pollination. One increasing the pollinator population such as moving a honeybee colony or two close by, providing habitat for orchard or mason bees or squash or blueberry bees (soil nesting miners bees). The next would be cultural issues the would be harmful to pollinators, specifically pesticide use. Eliminate the use of malathion or sevin (long half life) particularly in dust form that bees can mistake for pollen. Use the least harmful product possible only when needed and never treat while bees are active (usually early morning but anytime during daylight hours). I've come to rely on spinosad and Bt and do my treatments at dusk.
Overhead irrigation can also deter bee activity, look to drip irrigation.

What does corn pollen do, or not do to bees?

Pollen is protein, nectar is carb. Pollen is used mostly to feed the larvae and brood, nectar and honey to fuel the adults though actually the two are combined to varying degrees as the diet requires.

Corn pollen though available in huge quantities isn't great bee food. Consider it bulk fiber without the major vitamins if you will. Bees use and readily consume it but there are far more nutritious pollens out there. For instance dandelion pollen is shy of only one amino acid from being a complete bee feed.
There is a distinct correlation between plant dependency on pollinators and the nutritional suitability of pollen and nectar. Corn and all grasses and cereal grains being wind pollinated tend to be nutritionally deficient for pollinators.
Bees can actually become malnourished in monoculture agriculture. They require a mixed balanced diet the same as we do.

Now all that said the potential risk of modern corn is systemic seed trestments. While I'm not anti ag or a tinfoil conspiracy nut and don't believe neonics are the root of all evil I am concerned.
Most corn seed, and commercial bean, today is treated with neonicatoid insecticides that are systemic. Systemic being taken up into the plant rendering the entire plant, including pollen and nectar, toxic to insects.
Again, I don't think this is directly harmful particularly if the bees have access to plenty of other forage but I can see the potential risks.

Thanks

Neonics in a way do help the bees strangely enough. A small amount on the seed prevents the need for spraying large quantities of other more harmful insecticides if they weren't used.
As in all things it's a trade off while trying not to misuse or abuse.

Other things you can do is provide food sources during times of the year the garden isn't blooming. For instance I plant my entire garden to brassicas in the fall. Mostly to eat like collards, cabbage, turnips, rutabegas, etc but every square inch has something growing. What's not sown to eat gets mustard ot turnip as these will be the first to bolt. I have mustard in bloom now. The bees really go for any available pollen this time of year as they are coming out of the starvation time of winter and building up brood in expectation of spring. They are literally starving for fresh food while making as many babies as physically possible.
In my area the starvation times are late winter and oddly enough mid summer, the long hot dry summer. And if the fall bloom is a bust due to weather the bees will die in January.

I plant broccoli for eating but usually don’t get around to some of it for some reason or another. Bees love those little yellow flowers. You could get those going early.

Plant some "vines" like cucumber, pumpkin or peas. Buckwheat is also a good, easy to grow, attractant.

Some very educational stuff here. Thanks Warrior.

Not sure if you use insecticides but I saw on P. Allen Smith, and dad did it this year, have a spot of flowers with all kinds of variety and don’t spray it, so it’s used as a refuge and you can use the bloom time of the flowers in the off time of the garden to help the bees.

Bumble bees and Mud bees are major pollinators of tomatoes - Honey bees not(they don't vibrate flower hard enough to shake pollen loose to fall on anther).

I can't pass blooming tomatoes without giving the blooms a little tap just in case. LOL

BTW, black mustards (curly types) have an added benefit for the garden if chopped and tilled in while still green they release natural nematcides (nematode toxins) as they decompose that kill root knot and other damaging nematodes. Nemagold and nemaguard marigolds were bred to do this as well but their roots produce the toxin.

Something my bees hit hard when in bloom are any mint herbs, oregano and some volunteer catnip I let grow around the lawn.

All the above is good. Bee balm is good too. The best attractant I’ve come across is cat mint. It’s tiny purple flowers will be covered with bees.

Borage is another good one.