We are about environmental health

There are over 15,000 species of plants that have been used for food by man. Only 150 of these are commercially cultivated. There are over 10,000 apple varieties. There is only a few dozen that are commercially grown. All new varieties come from seeds. This is true with annual plants as well as trees and shrubs. If you are interested in creating, preserving and expanding the limits of new food plants then having trees and shrubs grown from seed is the only way to increase genetic diversity. It doesn't matter whether it is one tree near your home or a thousand in the wild. The genetic basis of agriculture lies in wild and unimproved plants with large genetic variation. Each plant creates many new opportunities for humans and sometimes unintentionally for wildlife as well. Nature is not based on native or non-native. It is based on the ecology of the plants and what animals will find it useful besides man. What new niches will this plant create? This is the yardstick to measure environmental health. Think of it as an evolutionary play in an ecological theatre. The lead actors will always change with an ever-increasing cast.

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Oikos Tree Crops was founded by Ken Asmus in 1985

Since 1985 Ken has established an arboretum filled with numerous wild selections of plants from all over the world. His company "Oikos Tree Crops" has been featured in all major newspapers and magazines including, The Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, Detroit Free Press, New York Times, Midwest Living and American Gardener. His plant breeding efforts has led to new types of hybrid American chestnuts, oaks for timber and acorn production, northern pecans, American persimmons, beach plums, groundnuts, hazelnuts, apricots and pawpaws. He is currently starting a food company with plans to market many new wild edible fruits, nuts and tubers.

From an early age, Ken learned to appreciate wild food plants on his family's farms near Saginaw, Michigan, In 1978 Ken graduated from Western Michigan University with a BS in biology. His interests were in plant ecology and horticulture. He began managing a wholesale nursery and then moved on to a store manager position in Kalamazoo's largest retail nursery. Learning from these experiences led to the development of "Oikos." Originally a design company "Oikos" began propagating different wild edible food plants and soon found a market with the nations largest mail order companies. Their indifference to promoting or testing new plants led to "Tree Crops". You can enjoy the fruits of his labors today. Please browse the Oikos Tree Crops online catalog today and start your own collection of delicious, fruiting trees and plants.

What does "Oikos" mean?

"Oikos" is a Greek word meaning home. "Ecos" was coined from this word. "Tree Crops" comes from the philosophy of J. Russell Smith, who published a best selling book in 1950 called, "Tree Crops—A Permanent Agriculture." To understand the concept of tree crops more completely means combining our knowledge of ecology and agriculture. Unlike orchards, tree crops have to be made up of genetically diverse individuals and be resilient to environmental changes. By careful selection over a period of time, seed strains can be developed that can prove useful for wildlife enhancement and well as agricultural production. Without this diversity we are lost in our ability to ecologically integrate with our environment and respond to crisis. The goal of Oikos Tree Crops is to provide this diversity and to educate people about the benefits of all plants to create a healthy environment.