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A life long passion for plants helped me create Oikos Tree Crops. A wise man once said only a new crop can come from new seed. This was the beginnings of my tree crop farm with the use of the great diversity found in the world today but rarely harnessed for the purpose of creating greater health to humankind. Starting with my families Christmas tree farms, I began an attempt to weave ecology and agriculture together and find plants that would also fit this type of design. After completing my degree in biology and working in both retail and wholesale nursery trades, I started a small farm to produce a wide variety of woody plant seeds and plants. In the end I found a much more proficient way to create new varieties of hundreds of selections of woody and perennial plants. This fulfills the 'Oikos' (Ecos) part of my philosophy while retaining the spirit of economic geographer J. Russell Smith in Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture.
Plum Good: North American Plum Selections
Starting from beach plums, I began growing lots of plums at my farm in the early 1980’s. I had no irrigation at the farm and filled 5 gallon buckets from my house 25 miles away. (I always had to take corners slowly!) I was a fan of yucca extract and humates and used them in …
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Author: admin
A life long passion for plants helped me create Oikos Tree Crops. A wise man once said only a new crop can come from new seed. This was the beginnings of my tree crop farm with the use of the great diversity found in the world today but rarely harnessed for the purpose of creating greater health to humankind. Starting with my families Christmas tree farms, I began an attempt to weave ecology and agriculture together and find plants that would also fit this type of design. After completing my degree in biology and working in both retail and wholesale nursery trades, I started a small farm to produce a wide variety of woody plant seeds and plants. In the end I found a much more proficient way to create new varieties of hundreds of selections of woody and perennial plants. This fulfills the 'Oikos' (Ecos) part of my philosophy while retaining the spirit of economic geographer J. Russell Smith in Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture.
The Wild Goose Plum-From One Seed to Another
Wild plums are found everywhere in North America. Many of them look alike. Some are small shrubs like the beach plum. Others are tall trees to thirty feet like the Chickasaw plum. They thrive in the mountains. Some live in wetlands. Others are found in the desert. I think I have grown them all. But …
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Author: admin
A life long passion for plants helped me create Oikos Tree Crops. A wise man once said only a new crop can come from new seed. This was the beginnings of my tree crop farm with the use of the great diversity found in the world today but rarely harnessed for the purpose of creating greater health to humankind. Starting with my families Christmas tree farms, I began an attempt to weave ecology and agriculture together and find plants that would also fit this type of design. After completing my degree in biology and working in both retail and wholesale nursery trades, I started a small farm to produce a wide variety of woody plant seeds and plants. In the end I found a much more proficient way to create new varieties of hundreds of selections of woody and perennial plants. This fulfills the 'Oikos' (Ecos) part of my philosophy while retaining the spirit of economic geographer J. Russell Smith in Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture.
The “Madeline” Blueberry-The Wild is Brought Back
Finding blueberries is pretty easy in Michigan. Where I live in southwestern Michigan there are many farms dedicated to growing them. With one farm exception that uses massive irrigation on sandy soil with lots of mulch, they are grown in wetlands or were wetlands prior to their farming. As the image above of my family …
Continue reading “The “Madeline” Blueberry-The Wild is Brought Back”…
Author: admin
A life long passion for plants helped me create Oikos Tree Crops. A wise man once said only a new crop can come from new seed. This was the beginnings of my tree crop farm with the use of the great diversity found in the world today but rarely harnessed for the purpose of creating greater health to humankind. Starting with my families Christmas tree farms, I began an attempt to weave ecology and agriculture together and find plants that would also fit this type of design. After completing my degree in biology and working in both retail and wholesale nursery trades, I started a small farm to produce a wide variety of woody plant seeds and plants. In the end I found a much more proficient way to create new varieties of hundreds of selections of woody and perennial plants. This fulfills the 'Oikos' (Ecos) part of my philosophy while retaining the spirit of economic geographer J. Russell Smith in Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture.
How Does It Grow?
It is a not the healthiest world we live in right now. Not everyone is accepting of others but sometimes in the midst of it all, there are break throughs of understanding and compassion. The same is true of our relationship with plants. In some ways, on some deep emotional level …
Author: admin
A life long passion for plants helped me create Oikos Tree Crops. A wise man once said only a new crop can come from new seed. This was the beginnings of my tree crop farm with the use of the great diversity found in the world today but rarely harnessed for the purpose of creating greater health to humankind. Starting with my families Christmas tree farms, I began an attempt to weave ecology and agriculture together and find plants that would also fit this type of design. After completing my degree in biology and working in both retail and wholesale nursery trades, I started a small farm to produce a wide variety of woody plant seeds and plants. In the end I found a much more proficient way to create new varieties of hundreds of selections of woody and perennial plants. This fulfills the 'Oikos' (Ecos) part of my philosophy while retaining the spirit of economic geographer J. Russell Smith in Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture.
The Expanding Plant Universe
Many years ago right after graduating from college, I began joining organizations and arboreta and played an active role in seed exchange. During that time, I found many like minded individuals that thought the best safety net for plants is dispersion. I wanted to be the Seed Savers Exchange of woody plants. Without some sort …
Author: admin
A life long passion for plants helped me create Oikos Tree Crops. A wise man once said only a new crop can come from new seed. This was the beginnings of my tree crop farm with the use of the great diversity found in the world today but rarely harnessed for the purpose of creating greater health to humankind. Starting with my families Christmas tree farms, I began an attempt to weave ecology and agriculture together and find plants that would also fit this type of design. After completing my degree in biology and working in both retail and wholesale nursery trades, I started a small farm to produce a wide variety of woody plant seeds and plants. In the end I found a much more proficient way to create new varieties of hundreds of selections of woody and perennial plants. This fulfills the 'Oikos' (Ecos) part of my philosophy while retaining the spirit of economic geographer J. Russell Smith in Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture.
Full Expression Plant Discoveries-Find What You Are Looking For
A work of art like this stone Egyptian water buffalo at the New York Met can last many lifetimes. Plant discoveries can create the same effect. By contributing to that which has come before, it can make life easier for future generations. A certain level of appreciation for the artist and scientist is generated …
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Author: admin
A life long passion for plants helped me create Oikos Tree Crops. A wise man once said only a new crop can come from new seed. This was the beginnings of my tree crop farm with the use of the great diversity found in the world today but rarely harnessed for the purpose of creating greater health to humankind. Starting with my families Christmas tree farms, I began an attempt to weave ecology and agriculture together and find plants that would also fit this type of design. After completing my degree in biology and working in both retail and wholesale nursery trades, I started a small farm to produce a wide variety of woody plant seeds and plants. In the end I found a much more proficient way to create new varieties of hundreds of selections of woody and perennial plants. This fulfills the 'Oikos' (Ecos) part of my philosophy while retaining the spirit of economic geographer J. Russell Smith in Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture.
The American Persimmon in Michigan
The American Persimmon Defined When I first heard of the American Persimmon I had just graduated from college with an interest in starting a fruit farm with my brother in southwestern Michigan. I had a small landscape maintenance company trying to develop the concept of edible landscapes. In the winter I would work by pruning …
Author: admin
A life long passion for plants helped me create Oikos Tree Crops. A wise man once said only a new crop can come from new seed. This was the beginnings of my tree crop farm with the use of the great diversity found in the world today but rarely harnessed for the purpose of creating greater health to humankind. Starting with my families Christmas tree farms, I began an attempt to weave ecology and agriculture together and find plants that would also fit this type of design. After completing my degree in biology and working in both retail and wholesale nursery trades, I started a small farm to produce a wide variety of woody plant seeds and plants. In the end I found a much more proficient way to create new varieties of hundreds of selections of woody and perennial plants. This fulfills the 'Oikos' (Ecos) part of my philosophy while retaining the spirit of economic geographer J. Russell Smith in Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture.
The Groundnut-Weed, Protein and Global in Nature
When I first started growing groundnuts over 20 years ago, I had little information on how to produce the plant or use it. It was an edible wild plant I remember reading about in high school when I was diving into those survival in the wild books. I remember ordering the tubers from J.L. Hudson …
Continue reading “The Groundnut-Weed, Protein and Global in Nature”…
Author: admin
A life long passion for plants helped me create Oikos Tree Crops. A wise man once said only a new crop can come from new seed. This was the beginnings of my tree crop farm with the use of the great diversity found in the world today but rarely harnessed for the purpose of creating greater health to humankind. Starting with my families Christmas tree farms, I began an attempt to weave ecology and agriculture together and find plants that would also fit this type of design. After completing my degree in biology and working in both retail and wholesale nursery trades, I started a small farm to produce a wide variety of woody plant seeds and plants. In the end I found a much more proficient way to create new varieties of hundreds of selections of woody and perennial plants. This fulfills the 'Oikos' (Ecos) part of my philosophy while retaining the spirit of economic geographer J. Russell Smith in Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture.
The Oikos Vision of Tree Crops Podcast
Enjoy this podcast I made with the folks at Partisan Gardens where we discuss edible acorns, tree crops and my personal experiences with growing plants. Thank you Partisan Gardens. The Oikos Vision for Tree Crops Partisan Gardens September 2021
Author: admin
A life long passion for plants helped me create Oikos Tree Crops. A wise man once said only a new crop can come from new seed. This was the beginnings of my tree crop farm with the use of the great diversity found in the world today but rarely harnessed for the purpose of creating greater health to humankind. Starting with my families Christmas tree farms, I began an attempt to weave ecology and agriculture together and find plants that would also fit this type of design. After completing my degree in biology and working in both retail and wholesale nursery trades, I started a small farm to produce a wide variety of woody plant seeds and plants. In the end I found a much more proficient way to create new varieties of hundreds of selections of woody and perennial plants. This fulfills the 'Oikos' (Ecos) part of my philosophy while retaining the spirit of economic geographer J. Russell Smith in Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture.
Seeds are Available-Cultivar Releases
May 24th will be the last date of our nursery. I am retiring and closing the nursery. Oikos Tree Crops has been in existence since the early 1980’s.