The Last Great Hur-rye

Not too far from this wonderful slippery elm tree on my family’s farm was a great field of rye my father and I created. Like this tree, the rye field idea was latent and was not discovered until later in life. Who knew it was there all along? The field was the last thing we …

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The Musical Fruit Tree

To grow a pear tree as a source of wood for musical instruments seemed like a long shot when I first started. I got the idea initially from a Hohner pear wood recorder I purchased in high school. I had quit playing trumpet and needed another avenue. Please note I was not aware of Miles …

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Pawpaw Seeds-Create a Whole Forest

I am always surprised to find that no animals will consume the pawpaw seed. There is really only a very insanely small number of seeds that animals or insects will not eat. I often viewed my nursery seed beds as the most valuable portion of my nursery as well as the most expensive buffet of …

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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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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 …

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Foundation Seed Stock: Ecos Selections

New Seeds New Ideas and New Website

The Value of Plants

The value of plants and their potential uses are infinite. The direction you take might be a good idea even if not useful to modern day agribusiness.

Tiny Tuber On The Run Saves the World

The hog peanut is an unassuming plant of immense importance producing a delicious small tuber.

The Yields of Acorns and Friendships

When I first purchased my land, I needed a lot of seeds.  Acorns were my first seed obsession. You could find me in parks, strips of land along busy roads and front yards meticulously picking acorns one by one and taste-testing them.  When I asked my brother Chris and my ‘agri-buddy’ and musician Jesse to …

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American Chestnut Wood Bowls: The Celebration of Wood

American Chestnut Wood Bowls can be created using both diseased older trees and larger prunings from standing trees.