The hog peanut is an unassuming plant of immense importance producing a delicious small tuber.
Continue readingMarch 9, 2018 in New Plant Discoveries , News from the Farm
New Plant Discoveries
July 8, 2016 in Blog , New Plant Discoveries , Recent Articles , Tips for Healthy Plants
More on the people behind the plants and the origins of blight… (To read Part 1, click here). The Plum Guy The Story Behind the Plant: Ralph loved the idea of a tree crop farm. Having worked in the paper industry his whole life, he purchased 30 acres of land and began planting large amounts of heartnuts, butternuts and English walnuts, all of which he purchased from Oikos Tree Crops. He planted over 10 acres of walnuts alone. He also planted a few types of Japanese plums from ...
Continue readingJune 27, 2016 in Blog , New Plant Discoveries , Tips for Healthy Plants
Chestnuts: Immune to Blight In 2010, we received an email from a long-time customer who conducted some research he had done on our trees. The research used a group of hybrid American Chestnut trees from our farm, (namely Timburr American Hybrid Chestnut and Ken’s Select Hybrids), to determine the amount of blight resistance and cold tolerance. From his control group he knew that if blight had struck the tree, it was usually within the first few years of growth. After studying over ...
Continue readingJune 24, 2016 in Blog , New Plant Discoveries , Recent Articles
Recently at Oikos Tree Crops we have been reflecting on some inspiring stories of plants and people we admire for various reasons. Here are three short stories we think you will enjoy. Mirabelle Plums represent one of the most widely distributed and highly coveted plums throughout the world. Part of the mystique is its label as an ‘illegal’ plum with a Protected Geographical Indication, meaning the fruit is protected in the French region of Lorraine. Despite the PGI, Mirabelle can also be ...
Continue readingApril 29, 2016 in Blog , New Plant Discoveries
Of all the so called ‘wild plants’ I have grown under cultivation, there was no greater mystery for me than that of the thimbleberry. This species of raspberry like almost all Rubus is highly vigorous, produces a fair amount of flowers and beautiful dark green maple-like leaves. Collecting them on my up north vacations with my daughters was a great joy. Lucky thimbleberries are not thorny. However, when I grew them in my own backyard there was no fruit. Personally seeing the fruiting ...
Continue readingNovember 14, 2014 in Blog , New Plant Discoveries
It was only by accident that I found an American chestnut tree one summer ...
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