Foundation Seed Stock-Ecos
Since first starting my nursery in 1979 I discovered, rediscovered, planted and created from scratch many useful food plants and timber trees for agriculture, horticulture and forestry. Instead of cultivars or varieties I focused first on the population rather than the individual. The result of that experimentation lead me to develop populations of many woody plants that are genetically diverse that can be grown 'true' from seed in a wide variety of environmental conditions. This was the beginning of my foundation seed stock to draw from.
This foundation stock represents some of the most healthful and versatile woody perennials and perennial vegetables. The focus was to find plants that require minimal care yet provide a high level of nutrition as well as unique flavors not found in cultivated plants. Each plant that I harvest seeds from is selected for its high yields, disease resistance as well as its ease of use as it finds its way to its culinary end. The plants grown from my this seed can provide both a living population to breed cultivars from or to use as is and reproduced ad infinitum from seed as a population or a land race. Reproduction by seed allows the population to adapt over time due to climate changes or disease pressures. This makes cultivar development or even to use as a single 'strain' or land race a field of possibilities that can never become genetically stagnate. This is the ECOS Oikos Tree Crops Foundation Seed Stock.
Cultivars are often offered with the seeds include scions, cuttings, budwood and roots or tubers. This will allow you to continue the varietal selection that I created here at my farm as well as make it available to others either as a nursery or use in a farming situation. From seed, these selections represent a unique slice of a species available to use as is in seedling plantings without the guess work of where did my seed come from.
Seeds are shipped immediately along with the scions or cuttings during the dormant season. It varies from year to year on what crops are available. No international seed shipping including Canada is allowed. No pick up direct from the farm or phone orders. No small packet sizes are available.