Author Archives: Biologicalenrichment

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About Biologicalenrichment

I started a farm and nursery in the early 1980’s called Oikos Tree Crops. It was once a 13 acre pasture. Today it is a forest rich in food producing plants. I am dedicated to finding, preserving, creating and disseminating a wide variety of food plants via seeds that I harvest at my farm. I explore new plants and healthy ways to raise them. I focus on my seed repository while providing seeds to others that wish to follow my bold experiment in some way or form. My farm is one of the oldest and most diverse maintained tree crop plantings in the U.S. using many plants from around the world as a form of global agroforestry applied at a local level. Every plant grown on my farm is grown from seeds. I use the tree crop philosophy as a means to expand the use of perennial, woody tree and shrub crops raised from seed without the use of chemical and high energy inputs.The two story agriculture is alive and well at Oikos Tree Crops. This blog highlights ecological enrichment as a means to improve human health and raise awareness of the possibilities of creating a healthy earth and a wealthy farmer. My story is told by describing my 50 years of farming and life experiences surrounding agriculture filled with my love of nature and my constant search for a greater diversity beyond the cultivar on a global stage.

In Search Of

I average one day every week going over my collection of trees.  If you were to see me do this, it appears I am wandering around lost and looking for something. I am.  I am evaluating the structure of the … Continue reading →

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Smooshed Fruit: Blackhaw and Medlar

Recently while talking to the power line vegetation control folks at my farm, one of them said to me, “It must be really satisfying to know you planted a forest.”  I was very fortunate to be at the right time … Continue reading →

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Heading North on the Persimmon Highway

Not much is known about the American persimmon in its northern reaches. The term northern has both a subjective and objective value to it. Objective is based on the chromosome count for the northern ‘race’ and degree hours above 50 … Continue reading →

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Hog Peanut: Subterranean Tuber Becomes Aerial Bean

While harvesting American hazelnuts on my farm near the electric line right of way, I discovered the hog peanut. I pulled up on the vine and found several larger than average tubers (dime sized)  connected on a string. I had … Continue reading →

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The Species Pear Balancing Act On the Move

If you were to take a peak into the secret life of pears, you will find treasures hidden in places that are not easily accesible. These are not “escaped” pears but subspecies that someone in the taxonomic botanical world has … Continue reading →

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The Unstoppable Power of Bamboo

When I lived in town with my family, I had a jogging route part of which was on a brick road on a steep hill. On the corner was a beautifully landscaped home of many fruits and ornamentals including a … Continue reading →

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Paulownia: Grow Your Own Home-It Zooms

One of my first acquaintances in the tree crop arena was a research technician in the pharmaceutical industry.  He was very passionate about growing his own firewood. This was in an era when the hybrid-popular market was in full swing … Continue reading →

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Rediscovered Fruit: The Cornelian Cherry

On a camping trip when I was in high school I ate a bunch of bunchberries, Cornus canadensis. It is a common groundcover found in the northern woods of Michigan. The edible wild book that I had said they would … Continue reading →

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Wood is Good: American Chestnut

In my senior year in college, I was employed as a gardener for a home that was near a nature reserve in the city. From time to time, I would cross the street with a wheelbarrow full of spoiled apples harvested … Continue reading →

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Finding Mulberry: Morus rubra

I like mulberries and everything about them. It doesn’t matter what type they are. I made the selection Lavender Life red mulberry based on heavy fruit yields. It was not based on percentage of how much it may or may … Continue reading →

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