Author Archives: Biologicalenrichment

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About Biologicalenrichment

I started a farm in the early 1980’s called Oikos Tree Crops. It was once a 13 acre pasture and with the help of many worldwide plants became a forest. Today I am dedicated more than ever to finding, preserving, creating and disseminating a wide variety of food plants. At my farm I explore new plants and healthy ways to raise them. I currently focus my attention on my seed repository while providing seeds and bring these new discoveries to the public at large. 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.

Mackinaw Peach

There is something very satisfying growing a tree from seed. Every now and then I will save the pits of plums and peaches from the store and squeak out a few plants. Since all of the fruit comes from California … Continue reading

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It’s Just a Seedling

Here nestled into the leaf litter of a farm road I drive over, a small apple tree has sprouted and taken root. This apple tree might be considered an accidental visitor or a plant out of place for some but … Continue reading

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The Real Estate With the Best View of the Forest

Look up. The canopy is filled with fruits and nuts. Look down. Do you see anything? This was my beginning of finding and developing shade loving fruit crops. There are many plants that will tolerate shade but few that will … Continue reading

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Flexibility and Stability:Wild Apple

Malus pumila var. niedwetzkyana I received this seed from an overseas arboretum collection many years ago. It is a white flowering form of a normally red flower and red flesh crabapple. I only had one tree of it at the … Continue reading

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The Species Pear: Balancing Act

If you dare to look into the taxonomy of pears, you will find some treasures hidden in the mountains in France far outside cultivation. These are not “escaped” pears but subspecies that someone in taxonomy has gone to the trouble … Continue reading

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The Oregon Grape Holly

This particular species of broadleaf evergreen is part of a broad range of species as well as hybrids used as ornamental landscape plants. One of my ‘seedy’ friends sent me several types of seeds harvested from older arboretum collections. I … Continue reading

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Perennial Solutions to Annual Problems

One of the constant challenges when faced with any horticultural endeavor is finding ways to eliminate or greatly reduce plants that are competing with your crop plant.  Here are a few examples of ways to enhance what nature has already … Continue reading

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Wood is Good:The dream of the American Chestnut

It was only by accident that I found an American chestnut tree one summer while doing yard work for a little extra money in my senior year in college.  The dried burrs I found beneath it made a great ornament … Continue reading

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