Tag Archives: agriculture

The Hazelnut Arrives

It was over forty years ago when I first peered through the tree line on the land I was about to purchase and spotted hazelnuts. It was a good sign. I had no idea what was ahead of me. Here … Continue reading

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Hog Peanut Moves to the Light

Once a seed repository is built up including varietal selections like Crispy Snack, seeds can be used for the production of the tubers. You can pelletize the seed for greater uniformity and inoculate it with appropriate nitrogen fixing bacteria. It … Continue reading

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The Perfect Plum

One of my early nursery experiences with another nursery owner on the west coast was with plums. He was producing an Asian species from seed like gangbusters. I started seeing them in the some of the giant retailers like Gurney … Continue reading

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Discovery from Seeds

Sometimes its the small things that matter. Growing plants from seeds and finding traits that are inherited over time in a population of plants is a joy for me. I have no idea why I like it. I just find … Continue reading

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Full Seeds Ahead

Every time I see seeds on a rack in a store I stop. They are always very organized. The packets jump off the rack. They are small and easy to pick. It is like the space between your hand and … Continue reading

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Meanwhile Back at the Grocery Store Germplasm is Found

For many years I would keep the pits of some of my favorite grocery store fruits and try to grow them at my farm. Every fruit looks so spectacular coming exclusively from California. Everything is also patented and illegal to … Continue reading

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Waves on an Ocean: From Monoculture to Diversiculture

Going to the Ocean of Corn Where Waves of Diversity Continually Emerge Like an ocean filled with innumerable waves, there is no end to plant diversity. When it comes to a common cultivated food plant like corn, the species becomes … Continue reading

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One Potato: Teeny Tubers on a Quantum String

Its a funny thing to talk about potato roots. It is for my audience of one. I can clear a room discussing potato roots. Need help getting rid of guests that stay too long? Let me talk to them about … Continue reading

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Diversity Explored: The Wild Blueberry

When my father and his friend from the post office purchased 140 acres of wetland in central Michigan in the mid-1960’s they knew that it was a swamp and generally unusable.The price was roughly $100 per acre at the time. … Continue reading

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Diversity Explored: The Edible Sunflower

I always was fascinated with the sunflower. There was always so much activity around them. My parents decided to move to a new home when I was 16 years old. It was in a new subdivision in the midst of … Continue reading

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