Tag Archives: ecology

Direct Seeding: Get Your Satchel and Plant a Forest

Everyone wants to create a forest. It’s a natural desire. How hard can it be? You start with a blank canvas and add paint in the form of seeds or trees. Like the book “The Man Who Planted Trees” by … Continue reading

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The Pecan As a Tree Crop in Michigan

One of the most underlooked tree crops for Michigan and other northern short season areas is the pecan. The pecan has a ton of research behind it. It has the mechanization. It has shakers, crackers, dryers and sorters. It has … Continue reading

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Sprouts Hiding in The Grassy Meadow

The Grassy Meadows Have Delicious Food The seed tells a story of a plant. If you’re willing to listen, you will benefit from your experience with the plant. Such was the case for some of the plants I grew at … Continue reading

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ZEA

ZEA Zea is the genus name for corn. It is the Greek word meaning bread. The first Zea grain goes back to at least 12,000 years ago. Evidence was recently found in a cave in Turkey that Zea grains were … Continue reading

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The Year of the Buffalo Gourd

Of the many crop plants that I grew for my retail nursery, the buffalo gourd was one of the most fascinating. Frequently I searched for perennial versions of common annual food plants like squash. The buffalo gourd fell into this … Continue reading

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Persimmon Roots and Their Underground Network

In the beginning, I had a pasture. It was a good pasture used for hay to feed livestock. It consisted of steep hills with flat parts which was almost barren of trees. All I had to do was add trees. … Continue reading

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The Very Wild Texas Peach

The Texas peach represents a great human plant introduction into the southwestern U.S. native flora. It integrates into its surrounding environment and continues to broaden its genetic diversity. When botanists first looked at the peach thriving in the southeastern U.S., … Continue reading

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Tree Crop Pioneers and New American Persimmon Varieties

One of my first persimmon seed sources for trees at my nursery was from a persimmon cannery in Mitchell, Indiana called Dymple’s Delight. I used the cannery waste for producing trees. The seeds were extracted prior to cooking. The seeds … Continue reading

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Watermelons Grow in Trees at My Farm

One of my first attempts at growing watermelons was a huge success. I was working full time at a garden center and much like all of my co-workers I had a large garden. My garden extended the width of the … Continue reading

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The American Persimmon: Sugar Heaven

Every year is a great joy to harvest American persimmons. This year is no exception. I relish the major brush clearing and grass mowing that is needed for me to obtain the fruit in quantity and quality. To harvest the … Continue reading

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