Tag Archives: ecology

The Chinese Mountain Yam: New Crop-A Better World

This particular crop plant is one of the best tubers I have grown at my farm. The mild flavor and smooth texture along with its easily digestible carbohydrates make it an ideal candidate for a new tuber crop not available … Continue reading

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Creating Order in a Random World

The plants I chose to grow at my farm was based on my personal experiences. There were many more or less random events of people contacting me with seeds or accidentally finding plants as I went through my daily life. … Continue reading

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The Vigorous Life of Pruning

In the winter, I do a lot of pruning. There are no yellow jackets to avoid. The plants are dormant which is ideal and it is much easier to maneuver and identify shrubs and trees that seed in under my … Continue reading

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The Southern Magnolia Visits My Northern Garden

Many species of woody plants survive only because people move them out to new locations where they would never be found ala naturelle. They may provide a source of seeds which can be used to create additional selections. Like the … Continue reading

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The American Chestnut Revisited

Thanks to a previous generation of growers who appreciated and loved the chestnut tree for its nuts and wood quality, I was able to grow the hybrid populations on my farm. From these seedling American hybrid nuts, I was able … Continue reading

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The Alpine Strawberry Moves to Flat-Landia

One of the most common and widely available perennial edible groundcover plants is the Alpine strawberry, Fragaria vesca. I grew as many as I could find in the seed trade. Unlike regular strawberries, Alpine strawberry varieties are grown from seeds. … Continue reading

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Plants That Saw the Light of Day (Part 3)

If you love plants, it is only natural to want to try to grow something that is entirely based on a feeling. There is no objective knowledge or science involved. It is a form of appreciation of the natural world … Continue reading

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Plants That Saw The Light of Day (Part 2)

Every plant that I grew whether it was in great profusion or just a few for experimental purposes had possibilities. If it died unexpectedly or had some horticultural issues of some sort, then I want to know what happened and … Continue reading

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Plants That Saw The Light of Day

(Part 1) I do not have much of a selection process for plants. Every plant looks interesting to me. I really liked the flavor of that wild Rocket I found in the cracks of a sidewalk in Grand Haven, Michigan. … Continue reading

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Two Story Agriculture

Ground Floor and Going Up I first found the concept of Two Story Agriculture in the best selling book Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture by J. Russell Smith. He was an economic geographer for Columbia University and had written extensively … Continue reading

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