Join 1,159 other subscribers
ProspectRock.org
Vermont's Permaculture Institute
Tag Archives: agroforestry
2021 Plant Sale!
Posted by on April 22, 2021
Greetings Friends!
We hope this message finds you and yours well and having a nice summery spring!
We are offering nursery plants for pickup downtown Jeffersonville or at the farm in Johnson, in the Old North End of Burlington, and possibly delivery to limited locations in Southern VT or Western MA.
We presently intend to offer our 14th annual Permaculture Design Certification course July 18- July 30 in person and hands-on, at Willow Crossing Farm, at the intersections of the Lamoille River, the Long Trail, and the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail. The course will run with a limited group size, ensure your space by registering now! As always, we can offer full scholarships for income-eligible VT state residents and are happy to work with folks from out of state to make the course more accessible.
We’re excited to offer the following plants from our nursery- as always please ask if you are looking for anything in particular, and search through past years plant sale pages for more information on varieties and a sampling of the many things we offer different years. With Covid complicating many endeavors on the farm and in our community, we greatly appreciate your patience with this year’s list and getting orders together. We will have an expanded menu of options (including wholesale quantity pricing) available for spring 2022, and can begin taking reservations, now. (We also really need help updating our web and social media presence!)
With limited capacity this spring we expect to sell out of most offerings. Pick up starts Tuesday April 27.
All proceeds support floodplain reforestation, resilience, productive habitat stewardship, and insect and wildlife sanctuary at Willow Crossing Farm.
Please inquire about ‘bulk’ pricing (10 or more plants in any combination) or ‘wholesale pricing’ (10x or 100x etc of the same variety). This is great for folks establishing hedgerows, windbreaks, shelterbelts, orchards, vineyards, or looking to begin commercial production of these Vermont-proven fruits, nuts, berries, and vines.
BARE ROOT is a naked tree and wants to be planted as soon as possible, prices are determined by size (diameter caliper or ~height) and rarity of tree or variety. Please arrange pickup as soon as possible.
POTS are ONE GALLON and $20 EACH unless otherwise stated. They would love to be planted into their permanent home sooner than later but can ‘hang out’ for several weeks if necessary.
Please reserve your quantities ASAP, as we imagine most of these will sell out quickly.
Plants are available for pickup BY APPOINTMENT- with contact free transactions. Pickup can be arranged in Johnson, Jeffersonville, or the ONE in Burlington. Because some plants are at the farm, or in greenhouses, or cold storage- please call or email to confirm availability and arrange a time and ensure the right location to get your plants, and allow me time to gather your order- I’m available by phone or email to make an appointment.
We will try to hold trees, but without cash in hand (venmo: @earthsurfing) there are no guarantees- first come first served, especially with bare root as we want them planted asap. Feel free to PayPal Friends and Family or Facebook Messenger money for a guaranteed reservation.
CORNELIAN CHERRIES
A beautiful, super early flowering cold hardy edible dogwood- with beautiful flowers and delicious pest-free fruit. Large 3-5′ bare root plants $40 each “Elegant”, “Pioneer”, “Red Star”, “Red Dawn”, “Yellow” need more than one variety for cross-pollination
HONEYBERRIES / HASKAPS: All $20 Each
A very hardy and unique shrub, Honeyberry is an edible species of Honeysuckle with sweet and tasty fruit- presently being developed as a commercial crop through the coldest parts of the world. Valued for its tasty, blueberry-like fruit, its extremely early ripening, often two weeks before strawberries, and its exceptional hardiness, to minus 40 degrees F., or below. Great for fresh eating, juicing, and preserves. Has approximately 5x the anti-oxidants of blueberries!
“Arora”, “Czech 17”, “Indigo Gem”, “Indigo Treat” (requires more than one variety for pollination)
NUT TREES:
HAZELNUTS/ HAZELBERTS-
This is the earliest of all nut trees to bear nuts. One of our favorites for a future crop in VT, now well into production here at Willow Crossing, these multi-stemmed trees will begin to bear nuts in as little as 3 years from planting. They also make nice hedges, living fences, privacy screens, or snow fence, and have attractive fall foliage.
Pollen-Controlled Cross (bare root): $20 each
WALNUT FAMILY:
BLACK WALNUTS- The most valuable lumber tree in the the northeastern forest, and long-lived producer of delicious nuts. Mature trees can be tapped for syrup, a favorite for silvopasture design. Not recommended near areas where tomatoes or potatoes are grown. Proven VT Hardy 3-4′ Bare Root Tree $25
BUTTERNUT– Our native and endangered ‘white walnut’ Bare Root seedling trees 2-3′ $25
CARPATHIAN WALNUT (Juglans regia) 2-3′ bare root: $25 (*experimental in Lamoille county, proven in champlain and CT river)
SHAGBARK HICKORY: 6-12″ bare root $15-20
NORTHERN PECAN: 1-2′ bare root $25 (*experimental in Lamoille county, proven in champlain and CT river)
American Chestnut: 6-12′ bare root $15-20
Black Locust: 2-3′ bare root $15-20 Super fast growing Nitrogen Fixer, edible flowers, rot resistant wood, high btu firewood.
VINES:
HARDY KIWIS- Hardy, Fuzzless, and even Sweeter! One Gallon Pots $20
-FEMALES: “KEN”S RED”, “Geneva 3”, “MICHIGAN STATE”, ANNA, CHANGBAI, Requires at least one male.
-‘CLARK’ and ‘MEADER’ MALE- 1 gallon pots. $20 3/5″ potted males $15 1 male needed for every 8 females, depending on pattern.
SCHISANDRA: Eastern Prince: gallon pots $20, ~self-fertile
The ‘Five Flavor Berry’- selection of self-fertile Magnolia Vine from the Vavilov Institute at Vladivostok, Eastern Prince Schisandra Vine™ bears good crops of large, tasty fruit. Eastern Prince™ Schisandra Vine is hardy to minus 35 degrees F., USDA Zone 3. This particular variety is bears clusters of lightly fragrant, magnolia-like flowers. The snow-white flowers are followed by striking, crimson berries which have a tart and very distinctive taste and aroma. The fruit makes tasty, vitamin-rich juice and preserves, and the dried leaves, shoots, and roots are used to make a refreshing and stimulating tea.
HOPS: 3.5″ pots $12 “Alpha Aroma” or “Brewer’s Gold”
FRUIT TREES/ BUSHES:
ELDERBERRIES a favorite native for its medicinally valuable delicious berries and showy flowers. Source of syrups, wine, pies, and fritters 3.5″ pots $12: “Adams”, “Ranch”, “Bob Gordon”, “Wyldwood”, and “Wild”.
Paw Paw: 1-2′ bare root $20
SEA BERRIES: Nitrogen-fixing hardy superfood fruit! “Amber Dawn” 1 gallon pots,
FIGS: 3.5″ potted rooted cuttings $10 ‘LSU’; One Gallon Pots ‘Chicago Hardy’ $25
RIBES
‘JOSTABERRY’ BLACK CURRANT x GOOSEBERRY- One gallon pots
A unique cross of Gooseberry and Black Currant, Jostaberry is the most vigorous of all our Currant varieties. A very disease resistant and easy to grow small shrub, Jostaberry produces very large, jet black, sweet-tart fruit, high in Vitamin C and good for fresh eating and excellent for jams and jellies.
GOJI BERRY: Crimson Star: Gallon Pots $20, Phoenix Tears small pots $10 ~zone 5 hardy. Commercial variety, edible leaves also! ~self-fertile
ARONIA- One Gallon Pots $20 “Nero” and “Viking”
An easy to grow, productive small shrub, Nero grows 3- 4 ft. in height and bears abundant crops of large, jet-black berries, good for juice and wine. A beautiful ornamental, you’ll enjoy Nero’s abundant clusters of very dark blue fruit and striking, bright red, fall foliage.
8-10′ Seedling Rootstock Plums, Pears, Antanovka Apples available $200 and up. FALL
PEARS: 1 gallon pot grafted trees ‘Bartlett’ $30
NITROGEN FIXERS:
SEA BERRY: A Nitrogen Fixing Fruit Tree- know for its medicine/ super-food / nutraceutical properties.
BLACK LOCUST: 2-3′ $15-20
Inquire about wholesale pricing (10x plants or 100x plants) for orchards, windbreaks, Shelterbelts, and production systems. Inquire about Lemons and other citrus, Tea and Maté plants, and other unique plants.
CANNABIS: Please contact us for seeds, seedlings, clones, or flats of starts of CBD hemp. We also have organic flower and pre-rolls. We are offering cloning services for a limited number of ‘adult use’ strains for legal grows (21+, please) $25 each cloning fee Durban Kush x Venom OG; DK x Pineapple Punch; Gelato; Forbidden Fruit x Gelato; Granola Funk; Starfighter Wookie; Blueberry Muffins x Runtz; Garlic Cookies.
LOOKING FOR SOMETHING ELSE? Let us know- we have more than is listed here, including scionwood and seed. Feel free to reserve things for fall 2021 or spring 22
HOW TO ORDER? The best way to ask questions is to send an email to KEITH@PROSPECTROCK.ORG, TEXT, or CALL (802) 734-1129. The best way to send money is Venmo (@earthsurfing), Paypal Friends and Family, Check, or Paypal purchase, Credit Card over the phone (in order of preference).
– ALL PROCEEDS SUPPORT ECOLOGICAL REGENERATION –
A reminder- enrollment is open for our 14th ANNUAL FARM AND WILDERNESS IMMERSION PERMACULTURE DESIGN CERTIFICATION and full scholarships available for income-eligible Vermont State Residents. Please invite friends and family members who may be interested in immersing for two weeks in Vermont!
THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR FAMILY FARM and SHARING THIS!
Wishing you and yours health and resilience!
Keith and Family
Willow Crossing Farm is Vermont’s Longest Running Permaculture and Agroforestry Research and Demonstration Farm- Contact us for Design Consultations and Design/ Build Services.
2020 Plant Sale!
Posted by on April 25, 2020
Hello and Happy Spring!
2020 List! Order NOW for pickup (downtown Jeffersonville or Willow Crossing Farm in Johnson) beginning May 5
Greetings Friends!
We hope this message finds you and yours well and making the most of these very interesting times.
At this point, all spring workshops, events, and tours are cancelled. We are offering nursery plants for pickup downtown Jeffersonville or at the farm in Johnson, and contact-free delivery to limited locations (likely: Burlington, VT; Plymouth, NH; Northampton; MA).
We presently intend to offer our 13th annual Permaculture Design Certification course July 19- July 31 in person and hands-on, at Willow Crossing Farm, at the intersections of the Lamoille River, the Long Trail, and the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail.
We’re excited to offer the following plants from our nursery- as always please ask if you are looking for anything in particular, and search through past years plant sale pages for more information on varieties and a sampling of the many things we offer different years. With limited capacity this spring we expect to sell out of most offerings in just a few days. Pick up starts Tuesday May 5.
All proceeds support floodplain reforestation, resilience, productive habitat stewardship, and insect and wildlife sanctuary at Willow Crossing Farm.
Please inquire about ‘bulk’ pricing (10 or more plants in any combination) or ‘wholesalepricing’ (10x or 100x etc of the same plant/ variety). This is great for folks establishing hedgerows, windbreaks, shelterbelts, orchards, vineyards, or looking to begin commercial production of these Vermont-proven fruits, nuts, berries, and vines.
BARE ROOT is a naked tree and wants to be planted as soon as possible, prices are determined by size (diameter caliper or ~height) and rarity of tree or variety. Please arrange pickup as soon as possible.
POTS are ONE GALLON and $20 EACH unless otherwise stated. They would love to be planted into their permanent home sooner than later but can ‘hang out’ for several weeks if necessary.
Please reserve your quantities ASAP, as we imagine most of these will sell out quickly.
Plants are available for pickup BY APPOINTMENT- with contact free transactions. I may be delivering some plants into Burlington, Plymouth, NH and Northampton, MA. Some are at the farm, some are in cold storage downtown Jeffersonville- so please call or email to confirm availability and arrange a time and ensure the right location to get your plants.
We’ll announce more ‘open hours’ for plant pick-ups soon, and are usually available by phone or email to make an appointment to meet for a plant pick up.
We will try to hold trees, but without cash in hand (venmo: @earthsurfing) there are no guarantees- first come first served, especially with bare root as we want them planted asap. Feel free to PayPal Friends and Family or Facebook Messenger money for a guaranteed reservation.
NUT TREES:
HAZELNUTS/ HAZELBERTS-
This is the earliest of all nut trees to bear nuts. One of our favorites for a future crop in VT, now well into production here at Willow Crossing, these multi-stemmed trees will begin to bear nuts in as little as 3 years from planting. They also make nice hedges, living fences, privacy screens, or snow fence, and have attractive fall foliage.
Selected Seedlings (bare root): $15 Sold Out
Pollen-Controlled Cross (bare root): $20 each
PINENUTS-
We finally are able to release some of our favorite trees for an evergreen windbreak- the producers of PINENUTS. Almost all Pinenuts in the supermarket are Korean Pinenuts grown in China. A beautiful tree with whorls of dark-green needles, this very hardy Pine is an attractive and stately tree planted singly or in groups. Its large and tasty nuts are gathered in Korea and eastern Russia and are greatly prized for their rich flavor, nutritional value, and high economic worth.
Bare Root: $15 One Gallon Pots: $20 10′-12’+ Trees: $300-800/ ea
WALNUT FAMILY:
BLACK WALNUTS- The most valuable lumber tree in the the northeastern forest, and long-lived producer of delicious nuts. Mature trees can be tapped for syrup, a favorite for silvopasture design. Not recommended near areas where tomatoes or potatoes are grown. Proven VT Hardy
3-4′ Bare Root Tree $20
BUTTERNUT– Our native and endanged ‘white walnut’ Bare Root seedling trees 3-4′ $25
BUTTERHEART (BUARTNUT)- A disease resistant hybrid of Heartnut with our native endangered Butternut- this beautiful specimen tree exhibits ‘hybrid vigor’ once rooted, and bears tremendous amounts of delicious nuts. Come by the farm to see one flowering this spring. Proven VT Hardy order for spring 2021
CHINESE CHESTNUT: 2-3′ Bare Root Seedling Tree $15
CARPATHIAN/ MANREGION WALNUT- SOLD OUT Please write to express interest, as there may be some left over.
VINES:
HARDY KIWIS- Hardy, Fuzzless, and even Sweeter! One Gallon Pots $20
-FEMALES: KEN”S RED, HARDY RED, MICHIGAN STATE, ANNA Requires 1:8 M:F for pollination.
-‘ANDREY’ MALE- An extra hardy Russian male, suitable to pollinate all female Hardy Kiwis. 1 male needed for every 8 females, depending on pattern.
SCHISANDRA: Eastern Prince: gallon pots $20, ~self-fertile
The ‘Five Flavor Berry’- selection of self-fertile Magnolia Vine from the Vavilov Institute at Vladivostok, Eastern Prince Schisandra Vine™ bears good crops of large, tasty fruit. Eastern Prince™ Schisandra Vine is hardy to minus 35 degrees F., USDA Zone 3. This particular variety is bears clusters of lightly fragrant, magnolia-like flowers. The snow-white flowers are followed by striking, crimson berries which have a tart and very distinctive taste and aroma. The fruit makes tasty, vitamin-rich juice and preserves, and the dried leaves, shoots, and roots are used to make a refreshing and stimulating tea.
HOPS: CASCADE $12/ Rhizome
GRAPES: KING OF THE NORTH 3 year vines $20
FRUIT TREES/ BUSHES:
CHERRY: (All Bare Root Cherries $25)
Compact Stella: 3/4″ caliper bare root trees. A naturally dwarfing ~self-fertile ~black cherry *marginally hardy*
Lapins: 1/4″-1/2″ bare root grafted on Colt semi-dwarf, ~self-fertile
Kristin: 1″ caliper bare root grafted on Colt semi dwarf
Northstar: 5 gallon pots $50
BLUEBERRY: PATRIOT- 2′ bare root $25 The proven winner for northern Vermont and one of the best cultivars for edible landscapes/ ornamentals with great form color, and berries, of course!
‘LIBERTY’ APPLE– 3/8′-1/2″ diameter caliper grafted bare root trees $20 
Grow Liberty Apple and enjoy freedom from apple scab and other diseases! The Liberty Apple Tree bears large, attractive, bright red fruit with sweet, flavorful, crisp and juicy flesh. One of the best disease-resistant varieties, Liberty Apple is great for eating fresh and baking. Liberty ripens in mid to late September and stores well until January. On semi-dwarf Rootstock.
FIGS: One Gallon Pots $20
‘VERN’S BROWN TURKEY’ FIG- One Gallon Pots $20
To distinguish this variety from less reliable varieties also called Brown
Turkey, its named after garden writer Vern Nelson. Vern’s Brown Turkey has proven itself a reliable and productive variety. It bears large, sweet and flavorful, dark brown figs with light amber flesh.
CHICAGO HARDY FIG- One of the most prolific figs to grow in cold areas of the northern U.S. The fall fruits are born on the new canes that grow during the summer, a plant with 4 new stem growths can produce up to 150 purplish brown figs. The figs are of excellent flavor. Stem hardy to 10 degrees F (-20 degrees C), root hardy to -20 degrees F (-28 degrees C). Zones 5 – 10.
LSU PURPLE
‘JOSTABERRY’ BLACK CURRANT x GOOSEBERRY- 3-5′ Bare Root Shrubs $25
A unique cross of Gooseberry and Black Currant, Jostaberry is the most vigorous of all our Currant varieties. A very disease resistant and easy to grow small shrub, Jostaberry produces very large, jet black, sweet-tart fruit, high in Vitamin C and good for fresh eating and excellent for jams and jellies.
CONSORT BLACK CURRANT: 24″+ Bare root. $15 each
RED LAKE RED CURRANT: 24″+ Bare root. $15 each
GOOSEBERRY: 24″+ Bare root. $15/ each PIXWELL and CAPTIVATOR
ELDERBERRY: Adams and Ranch small pots $10/ each 2′ bare root seedlings $15
GOJI BERRY: Crimson Star: Gallon Pots $20, Phoenix Tears small pots $10 ~zone 5 hardy. Commercial variety, edible leaves also! ~self-fertile
SERVICEBERRY: SASKATOON 2-3′ Bare Root Trees $20
‘NERO’ ARONIA– One Gallon Pots $20
An easy to grow, productive small shrub, Nero grows 3- 4 ft. in height and bears abundant crops of large, jet-black berries, good for juice and wine. A beautiful ornamental, you’ll enjoy Nero’s abundant clusters of very dark blue fruit and striking, bright red, fall foliage.
HONEYBERRIES / HASKAPS: All $20 Each SOLD OUT
A very hardy and unique small shrub, Honeyberry is an edible species of Honeysuckle with sweet and tasty fruit- presently being developed as a commercial crop through the coldest parts of the world. Valued for its tasty, blueberry-like fruit, its extremely early ripening, often two weeks before strawberries, and its exceptional hardiness, to minus 40 degrees F., or below. Great for fresh eating, juicing, and preserves. Has approximately 5x the anti-oxidants of blueberries!
Blue Hokkaido: 1-2′ Bare Root; Blue Moon: 2-3′ Bare Root; Blue Pacific: 1-3′ Bare Root
NATIVE AMERICAN PLUMS: Bare Root Trees 2-3′ $20 Dig your own $10 each
8-10′ Seedling Rootstock Plums, Pears available $100 and up.
PEARS: 1/4″ caliper grafted trees ‘Bartlett’ $20
IMPROVED MEYER LEMON: 5 Gallon Pots $50 SOLD OUT
STRAWBERRIES: Albion $3/ crown
PURPLE ASPARAGUS: $5/ plant
NITROGEN FIXERS:
GOUMI: $20 Red Gem: 2-3′ Bare Root; Sweet Scarlet: One Gallon Pots SOLD OUT
SEA BERRY: A Nitrogen Fixing Fruit Tree- know for its medicine/ super-food / nutraceutical properties.
Females: Frugana: 3-4′ bare root trees $25; Leikora: Gallon Pots $20; Orange Glow: 2-3′ Bare Root Trees $20; Radiant: 1-2′ Bare Root Trees $20 Male: Gallon Pots $20
BLACK LOCUST: 3-4′ Bare Root $15
Inquire about wholesale pricing (10x plants or 100x plants) for orchards, windbreaks, Shelterbelts, and production systems. Inquire about Lemons and other citrus, Tea and Maté plants, and other unique plants.
CANNABIS: Please contact us for seeds, seedlings, clones, or flats of starts of CBD hemp. We also have organic flower and pre-rolls.
LOOKING FOR SOMETHING ELSE? Let us know- we have more than is listed here, including scionwood and seed.
HOW TO ORDER? The best way to ask questions is to send an email to KEITH@PROSPECTROCK.ORG, TEXT, or CALL (802) 734-1129. The best way to send money is Venmo (@earthsurfing), Paypal Friends and Family, Check, or Paypal purchase, Credit Card over the phone (in order of preference).
– ALL PROCEEDS SUPPORT ECOLOGICAL REGENERATION –
A reminder- enrollment is open for our 13th ANNUAL FARM AND WILDERNESS IMMERSION PERMACULTURE DESIGN CERTIFICATION and full scholarships available for income-eligible Vermont State Residents. Please invite friends and family members who may be interested in immersing for two weeks in Vermont!
THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR FAMILY FARM and SHARING THIS!
Wishing you and yours health and resilience!
Keith and Family
Willow Crossing Farm is Vermont’s Longest Running Permaculture and Agroforestry Research and Demonstration Farm- Contact us for Design Consultations and Design/ Build Services.
2018 Plant Sale!
Posted by on April 8, 2019
Hello and Happy Spring!
This list is previous year’s prices and offerings. From now on- the most up to date list can always be found directly at http://www.AgroForestryNursery.com
We’re happy to (finally) announce the plants we’ll have available this year- please get your order in ASAP as quantities are limited- apologies for our delay in getting this out! Please inquire about ‘bulk’ pricing (10 or more plants in any combination) or ‘wholesale pricing’ (10 or more of the same plant/ variety). This are great for folks establishing hedgerows, windbreaks, shelterbelts, orchards, vineyards, or looking to begin commercial production of these Vermont-proven fruits, nuts, berries, and vines. Wholesale quantities are limited to only some of our plants.
BARE ROOT is a naked tree and wants to be planted as soon as possible, prices are determined by size (diameter caliper or length) and rarity of tree or variety. Please arrange pickup as soon as possible.
POTS are ONE GALLON and $20 EACH unless otherwise stated. They would love to be planted into their permanent home sooner than later but can ‘hang out’ for several weeks if necessary.
Please reserve your quantities ASAP, as we imagine most of these will sell out quickly.
Plants are available for pickup BY APPOINTMENT- I may be delivering some plants into Burlington, some are at the farm, some are in cold storage downtown Jeffersonville- so please call or email to confirm availability and arrange a time and ensure the right location to get your plants.
SUNDAY MAY 7 we will host a farm tour, and then a ‘urban homestead/ apothecary’ tour downtown Jeffersonville, where folks can view mature examples of the plants we’ll have for sale, Pine Nuts, Hazels, and Currants will be available for pickup, fruit trees and other pots will be available after this Monday May 8. Stay tuned for details- I will continually update this page with availability.
We’ll announce more ‘open hours’ for plant pick-ups soon, and are usually available by phone or email to make an appointment to meet for a plant pick up.
We will try to hold trees, but without cash in hand there are no guarantees- first come first served, especially with bare root as we want them planted asap. Feel free to PayPal or Facebook Messenger money for a guaranteed reservation.
NUT TREES:
HAZELNUTS/ HAZELBERTS-
This is the earliest of all nut trees to bear nuts. One of our favorites for a future crop in VT, now well into production here at Willow Crossing, these multi-stemmed trees will begin to bear nuts in as little as 3 years from planting. They also make nice hedges, living fences, privacy screens, or snow fence, and have attractive fall foliage.
Selected Seedlings (bare root): $15
Pollen-Controlled Cross (bare root): $20
PINENUTS-
We finally are able to release some of our favorite trees for an evergreen windbreak- the producers of PINENUTS. Almost all Pinenuts in the supermarket are Korean Pinenuts grown in China. A beautiful tree with whorls of dark-green needles, this very hardy Pine is an attractive and stately tree planted singly or in groups. Its large and tasty nuts are gathered in Korea and eastern Russia and are greatly prized for their rich flavor, nutritional value, and high economic worth.
Bare Root: $15 One Gallon Pots: $20 8′ + Trees: $500
WALNUT FAMILY:
BLACK WALNUTS- The most valuable lumber tree in the the northeastern forest, and long-lived producer of delicious nuts. Mature trees can be tapped for syrup, a favorite for silvopasture design. Not recommended near areas where tomatoes or potatoes are grown. Proven VT Hardy
3-4′ Bare Root Tree $20
BUTTERHEART (BUARTNUT)- A disease resistant hybrid of Heartnut with our native endangered Butternut- this beautiful specimen tree exhibits ‘hybrid vigor’ once rooted, and bears tremendous amounts of delicious nuts. Come by the farm to see one flowering this spring. Proven VT Hardy
4-5′ Bare Root Tree $25
CARPATHIAN/ MANREGION WALNUT- SOLD OUT Please write to express interest, as there may be some left over.
VINES:
HARDY KIWIS- Hardy, Fuzzless, and even Sweeter! One Gallon Pots $20
-KEN”S RED- This delicious female cultivar bears abundant crops of grape-sized, red skinned ,and red fleshed fruit. Requires male for pollination.
-74/49- A favorite variety for ‘kiwi berry’ production- this female cultivars bears heavy crops of large green and deliciously flavored fruit. Requires male.
-‘ANDREY’ MALE- An extra hardy Russian male, suitable to pollinate all female Hardy Kiwis. 1 male needed for every 8 females, depending on pattern. Optimal pollination with 1 male for every 5 females.
MAYPOP PASSIONFLOWER-
This attractive and very hardy perennial vine features abundant, showy, pinkish purple flowers from July until frost. Following the flowers are greenish yellow fruit with the delicious and sprightly taste of tropical Passionfruit. Can be experimented with as a ‘dieback perennial’, but we take ours inside for the winter. Self Fertile
One Gallon Pots $20
FRUIT TREES:
‘LAPINS’ CHERRY- 5/8″ dia. Bare Root Trees $25
Very large, dark purple, delicious and self-fertile, Lapins is one of the best
Cherries available. From brilliant white blossoms to the dark red fruit to beautiful foliage in fall, this tree provides multi-seaon interest. Introduced by Dr. Lapins at the Summerland Research Station in British Columbia, Canada, Lapins is a favorite with commercial growers. Lapins is also an easy to grow and very productive variety for the home gardener.
‘SPITZENBERG’ APPLE- 5/8″ dia. Bare Root Trees $25
An attractive, bright red fruit heirloom with crisp, aromatic flesh and rich
sweet-tart flavor, Spitzenberg is reputed to be Thomas Jefferson’s favorite apple. Great eaten fresh and in baked goods, Spitzenberg also makes tasty cider. Spitzenberg ripens in early to mid October and stores well until spring. Semi-dwarf 12-16′
‘WINECRISP’ APPLE- 5/8″ dia. Bare Root Trees $25
This beautiful, deep red patented variety is receiving rave reviews from all who try it. WineCrisp™ fruit is large, sweet, firm, juicy and full of flavor. The tree is totally free of Apple Scab and resistant to most other Apple diseases. Recently introduced from a long-term university breeding program, this very productive variety ripens in late September and can be stored for several months. Semi-Dwarf Rootstock 12-16′
‘GREEN GAGE’ PLUM- 3/4″ dia. Bare Root Trees $30
The standard for plum quality since the 17th century, Green Gage Plum is one of a group of classic and highly prized European Plum varieties. Green Gage bears large crops of yellowish green, juicy, firm and tender, oval fruit . Very sweet and richly flavorful, Green Gage is great for fresh eating, baking, preserves, and canning.
‘SUNFLOWER’ PAWPAW- One Gallon Pots $25
The largest fruit native to north america! One of our most popular and reliable varieties, Sunflower Pawpaw bears good crops of very large, sweet and delicious fruit. Sunflower won First Prize at the 2010 Ohio Pawpaw Festival. Experimental in the colder parts of VT.
‘VERN’S BROWN TURKEY’ FIG- One Gallon Pots $20
To distinguish this variety from less reliable varieties also called Brown
Turkey, its named after garden writer Vern Nelson. Vern’s Brown Turkey has proven itself a reliable and productive variety. It bears large, sweet and flavorful, dark brown figs with light amber flesh, often producing two crops a year.
‘JOSTABERRY’ BLACK CURRANT x GOOSEBERRY- 3-4′ Bare Root Shrubs $20
A unique cross of Gooseberry and Black Currant, Jostaberry is the most vigorous of all our Currant varieties. A very disease resistant and easy to grow small shrub, Jostaberry produces very large, jet black, sweet-tart fruit, high in Vitamin C and good for fresh eating and excellent for jams and jellies.
‘UKRAINE’ HIGH BUSH CRANBERRY- 2-3′ Bare Root Shrubs $20
This valuable and attractive shrub is prized for its medicinal properties, fruit, and ornamental value. Ukraine™ Highbush Cranberry features large clusters of snow-white flowers in the spring followed in September by bright red berries and striking reddish orange foliage. After frost removes their bitterness, the berries are used for preserves, candy and baked goods. The flowers, fruit and seeds are used in herbal medicine as a fever reducer, to lower blood pressure and treat heart disease. Ukraine™ was selected for its abundant crops of high quality fruit and its colorful, orange-red fall foliage. It often begins bearing the 2nd year after planting.
‘VIKING’ ARONIA- One Gallon Pots $20
An attractive, vigorous, and productive small shrub, Viking Aronia is a popular commercial variety in Europe. Viking bears abundant crops of large,almost black berries which make tasty and nutritious juice, wine, and ‘raisins’. Viking’s lustrous, dark green foliage turns a beautiful fire-engine red in the fall.
HONEYBERRIES / HASKAPS:
A very hardy and unique small shrub, Honeyberry is an edible species of Honeysuckle with sweet and tasty fruit- presently being developed as a commercial crop through the coldest parts of the world. Valued for its tasty, blueberry-like fruit, its extremely early ripening, often two weeks before strawberries, and its exceptional hardiness, to minus 40 degrees F., or below. Great for fresh eating, juicing, and preserves. Has approximately 5x the anti-oxidants of blueberries!
1-2′ Bare Root Shrubs $20 ‘BLUE VELVET’ and ‘BLUE MOON’
MULLBERRIES– bare root $15 more details soon
BLUEBERRIES– All of our blueberries this year are coming from collaboration with our good friends and neighbors at Johnson’s Waterman Orchards. They are ERICOID INNOCULATED– a fungal symbiont on blueberries.
NELSON and BLUERAY: Bare root 18-30″ with well-developed root systems $20
BLUECROP and BLUEJAY: Potted, 24-40″, bearing age $45
ELD
ERBERRIES: ‘BERRY HILL’ and ‘COOMER’ 1 gallon pots $20
BLACK LOCUST: 3-4′ Bare Root $15
SIBERIAN PEA SHRUB:
GINGER STARTS! Will be available later this spring- reserve now $5/ plant.
LOOKING FOR SOMETHING ELSE? Let us know- we have more than is listed here.
This page will contantly be updated this spring. I have – white and red currants, northern pecans, hickories, chinese chestnuts, saskatoons (serviceberries) all getting graded and priced this coming week.
HOW TO ORDER? The best way to order or ask questions is to send an email to KEITH@PROSPECTROCK.ORG.
– ALL PROCEEDS SUPPORT ECOLOGICAL REGENERATION –
A reminder- we have just a few spaces left in our 10th ANNUAL FARM AND WILDERNESS IMMERSION PERMACULTURE DESIGN CERTIFICATION and full scholarships available for income-eligible Vermont State Residents.
MEDICINE WOMYN RETREAT AUGUST 5-6 http://www.MedicineWomyn.org
SAPLINGS AND SEEDLINGS KIDS FARM/ NATURE/ YOGA Starts JUNE
THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR FAMILY FARM and SHARING THIS!
Grafting Workshop and Scionwood Exchange
Posted by on February 21, 2018
It’s really starting to feel like SPRING!
Please Join our
7th ANNUAL Fruit Tree Grafting Workshop and Scionwood Exchange!
At Willow Crossing Farm in Johnson, VT
April 7 10am – 2pm 2018
(Thank you for sharing this with potentially interested friends and networks)
Join us for a day of hands-on fruit tree grafting! We’ll begin the day in the classroom understanding the science of grafting, and practice bench-grafting apples, pears, plums, and other stone fruits.
Everyone will have the opportunity to graft their own trees to take home!
After lunch, we’ll go out and tour grafted and ‘multi-grafted’ fruit trees (including peaches grafted onto plums) and ‘top work’ multiple varieties onto pears, apples, plums, and other stone fruit. We’ll discuss some pruning basics, different grafting strategies for ‘fruit salad trees’, healing damaged trees, reworking new varieties, revitalizing old orchards, enhancing cross-pollination, and space considerations. We’ll also look at and evaluate both successful and failed past grafts.
We’ll contextualize our work in briefly telling some history of our farm and touring our incredibly diverse collection of nuts, berries, vines, nitrogen-fixing plants, and debt-free natural buildings. We’ll also explore the incredible history of grafting, the range of grafting possibilities, and practice with professional grafting tools which make for more successful grafts by novices and experts alike.
Each attendant will leave with an apple or pear variety of their choosing on semi-dwarf or standard rootstock, or a stone fruit variety of their choosing on native american plum rootstock.
$60 suggested donation sliding scale includes cider and tea, and your own grafted fruit trees to take home. No one will be refused for lack of funds, but everyone must pre-register.
Visit the Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/468266296716690/
Due to the popularity of this event, you must PRE REGISTER HERE. There is a possibility of another event later in April, please send an email to express your interest.
Please RSVP by filling out the registration form and submitting payment via paypal (Keith@ProspectRock.org), Facebook Messenger (easiest), or sending a check to:
‘Prospect Rock Permaculture’
P.O. Box 426
Jeffersonville, VT 05464
We must get your email address from you, as the weather will determine where we park cars. and we will also send you some information about how to best collect scion wood if you want to propagate some favorite fruit trees.
The workshop will be taught by:
Nicko Rubin is the owner of East Hill Tree Farm, where he has been growing and propagating hardy fruits and nuts in the foothills of the Groton Mountains. He completed the master’s program for sustainable landscape design at the Conway School.
Dave Johnson is a timber framer with a passion for fruit trees. His competence with sharp tools and wood translate readily into many successful grafts and a legacy of multi-grafted old wild apples throughout the hills of Vermont.
Keith Morris has been collecting and experimenting with rare fruits, nuts, and medicinal plants since 1996, and is professor of ecological design at the University of Vermont. He’s slowly built his family’s farm debt-free with sweat equity and has contributed to creating resilient and diverse food systems on 5 continents.
Thank you,
Keith
(802) 734-1129
Willow Crossing Farm
Johnson, VT
http://www.WillowCrossing.org
REGISTER NOW for our 11th Annual Permaculture Design Certification Course: July 22 August 3, 2018. Farm and Nature Immersion! World Class Ecological Design Education and Portfolio Development for new and experienced practioners. Full scholarships for income eligible Vermonters. Available for up to 5 credits through the University of Vermont.
Our Fruit, Nut, Berry, Vine, and Medicinal Plant Sale pre-orders are open now! Plant pick ups begin April 23 and continue through May 22.
Permaculture Design For Yard, Homestead, and Farm
Posted by on August 22, 2017
Permaculture Design For Yard, Homestead, and Farm
This Saturday! Join NOFA VT for a tour and workshop 9 am – 3pm
August 26 – Jeffersonville and Johnson, VT
We’ll start the morning with a brief tour of the ‘urban homestead’ and apothecary downtown Jeffersonville, then head to the farm for a permaculture design workshop, wood fired pizza from the earth oven, and tree crop and natural building tour.
Are you interested in learning how to ‘read’ a landscape, map your future, and cooperate with nature to be more productive and resilient?
Join Keith Morris of Prospect Rock Permaculture for a hands-on exploration of whole-system ecological design. In this workshop, Keith will provide a design process that you can apply to your own site (regardless of size) that includes the importance of perennial tree crops and climate resilience. We’ll explore a variety of ‘new’, experimental, and lost, traditional plants; DIY and debt-free infrastructure improvements and potential ‘micro-enterprises’ for the garden or homestead. To see a variety of design scale, we’ll begin at Prospect Rock Permaculture’s downtown homestead and apothecary, and then travel down the street to Willow Crossing Farm- Vermont’s longest running permaculture research and education site. Lunch will be included and prepared in Keith’s onsite pizza oven.
For tickets:
http://www.sevendaystickets.com/events/45273520/permaculture-design-for-your-yard-homestead-amp-farm
Any questions can be directed to me or NOFA VT http://www.NofaVT.org
Best,
Keith and Family
Our WEEKEND FORMAT Permaculture Design Certification Course will be announced soon! Please call or email if you’d like to get on the list or would like more information!
2016 Plant Sale!
Posted by on May 4, 2016
Glad you found this page! Here is the descriptions from our 2016 offerings. Many of these may still be available- so please inquire!
You can find the most up to date list HERE!
Hi Friends!
Apologies, as I know some of you have been waiting for an updated list with this year’s offerings. It’s here and the plants are ready for pickup!
We’re excited to offer a few new things we’ve been expirimenting with, as well as some proven favorites.
BARE ROOT is a naked tree and wants to be planted as soon as possible, prices are determined by size (diameter caliper or length) and rarity of tree or variety. Please arrange pickup as soon as possible.
POTS are ONE GALLON and $20 EACH unless otherwise stated. They would love to be planted into their permanent home sooner than later but can ‘hang out’ for several weeks if necessary.
Please reserve your quantities ASAP, as we imagine most of these will sell out quickly.
Plants are available for pickup BY APPOINTMENT- I will be deriving some plants into Burlington, some are at the farm, some are in cold storage downtown Jeffersonville- so please call or email to confirm availability and arrange a time and the right locationto get your plants.
We will try to hold trees, but without cash in hand there are no guarantees- first come first served, especially with bare root as we want them planted asap. Feel free to PayPal or Facebook Messenger money for a guaranteed reservation.
CHERRIES (very large and soon to bear):
LAPINS 5/8″ dia. Bare Root Trees $25
Very large, dark purple, delicious and self-fertile, Lapins is one of the best Cherries available. From brilliant white blossoms to the dark red fruit to beautiful foliage in fall, this tree provides multi-seaon interest. Introduced by Dr. Lapins at the Summerland Research Station in British Columbia, Canada, Lapins is a favorite with commercial growers. Lapins is also an easy to grow and very productive variety for the home gardener.
NORTHSTAR 5/8″ diam. Bare Root Trees $25
A unique and tasty pie cherry from Minnesota. This self-fertile, naturally dwarf tree bears heavy crops of large, tasty, bright red fruit with red flesh and red juice. Northstar grows to 6-8 ft. in height and is hardy to minus 40°F.
FEIJOA aka PINEAPPLE GUAVA! Gallon Pots (Acca Sellowiana form. Feijoa Sellowiana)
This sub tropical evergreen with beautiful edible flowers and ‘minty pineapple’ guava fruit is a carefree plant that tolerates freezing down into the teens. It can be taken indoors as a houseplant for winter months.
BLACK SPANISH FIGS! 1-2′ Bare Root Trees $20 (Ficus Carica)
One of the favorite figs for container culture, this reliable and productive variety bears abundant crops of dark mahogany colored fruit. The very sweet, juicy, and firm fruit is great for fresh eating, preserves, and drying. A naturally dwarf tree can be taken indoors as a houseplant, or stored in a basement or root cellar during dormancy.
________
APPLE PRISCILLA ON M26: 3/4″ Diameter Tree! Large and ready to bear. $25
You can enjoy growing this virtually disease-free variety and feast on its delicious, red-blushed fruit. A product of a Purdue University breeding program, Priscilla features crisp, sweet and flavorful flesh. Great for fresh eating, Priscilla ripens in early September and can be stored for 3 months or more.
Considered a dwarf rootstock, Apple trees on M-26 typically grow 8-12 ft. in height and are usually spaced 8-12 ft. apart. M-26 induces early bearing, usually in 2-3 years after planting (less with such a large caliper tree at transplant), and grows well in most soils, except very wet and poorly drained ones. On windy sites, trees grafted on M-26 may need staking.
ELDERBERRIES Gallon Pots $20 A favorite for herbalists, wine making, jam, syrup, battered flowers and beauty and pollinator support- this was one of the most important plants for Native Americans and Colonial Vermonters and is now seeing a resurgence. Elderberries have very high antioxidant levels, they are rated as 14,500 on the ORAC Scale (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. Blackberries, in contrast, are 5347 on the ORAC scale, and sweet cherries are 3365.) In addition, the particular antioxidants found in elderberries happen to have an antiviral effect. Our named varieties are best for production.
BOB GORDON: Bob Gordon Elderberry was found growing wild in 1999 near Osceola, Missouri. the Bob Gordon elderberry produces huge clusters of 1/4 inch berries. Pendulous flower heads prevent birds from getting all the fruit, too! Bob Gordon is unusual as an elderberry, it’s fruit grows on new canes, so can be cut to the ground yearly. This will make a lower (5 to 6 foot tall) easier to harvest plant. Fruit ripens in July.
YORK: A beautiful ornamental and fruiting shrub, York’s very large clusters of striking, creamy-white flowers are followed by huge crops of large, purplish-black berries and lovely yellow fall color. York’s berries make delicious pies, jelly, and wine. A favored variety for elderflower and berry production.
BLACK WALNUTS Juglans nigra: 4-5′ tall Bare Root Trees $25
The most valuable lumber tree in the the northeaster forest, and long-lived producer of delicious nuts. Mature trees can be tapped for syrup, a favorite for silvopasture design. Not recommended near areas where tomatoes or potatoes are grown.
MANREGION WALNUTS Juglans Regia: 4-5′ tall Bare Root Trees $30
The hardiest variety of English Walnuts- the largest, tastiest, and easiest to crack of the family- this tree is experimental in our region. It does best in deep soils and warm microclimates.
KOREAN PINE NUTS! One Gallon Pots $20
Finally! We are able to release some of our favorite trees for an evergreen windbreak- the producers of PINENUTS. Almost all Pinenuts in the supermarket are Korean Pinenuts grown in China. A beautiful tree with whorls of dark-green needles, this very hardy Pine is an attractive and stately tree planted singly or in groups. Its large and tasty nuts are gathered in Korea and eastern Russia and are greatly prized for their rich flavor, nutritional value, and high economic worth.
We also have some potted SEA BERRIES (German and Russian Varieties), CURRANTS, GOOSEBERRIES, KIWIS, and more- call for availability Here is a list of some varieties.
(802) 734-1129
Our 9th ANNUAL PERMACULTURE DESIGN CERTIFICATION COURSE is almost full! Join an incredible group of students and the most experienced teaching team in North America for FARM AND WILDERNESS IMMERSION and HANDS ON TRAINING in ECOLOGICAL DESIGN at the longest running permaculture site in Vermont! Early Bird Rate includes all farm-sourced meals and camping accommodations, expires May 15.
Click HERE for more information!
Thank you for sharing this with your networks and supporting our work to make the world more fruitful and in healthy relation to ecology and each other!
Keith, Family, and crew
Willow Crossing Farm
Nuts for the Northeast at NOFA NH
Posted by on January 29, 2016
Nuts for the Northeast- Keith Morris presenting at NOFA NH Saturday, January 30, 2016
Snowy Greetings!
We’ve been taking some time away from the computer- but now that the days are getting longer, our minds are on spring and all of the great things we have in store!
Nuts for the Northeast
With Keynote by WES JACKSON!!
Rundlett Middle School, 144 South Street, Concord, NH
Since the dawn of time, nuts have been some of the most important food plants for human beings. Nut trees and shrubs offer some of the most nutrient dense foods, provide habitat, show the potential for a ‘carbon-negative’ and flood resilient agriculture, and are economically valuable for a variety of products in addition to nuts themselves.
Join with grower and international farm designer Keith Morris to explore the fascinating ecology and mythology of a few nut trees particularly suited to growing on farms and in neighborhoods throughout in the northeast. We’ll focus of hardy proven nuts, and introduce some of the breeding, trailing, and hybridizing happening at Willow Crossing Farm in Johnson, VT to select for disease resistance, organic production, high quality timber, oils, medicinal properties, and to migrate some important nuts typically grown in warmer regions. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding and appreciation of some trees commonly found in towns and hillsides, and be introduced to promising less common nuts.
Keith Morris is the founder of Willow Crossing Farm and is Professor of Permaculture Design at the University of Vermont. As a grower, builder, and designer, he has created ecologically regenerative and economically viable food systems in New Zealand, Colorado, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Quebec, California, New Mexico, Arizona, Nigeria, Ghana, Denmark, and the Netherlands- working regularly throughout New England and in New York City. He has spent over 20 years developing permaculture with farms, towns, schools, indigenous peoples, squats, activists, and in solidarity with exploited populations.
Willow Crossing Farm is Vermont’s longest established permaculture research and education facility, and a debt-free ‘financial permaculture’ working family farm. We host one of the most diverse collections of tree crops in the northeast, offer farm-based dining and educational opportunities to the local communities, and host annual events that attract people from across the country and a surprising variety of international students. We grow a variety of fruits, nuts, berries, and vines in an organic nursery; experiment with new crops, techniques, and regenerative farm infrastructure; manage production to create wildlife refuge and pollinator sanctuary; and have been focused on developing ‘productive buffers’ to reforest floodplain and riverside banks with marketable production.
Also- subscribe to our blog (just enter your email above to the right) to receive announcements about Farm Tours and to view our fruit, nut, and medicinal plant collections, view the listing for the Nursery Sale, and other related workshops and conferences.
_____________________________________________________
Medicine Womyn’s Winter Retreat– February 6, 2016 SOLD OUT
In the heart of the winter, we are invited to go deep within and learn different ways to heal and connect with ourselves and our community. Join us for a day of connection, of inspiration, of nourishment, healing and sisterhood. We will be offering many amazing workshops throughout the day – some based on Botanical medicine aka Plant magick: Aromatherapy, Flower Essence and Herbalism…some based on different types of Art; Fiber arts-Weaving/Felting….some based on Movement and Yoga. There will be Kirtan, music and sacred song. There will be herbal teas, healing broths, yummy foods, and nourishment all day long. This amazing space has saunas that we can use, and hot tubs to soak in…
Stay in touch for more info about the Summer Medicine Womyn’s Summer Retreat August 13-14
1st Annual Medicine Womyn’s Retreat – 2015
_____________________________________________________
Pruning the Forest Garden- February 27, 2016 REGISTER NOW
Hands-on in Vermont’s most diverse collection of Fruits, Nuts, Berries, and Vines!
_____________________________________________________
5th Annual Grafting Workshop and Scionwood Exchange- April 2, 2016 REGISTER NOW
Learn how to make more of your favorite apples, plums, peaches, pears, and more- and go home with your own grafted fruit tree!
_____________________________________________________
Our 9th Annual Farm and Wilderness Immersion PERMACULTURE DESIGN CERTIFICATION COURSE- July 17-29, 2016 REGISTER NOW
An unparalleled learning experience- with the most experienced teaching team in the northeast and beyond!
https://prospectrockpermaculture.wordpress.com/2014-pdc/
_____________________________________________________
FRUIT, NUT, BERRIES, VINES, and MEDICINAL HERB PLANT SALE! Pre-orders open now, for pick up beginning April 23.
https://prospectrockpermaculture.wordpress.com/2015/05/01/plant-sale-details/
Thank you for reading and sharing with your friends and networks! Look forward to seeing you.
Best,
Keith and Family
Our Nut Research Featured in Sunday’s Free Press!
Posted by on April 9, 2015
We were honored to have our research and breeding trials featured in this Sunday’s Burlington Free Press Article:
ELMORE – Pears dropped with a distinct plunk as David Fried ambled through a varied crop of fruit and nut trees. Kiwi vines, black walnut trees, and hazelberts lined the path.
Squirrels hoard the nuts, and deer eat the drops, but Fried, 56, isn’t easily goaded. “For us it’s something we like, but for them it’s survival,” he said.
His 18 acres, once an abandoned hay field, is now an abundant Eden in Elmore. After being told only apples could grow this far north, Fried has discovered, over three decades of experimenting, what is possible for Vermont.
His Elmore Roots Nursery has sold about 50,000 fruit and nut trees since he opened for business in 1979.
These trees also protect Vermont’s changing landscape in the face of extreme weather patterns. One tree in particular, the Hazelbert, saved one farm during Tropical Storm Irene three years ago.
Vermont hazelnut trees are called Hazelberts, created by Fred Ashworth who was a fruit explorer in upstate New York in the 1800s. “He crossed a European filbert with an American hazelnut,” Fried said. “We carry on that lineage of his trees.”
A line of Hazelberts on the edge of the Lamoille River saved Willow Crossing Farm in Johnson from heavy damage during Irene and the flooding that preceded that storm. “The trees caught four feet of flotsam,” owner Keith Morris said. “Hazelberts bend and slow the water, then they bounce right back.”
Morris, 36, also owns Prospect Rock Permaculture, a landscape design and build firm that helps people plant protective infrastructure into their homesteads. Morris is on a mission to see more nut trees as shelter belts around vegetation, as wind breaks, animal fencing, and on river’s edges across the state.
Nut farming in Vermont is a frontier largely unexplored, Morris said. “We look at how we can make farms more resilient,” he said. “Nut trees and can do that.”
Fried’s certified organic nursery boasts eight different kinds of nut trees. He sells about 600 hazelnut, black walnut, pine nut, bur oak, shagbark hickory, butternut, buartnut and American chestnut annually.
Willow Crossing’s Morris started collecting nut trees in 2000, and Morris experiments with about 3,000 species now. The Hazelbert is the most exciting, he said. “There is a huge market for it,” he said. “Nutella is a great example.”
Nutella is a sweet spread made from hazelnuts that has replaced peanut butter in many homes across the nation recently.
Hazelberts produce nuts within a few years of being planted as opposed to other nut trees that generally take about 10 to 15 years to produce, Morris said.
While Nutella is a fairly new item in Vermont kitchens, the butternut pie is a long-standing tradition. “Butternut trees have a dear place in my heart, on my farm, and in the entire state for that matter,” Morris said. “Butternuts were a staple crop for most homesteads here for generations.”
Now Butternut trees are endangered. There is a fungal blight in the state. “The outlook isn’t good,” Morris said. “We are working with the state, and with some hybrid trees that are blight resistant.”
Shelburne Farms Head Market Gardener, Josh Carter, has been growing Hazleberts in Shelburne for three years. “We’re thinking our Hazleberts will start producing enough nuts to sell to the Inn next year,” he said.
The Hazleberts were planted to add interesting, non-traditional crops that fit with the farm’s educational mission. “Since we run a farm-to-table restaurant on site we diversity our market garden operation as much of possible for greatest variety in the menu,” Carter said.
Nut farming is not economically viable, Carter said. “We don’t grow many nuts around here in the Northeast,” he said.
Growing nuts is similar to growing hops for beer, Carter said. “People like the idea of growing local hops for local breweries, but there’s a lot of infrastructure involved for starting up and brewing for this refined and processed product to make it viable.”
Carter admits he doesn’t have a passion for growing nuts, in particular, but does have a passion for trying different crops and learning as he goes.
Five years from now, everyone might want Hazleberts, Carter said. “It’s always nice to be ahead of the curve,” he said. “We’re building a pool of knowledge to cash in on in the future.”
Morris said he doesn’t think Vermont will ever have a competitive advantage with nut growing, but nut trees are important to the state’s landscape. “With more growers on board, it makes sense to look into nut butters and oils,” he said. “Hazelnut oil from Europe is a very valuable high quality commodity.”
Morris is also working on a hybrid pecan and hickory tree called a hickan tree. “People say pecans won’t grow in Vermont, but they do,” he said.
It might take 15 years to see nuts grow on a hickan tree, but there will be 500 years of nut harvesting after that, with no tilling, weeding, or seeding.
“I hope my work will build a legacy, so that generations of Vermonters to come might have plenty of pecans,” Morris said.
Contact Lynn Monty at LynnMonty@FreePressMedia.com and follow her on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/VermontSongbird.
Thank you Lynn for a great story!
Here is a link to the original article: http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/local/vermont/2014/09/06/nut-farming-hard-crack-vermont/15214289/
I will return and annotate/ correct this as there’s even more to the story!
Stay tuned for an audio file of our Nuts for the Northeast presentation at NOFA MA- we’re also looking for someone who wants to collaborate on making a simple video from the slides or who would like to edit the audio.
Thanks to everyone for coming out and sharing our event with DARREN DOHERTY! It was a great success.
Out ROOT CELLAR DESIGN BUILD WORKSHOP will be October 18-19- stay tuned for more details or email to register!
Keith Morris and Dr. Elaine Ingham at NOFA MASS – this weekend!
Posted by on August 9, 2013
Howdy friends!
Apologies for the late notice, but those of you in or near Massachusetts may want to catch a keynote presentation with Dr. Elaine Ingham- renown soil biology researcher, founder of Soil Foodweb Inc., and chief scientist for The Rodale Institute.
She’ll be presenting her keynote “The Organic Biological Revolution” this evening, Saturday, August 9 at 7:30pm.
I’ll be presenting at 10 am with Connor Steadman:
Agroforestry for Riverlands and Beyond
Agriculturally productive buffers (APBs) are an emerging agroforestry option for vulnerable river lands, which combines crop production, conservation, and flood resilience. This workshop provides an overview of ecological functions, crop systems, planning, and economic considerations for productive riparian buffers, plus case studies from current APB trials on Vermont farms.
And at 1 pm:
Nuts for the Northeast
Since the dawn of time, nuts have been some of the most important food plants for human beings. Nut trees and shrubs offer some of the most nutrient dense foods, provide habitat, show the potential for a ‘carbon-negative’ and flood resilient agriculture, and are economically valuable for a variety of products in addition to nuts themselves.
Join with grower and international farm designer Keith Morris to explore the fascinating ecology and mythology of a few nut trees particularly suited to growing on farms and in neighborhoods throughout in the northeast. We’ll focus of hardy proven nuts, and introduce some of the breeding, trailing, and hybridizing happening at Willow Crossing Farm in Johnson, VT to select for disease resistance, organic production, high quality timber, oils, medicinal properties, and to migrate some important nuts typically grown in warmer regions. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding and appreciation of some trees commonly found in towns and hillsides, and be introduced to promising less common nuts.
Keith Morris is the founder of Willow Crossing Farm and is Professor of Permaculture Design at the University of Vermont. As a grower, builder, and designer, he has created ecologically regenerative and economically viable food systems in New Zealand, Colorado, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Quebec, California, New Mexico, Arizona, Nigeria, Ghana, Denmark, and the Netherlands- working regularly throughout New England and in New York City. He has spent over 20 years developing permaculture with farms, towns, schools, indigenous peoples, squats, activists, and in solidarity with exploited populations.
Willow Crossing Farm is Vermont’s longest established permaculture research and education facility, and a debt-free ‘financial permaculture’ working family farm. We host one of the most diverse collections of tree crops in the northeast, offer farm-based dining and educational opportunities to the local communities, and host annual events that attract people from across the country and a surprising variety of international students. We grow a variety of fruits, nuts, berries, and vines in an organic nursery; experiment with new crops, techniques, and regenerative farm infrastructure; manage production to create wildlife refuge and pollinator sanctuary; and have been focused on developing ‘productive buffers’ to reforest floodplain and riverside banks with marketable production.
Also- subscribe to our blog (just enter your email above to the right) to receive announcements about Farm Tours and to view our fruit, nut, and medicinal plant collections, view the listing for the Nursery Sale, and other related workshops and conferences.
_____________________________________________________
Upcoming Events –
ROOT CELLARS AND COLD STORAGE DESIGN/ BUILD:
Oct 18 -19
Basement Retrofits – Root cellars and food storage can be retrofitted into most any existing basement providing easy access to crops in winter and a more an overall more affordable project. In this project we will retrofit an existing basement with super insulated walls, and doors and install venting and shelves for effective crop storage. Participants will use power tools, build and hang doors, fashion a passive venting system out of Pipe and fittings, and learn important factors for design and construction of a small family sized cellar in an existing victorian home basement in downtown Jeffersonville.
Farm and Restaurant Coolbot Walkins – Learn how to build a super insulated and durable affordable Walk-in cooler that will be used for storing farm produce at Willow Crossing Farm. In this workshop we will construct a Cooler shell in an outdoor Kitchen to be cooled by a coolbot operating system tied to an air conditioner providing an affordable summer and on farm cold storage alternative. Participants will learn to estimate storage volumes needed for crop storage, scale mechanical systems for energy efficiency and effective cooling, learn the pros and cons of using this system instead of Compressor based mechanical system, and effective ways to build a super insulated and durable shell for long term commercial use.
Winter- Spring Weekend Format PDC!
Please write to express your interest. Details TBA soon.
Open Sessions: Dave Jacke!! Monday July 21
Posted by on July 17, 2013
We’re honored and excited to announce an evening presentation with Dave Jacke- author of ‘Edible Forest Gardens’ and the northeast’s most recognized permaculture pioneer-
FREE and open to the public.
Ecological Culture Design: A Holistic View
Monday, July 21
Willow Crossing Farm
Johnson, VT
Nature operates based on a set of foundational laws and principles by which all systems must abide, or they fail. These principles have much to teach us about how to organize human societies. Fundamentally, permaculture aims to design complete cultural systems that consciously mimic ecosystem properties, principles, patterns, and processes.
Ecologically, culture functions as the primary adaptive mechanism of our species, and it is culture, as a whole system, that we must redesign. What is culture? How might we approach the design of cultures as whole systems in an ecological context? We can design systems that minimize stress and competition, and maximize cooperation, harmony, productivity, and diversity, while allowing each community member to remain true to their intrinsic nature. We’ll get into some ecological nitty gritty and imagine how we might use what we learn for our own purposes.
Dave will join us with extra special guest and Gap Mountain Permaculture co-founder Doug Clayton!
This is the first of a series of events which will be open to the community over the next few weeks as we host people from all over the country (and world) for our 7th Annual Permaculture Design Certification Course.
We’re so excited to continue of tradition of sharing our most excellent guests and bringing folks in to share in the experience of one of the nation’s most highly regarded Permaculture Courses!
All evening lectures are FREE and start at 7:30, donations to support farm reforestation and ecological regenerations are gratefully accepted and shared with our guests.
ALL ORGANIC FARM-SOURCED DINNER is served at 6 pm, and available by reservation only for a sliding scale fee of $12-20. We are happy to meet the needs of vegetarians, vegans, wheat intolerant, ethical omnivores, and localvores.
To join us for dinner, please contact Head Chef Emily Wheeler by phone or text message at
(802) 505-8882
For questions or driving directions, please contact Keith@ProspectRock.org or call (802) 734-1129
WEDNESDAY, JULY 23- LISA DEPIANO
Will speak on Community Scale Permaculture and Permaculture Economics and share her experiences as a leading activist and empolyee-owner of a diversity of regenerative businesses.
MONDAY, JULY 28- MEGHAN GIROUX of VERMONT EDIBLE LANDSCAPES
Interested in attending the course? Please call to see if there are any last-minute cancellations.
Next year’s is already beginning to fill! It will be July 19-31, 2015.
Thanks for SHARING this with your friends, interested networks and listservs, and on social media!
Please ‘like’ us on Facebook, and add your email address on the right hand side of this page to be kept in the loop of other events.
ProspectRock.org 