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Tag Archives: Edible Forest Gardening
Pruning the Edible Forest Garden March 31
Posted by on February 23, 2018
Hands on- Fruit and Nut Tree Pruning
A day long exploration of the science and practice of ecological tree crop management for diverse yields.
Willow Crossing Farm
Johnson, VT
SUNDAY, March 31
10 am – 4 pm
Join Tree Farmer Keith Morris for a day of hands-on practice with fruit and nut tree pruning, in a diverse permaculture forest garden setting. Spend the morning in the large yurt learning the science and ecology of how trees lose limbs and ‘heal’, and explore the deep traditions of how humans beings observe and interact with this phenomenon.
We’ll synthesize a variety of pruning ideas, strategies, and techniques to help you develop your own philosophy, understanding, and confidence to go out and work with trees in your landscape in a regenerative and yielding way. After lunch and some hot cider we’ll go outside to explore one of VT’s oldest permaculture designed food forests- a reforestation of old pasture and hayfield in the floodplain of the Lamoille River.
We’ll briefly tour ‘Productive Buffers’, wildlife corridors, and stop to work in zones of Plums, Apples, Peaches, Pears, Berries, Vines, Hazelnuts, Walnuts, and more– driven by the group’s interest, and discussing pruning techniques for trees both young and old. We’ll look at and evaluate previous years of pruning decisions and ensuing consequences, and explore some natural tree injuries and healing responses, helping participants to better understand the implications of our pruning decisions over varying periods of time. We’ll finish the day practicing with different tools to cut wood cleanly- with an eye towards maximizing production, fruit quality, ease of future maintenance, and minimizing pest and disease pressure. We’ll also set the stage for top-working, multi-variety grafting, species changes (i.e.. Peaches on Plum roots), and other forms of propagation. In preparation for our April 7 Grafting Workshop and Scionwood Exchange We’ll also prune mature, bearing Hazelnuts and manage black locust, walnut, butternut/ buartnut, pecans, and more for nuts, firewood, high-value lumber, succession, aesthetics, and other long-term aims.
We’ll pass around, demonstrate, and allow you to trial favorite tools, including pruners, saws, pole saws, etc.; speak to their selection and maintenance, and discuss hygienic practices to promote orchard health and reduce cross-contamination.
This workshop kicks off our series for 2018!
Please enter your email in the box on the right hand side of the page, or ‘like’ us on Facebook to get the calendar and details for our other offerings such as: fruit tree grafting (April 7), nursery plant sale, natural beekeeping workshop, nut production, diverse understory planting, spring development for gravity fed irrigation, natural building, compost heat, season extension, earth oven construction, stone masonry, and more. Our Nursery Plant Sale pre-orders are open now, with plant pick ups scheduled to begin April 23.
Our 2018 Permaculture Design Certification Course will be offered July 22- August 3, and they are filling quickly. Applications for our Advanced Permaculture Design / Build /Grow / Teach internship, and APDC guided portfolio development will now be accepted on a rolling basis!
Event is $40-60 suggested donation/ sliding scale, including warm or cold cider during lunch and a round of hard cider tasting (21 and over) afterwards. No one will be refused for lack of funds.
*We are looking for photographers or videographers to help document the event, or create a short educational video.*
Please pre-register, and dress to spend the day outdoors.
We’ll need your email address if you’re planning on coming because the weather will determine where we’ll have people park. Feel free to bring your *clean, sterile, and sharp* pruners and saws.
Felco’s F 13s- the pruner of choice for large hands, or thick branches
Keith Morris has been collecting and experimenting with rare fruit and nut trees for 20 years, and teaches ecological design throughout the northeast. He has worked to help create resilient, diverse, socially just, and economically viable food systems around the world since 1996. Please spread the word to potentially interested friends and networks. Thank you for your support of our work!
Thanks, Keith and Crew Willow Crossing Farm www.willowcrossing.org
For rideshares, conversation, or sharing with facebook friends- please visit the event page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/270680720016950/
You can view some photos from last years event HERE.
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.
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.
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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
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Pruning the Forest Garden- February 27, 2016 REGISTER NOW
Hands-on in Vermont’s most diverse collection of Fruits, Nuts, Berries, and Vines!
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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!
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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/
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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
Grafting Workshop / VT Scionwood Exchange March 18
Posted by on January 16, 2015
Hi Friends,
Please share this with potentially interested friends and networks. Hope to see you!
Fruit Tree Grafting Workshop and 5th Annual Scionwood Exchange
March 18, 10 am – 4 pm
Willow Crossing Farm
Johnson, VT
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 regenerative DIY farm infrastructure. 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.
$80 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.
Due to the popularity of this event, you much pre-register. There is a possibility of another event later in March or in April, please send an email to express your interest.
Please RSVP by filling out the registration form and submitting payment via paypal to: Keith@ProspectRock.org, 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:
Zach Leonard is a master horticulturalist and as been the farm manager of Elmore Roots Nursery for 15 years. He and his family have created High Hopes Farm, a diverse off-grid homestead.
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
As a reminder- only a few spaces remain for our 9th Annual Prospect Rock Permaculture Design Certification Course, July 17 – July 29, 2016
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.
Diana Beresford-Kroeger- EARTH DAY in Johnson!
Posted by on April 17, 2014
Prospect Rock Permaculture- Vermont’s Permaculture Institute- in collaboration with JSC’s Green Solutions and the Center for Bioregional Living, is pleased to present a talk with Diana Beresford-Kroeger, free and open to the public, THIS WEDNESDAY APRIL 22 at Johnson State College’s Bentley Science Building Auditorium (room 207) at 4 PM.
Diana is a world-reknown Canadian scientist, whose work is grounded in reverence for the natural world and the rich history of tree’s roles in spiritual life. She is the author of ‘The Global Forest’, ‘The Sweetness of a Simply Life’, ‘Arboretum America’, ‘Arboretum Borealis’, ‘A Garden for Life’, and other works.
Please join us and SHARE this event with your friends and networks!
Diana Beresford-Kroeger is a visionary natural scientist and druid with a powerful and intimate understanding of our crucial relationship with the global forest, its flora and fauna and its role in our health and well-being. Beresford-Kroeger conducts her experiments in a garden laboratory outside Ottawa and in the house she and her husband built with their own hands. Her latest book, The Sweetness of a Simple Life, is a handbook for living more harmoniously with nature, for guarding against illness, ensuring the vitality of our children and our pets—and it tells us how to protect ourselves and our environment from the effects of climate change and global warming. Her comprehension of and compassion for the forest is beyond description. She is truly a living treasure.
Her website: 10 Trees That Can Save The World
A collection of press about Diana and her work- including the New York Times: Beresford-Kroger Press
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There is still space in this June’s Permaculture Design Certification Course– June 19-July 2 reserve your space now in the northeast’s longest running FARM-BASED PDC. Hands-on Training in Ecological Design- immersion in nature and regenerative systems, natural building, and incredible community working to meet human needs and increase ecological health! Tuition includes on-farm camping and ENTIRELY LOCAL Organic Farm Sourced Meals. Scholarships available for VT residents, Women Farmers, and people working on the ground in food systems or food justice in communities of need.
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We have one of the largest collections of rare fruit and nut trees, medicinal herbs, vines, nitrogen fixing plants, hedgerow and windbreak species, and more! Plants are only available for a short window in spring- details for pre-order will be announced LATER TODAY!
Thank you for your support of our work- and SHARING this announcement with your friends and networks!
Please share this email or link, or spread the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1574107769541949/
In Spring,
Keith and Family
Willow Crossing Farm
INHABIT: Willow Crossing Farm- a Productive Riparian Buffers Video Vignette
Posted by on May 22, 2013
UPDATE! There will be a special screening of the FULL FILM with cast and crew members APRIL 3 at the ROXY THEATRE in Burlington, VT- Stay tuned for more details and email us for advance ticket reservations.
Hi Folks!
I know we’ve been sending out a lot of plant sale announcements lately, so we just wanted to take a minute and THANK YOU for supporting our work!
Here’s a short vignette of our riverbank reforestation work captured on the water and created by filmmakers Costa Boutsikaris and Emmett Brennan captured last spring.
Enjoy!
Costa successfully funded the Northeastern Permaculture Documentary in 2012
with footage taken here with Prospect Rock Permaculture at Willow Crossing Farm.
They are now fundraising for the finished product, which is looking incredible! Check it out:
We’ve put a few hundred more fruits, nuts, berries, vines in the ground this spring thanks to your support of our work!
Next week, we’ll begin design and installation for a Permaculture Plant Nursery at St. Michael’s College, while training the schools first Permaculture Design Certification Students!
I’ll be announcing a few public events if you’d like to come check out a film or speaker, meet the students, and network with some other professional growers, ecological designers, and builders.
Bare root Hybrid Hazelnuts, Black Locust, and Gooseberries are still available from the farm. A limited selection of all of our plants will be available in pots by appointment throughout the summer.
Stop by or give a call if you want to pitch in on some farm building or tree planting this spring, and otherwise I hope to be off the computer!
Peace and Trees!
Keith
May Plant Sale!
Posted by on April 25, 2013
The most up to date info for plant availability is HERE
This is Spring 2014 data for reference- many of these varieties (and more) will be available for pre-order and pick up in April – May 2015
CHERRIES NUT TREES CURRANTS GOOSEBERRIES SEA BERRIES PEACHES PEARS BLUEBERRIES GRAPES HARDY KIWIS NITROGEN FIXERS MAPLES CRANBERRIES HONEY BERRIES HOPS ASPARAGUS MEDICINAL HERBS
Please pre-order and read below for details.
Vermont’s oldest Permaculture Research and Education Institute is pleased to announce the details for our annual Nursery Plant Sale!
We’re excited to share some of our favorite Vermont-Proven Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Vines, and Medicinal Herbs, and the results of almost 15 years of breeding, selection and tree crops research here in Northern Vermont. Our trees are specifically selected to be valuable additions to your yard, garden, or landscape, and intended to be components of diverse
Edible Forest Gardens, Edible Landscaping, Specimen Trees, Windrows/ Hedgerows, Wildlife Corridors, Deer Yards, Riparian Buffers, Vineyards, and Productive Orchards.
We also offer some of our favorite Medicinal Herbs as Companion Plants and Understory Plantings, and a variety of
Nitrogen Fixing, Nutrient Accumulating, and Pollinator Feeding support plants.
100% of the Proceeds from this sale further Permaculture Research, Education, and Productive Reforestation for Vermont’s Fields, Farms, and Floodplains- supporting more diverse, resilient, and nourishing tree crop propagation for cold climates.
Willow Crossing Farm is working to demonstrate and spread Climate Resilient, Multi-Generational, Ecologically Regenerative, Carbon-Negative, Income Producing, Nutrient Dense, Valuable Sugar and Lumber Producing, Pollinator Supporting, Soil Building, Flood Tolerant Tree Crops for Vermont’s Farms, Yards, Gardens, and Cities.
Plants will be available for pickup Friday May 2, Saturday May 3, Friday May 9, and Saturday May 10.
Please SHARE this with your friends and networks who may be interested!
Some plants will also be available at The Farm Store in Jeffersonville, VT and larger orders are able to be delivered into Burlington.
It is strongly recommended that you Pre-Order plants, as many will sell out. Some Bare Root plants will only be available during earlier pick up dates, and some of the Medicinal Herbs may not be available until the later dates.
* Asterisks indicate experimental plants for our region- typically, these are plants that can survive Vermont winters, but may not reliably bear crops every season. Most are suited to the Champlain Valley and some of Vermont’s warmer microclimates, and will be more marginal in colder microclimates. All are bering grown here in the Lamoille River Valley of Johnson, VT.
Please ask about quantity discounts for orchards, nut groves, vineyards, and working farms.
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2014 OFFERINGS:
All plants are in VERY LIMITED QUANTITIES- its best you CONTACT US if you’re coming for anything in particular.
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CHERRIES (few remain):
Kristin Cherry: 1″ caliper diameter, bare root. Developed in Geneva, NY- Kristin is hardier than most Sweet Cherries, and has withstood temperatures to minus 25°F and below, and is generally considered the hardiest sweet cherry. Kristin produces abundant, large, dark burgundy fruit with flavorful, firm and juicy flesh. Best with Lapins or another sweet cherry as a pollinator. $35
*Lapins Cherry: 5/8” diameter, bare root. 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. On Colt rootstock- semi-dwarfing (80% of full size ~12-15′). Colt is adapted to most soils and is hardy, vigorous, productive, and forms a well-branched tree. $30
PEARS:
“Aurora”: 5/8″ caliper diameter, bare root. One of the best tasting pears you can grow, Aurora was developed in Geneva, NY and keeps well into December. $30
“Nijiseiki” 5/8″ caliper diamter, bare root. One of the most popular Asian Pears, Nijiseiki is a large, crisp, juicy and flavorful, yellowish-green variety. The fruit often found in markets in mesh bags, Nijiseiki ripens in late August into September. Can pollinate and be pollinated by European Pears. $30
APPLE:
‘Lodi’ 3/4″ caliper diamter, bare root. The “early bird” of the orchard. Be the first in your neighborhood to enjoy homemade pies, cider and applesauce. While similar to Yellow Transparent, these apples are larger and keep better. Resistant to powdery mildew. Cold-hardy. Ripens in July. A licensed vareity of Cornell University. $40
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NUT TREES
Black Walnut: 2-3′, Bare Root. A stately ornamental and the most valuable timber tree, Black Walnut grows very well- capable of growing to 100 ft. or more in height, Black Walnut’s broad spreading form is awe inspiring. For timber production, trees should be planted close together or within rings of Black Locust, Sea Berry or other N Fixers to encourage upright growth, straight trunks, and help fertilize the soil. Black Walnut nuts are rich, flavorful, and nutrient dense- high in beneficial fats, oils, and proteins. Great for fresh eating and in baked goods. Able to be tapped for syrup. These 3 year old seedlings are 4-5 ft. in height and well-rooted. $20
Shagbark Hickory: 3-4′, Bare Root. A beautiful and interesting tree, the shagbark hickory bears delicious nuts and is valuable to wildlife, serving as a summer roost for VT’s rare bats. Valuable lumber, firewood, and able to be tapped for syrup. $25
Butternut: 12’18”, Bare Root. Lamoille Valley’s native White Walnut. A beautiful specimen tree, valuable lumber, able to be tapped for syrup, and produces delicious oily nuts. This species is listed as endangered and most are succumbing to the Butternut Canker- lets plant more and select the survivors! $20
*Hardy Pecan: 2-3′, Bare Root. Created by using wild tree germplasm from the Northern-most parent plants found in Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, and Michigan. Selections are based primarily on the early ripening characteristics. Trees are surviving well in Northern VT, but may or may not be able to fully ripen their nuts. $25
*Carpathian/ English Walnut: 2-3′, Bare Root. This is the species of walnut used in commercial walnut production- high quality nuts, thin shelled, full flavored. We are propagating from zone 4 survivors. $25
*Manregion Walnut: 4’5′, Bare Root. This hardy form of English Walnut is prized for its large, easy to crack, and delicious nuts. Plant with other J. regia for cross-pollination. This is highly experimental for northern VT, and is recommend for trials in the Champlain Valley, Southern VT, MA, NH, etc. $25
Hybrid Hazels: 12-18″, Bare Root. The parents of our strain of hazelnuts come from breeding programs in Alberta, Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, and upstate New York. Our breeding goals include: high yields, pest & disease resistance, suitability for low-input and certified organic conditions. Our seed is open-pollinated, and selected from the top producing plants in pollen-controlled breeding plots. Beautiful ornamentally, suitable for hedges, windbreaks, privacy screens, and living snow fence. Nuts rich in beneficial fats, proteins, and oils. $15
Jefferson Filbert: 1 gallon pots. One of the latest selections from Oregon State University, this disease-resistant european filbert bears abundant crops of very large, delicious hazelnuts. Derived from Barcelona, the main commercial variety, Jefferson is even more productive and immune to Eastern Filbert Blight. Plant with other hazels for cross-pollination. $20
Seedling American Chestnut: ~18″ Bare Root.
Xanthoceras (Yellowhorn) 3-4′ Bare Root.
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SEA BERRIES 
Sea Berries, or Sea Buckthorn, are a promising new crop for VT. As fruit-producing Nitrogen Fixing plants, they are also excellent additions to any fruit, nut, or berry planting, literally bringing Nitrogen out of the atmosphere and making it available to plants in the soil. Bred extensively as a superfood in Russia and Germany, sea berry is increasingly being used in a variety of health foods, juices, hair products, and other supplements. Hardy to -40º.
Check out our friends and clients: The Vermont Sea Berry Company. All Varieties: $20
Leikora (F): 2-3′ Bare Root. Prized for both its fruit and its striking branches, often used in floral displays. Leikora bears abundant crops of high quality large, juicy, flavorful, bright orange berries, ripening in early Sept. and remaining on the plant even after heavy frost.
Radiant™ (F): 1 gallon pots. A valuable Siberian variety, Radiant™ is prized for its large, juicy and flavorful fruit, which is particularly high in Vitamin C. Radiant™ forms a compact, attractive shrub growing to about 8 ft. in height.
Russian Orange™ (F): 1 gallon pots. A particularly attractive, vigorous, and productive, medium-size shrub, Russian Orange™ bears abundant crops of very large, flavorful, dark orange berries. Russian Orange™ also features unusually lush, grayish green slender foliage.
Titan™ (F): 1 gallon pots. One of our favorites and most popular varieties, Titan™ bears abundant crops of very large, bright orange berries. Very flavorful and aromatic, they make delicious juice and preserves and grow to about 10 ft. in height. Russian Selection.
Male (M): 1 gallon pots. An attractive ornamental shrub and important pollinator for the many varieties we offer, our Male is covered with striking large, dark golden-brown flower buds in winter and spring. One Male plant can pollinate up to 8 female plants.
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HARDY KIWI
These attractive, vigorous, disease and pest free vines can quickly cover a wall, fence, arbor, or trellis. Their delicious, lime-green (and fuzz free) fruit is sweeter and more flavorful than the store-bought Fuzzy Kiwi, and can be eaten like grapes! Once established, they survive the coldest winters. All varieties $20, Anna is $15.
Andrey (M): 1 gallon pots. A super hardy (-40ºF) Eastern Russian male pollinator.
Anna (F): 3.5″ pots. The most popular variety for commercial production- bearing abundant crops of large, very sweet fruit.
Hardy Red (F): 1 gallon pots. A unique variety with attractive red-fleshed sweet-tart kiwi berries.
Rossana (F): 1 gallon pots. An Italian variety, and favorite from our trials. Good crops of large, red-blushed delicious fruit.
Male (M): 1
gallon pots.
gallon pots.
RIBES:
Ribes are all of our currants, gooseberries, and jostaberries. Some of the best shade-tolerant fruit, all the ribes make excellent understory plantings beneath fruit trees- a traditional pattern in the community gardens throughout Eastern Europe. They are rich in vitamin C and anti-oxidants, and make for excellent tart fresh fruit, jams, jellies, juices, vines, dried berries, and other preserves.
CURRANTS:
Black Currants: “Blackdown”, “Consort”, Jostaberry
Red Currants: “Cherry Red”, “Perfection”
White Currants: “Blanka”
GOOSEBERRIES: “Captivator” and “Pixwell”
GOJI BERRY:
“Crimson Star” 1 Gallon Pot.
ARONIA:
“Nero” 1-2′ Bare Root.
HONEY BERRY:
“Berry Blue” 2-3′ Bare Root
“Smokey Blue” 2-3′ Bare Root
PAW PAW:
“NC-1” Deep Pots.
“Pennsylvania Golden” Deep Pots.
Seedling
CRANBERRY:
“Pilgrim” 1 Gallon Pots.
ARTICHOKE:
“Green Globe”
GRAPES:
“Concord”, “King of the North”
APPLE:
“Lodi”: 3/4 Diameter bare root
PEACHES:
“Reliance” 3/4 diameter Bare Root.
“Early Red Haven” 3/4 Caliper Diameter Bare Root.
BLUEBERRIES:
“Jersey”
“Berkeley
STRAWBERRIES:
Seascape
HOPS:
“Nugget”
“Nugget”
JUNEBERRIES/ SASKATOON:
Saskatoon Serviceberry 2-3′ Bare Root.
NITROGEN FIXERS:
Black Locust
Siberian Pea Shrub
Please check back later as I will continue to update prices and the varieties for Asparagus, Medicinal Herbs, and more!
Please share this email or link to this webpage via your networks!
_________________________________________________________________________________________
June 21-22: NATURAL BEEKEEPING WORKSHOP! With SAM COMFORT of Anarchy Apiaries, and a special focus on Native Pollinators.
July 20 – August 1. Our 7th ANNUAL PERMACULTURE DESIGN CERTIFICATION COURSE!
Thanks- look forward to seeing you at the farm this spring!
Fruit Tree Grafting Workshop and 3rd Annual Scionwood Exchange- Sunday April 13
Posted by on March 5, 2013
Hi Friends,
Please share this with potentially interested friends and networks. Hope to see you!
Fruit Tree Grafting Workshop and 3nd Annual Scionwood Exchange
April 13, 10 am – 4 pm
Willow Crossing Farm
Johnson, VT
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 regenerative DIY farm infrastructure. 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.
$80 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.
Due to the popularity of this event, you much pre-register. There is a possibility of another event later in March or in April, please send an email to express your interest.
Please RSVP by filling out the registration form and submitting payment via paypal to: Keith@ProspectRock.org, 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:
Zach Leonard is a master horticulturalist and as been the farm manager of Elmore Roots Nursery for 15 years. He and his family have created High Hopes Farm, a diverse off-grid homestead.
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
As a reminder- only a few spaces remain for our 7th Annual Prospect Rock Permaculture Design Certification Course, July 20 – August 1, 2014.
Our Fruit, Nut, Berry, Vine, and Medicinal Plant Sale will be Saturday, May 3- Please pre-order to ensure you can get the plants you want!
Fruit, Nut, Berry, Vine, and Medicinal Plant Sale- Preorder for May pickup
Posted by on February 2, 2013
May 3- Plant Sale and Plum Flower Party!
Most plants are pre-ordered to be picked up.
Details will be announced soon, but we will have several varieties of
Hazelnuts
Hardy Kiwis
Sea Berry
Walnut
Apricot
Plums
Apples
Cherries
Pears
Grapes
Medicinal Herbs
Blueberries
Juneberries/ Saskatoons
Honeyberries
Currants/ Gooseberries
Strawberries
Asparagus
Rootstock for Apples, Pears, and Prunus (Plums, Peaches, Apricots, etc.)
And much more!
Read below for last year’s variety descriptions (most will still be available).
If you are looking for any plants in particular, please email Keith directly at Keith @ ProspectRock.org (no spaces).
Sorry- we are not set up to ship plants this spring!
We have a variety of plants for sale here from Willow Crossing Farm!
We hold one of the northeast’s most diverse collection of cold hardy fruits, nuts, berries, vines, medicinal herbs, nitrogen fixing and pollinator attracting plants.
Pre-ordered plants will be available for pick up at the farm May 3-4, and in Jeffersonville, Johnson, Burlington, or Stowe farmer’s markets in early May, dates TBA.
Our final availability for spring 2014 will be updated in March, please email if you’re looking for anything in particular, or would like to be notified directly when we have our list finalized.
Here’s some of what we’ll have available:
Bare Root “Northstar” Cherry.
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. $25 1/2″ caliper trees.
Bare Root “Buartnut” Walnut/ Butternut cross
A cross of Butternut and Heartnut, this handsome, medium-size shade tree iproduces abundantcrops of tasty nuts. Buartnuts combine the hardiness and delicious flavor of Butternut with the high yields and easy to crack shell of the Heartnut. Trees are resistant to the Butternut fungalblight. $15 1′-2′ seedlings.
Bare Root “Cherry Red” Red Currant
A very pretty small shrub, Cherry Red bears heavy crops of beautiful, juicy, flavorful red berries. Great for fresh eating, Cherry Red Currants also make attractive and tasty jams and jellies. $12
Bare Root “Hinnomaki Red” Gooseberry
An attractive new variety from Finland and with abundant, dark red, sweet, large, and deliciousberries. Thorny. $10
Bare Root “Jostaberry” Currant / Gooseberry Cross
A unique cross of Gooseberry and Black Currant, Jostaberry is the most vigorous of all ourCurrant 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. Exceptionally large rooted bushes- $15
Potted Hardy Kiwis:
“Anna“- One of the most popular varieties for gardeners and commercial growers alike, Anna’s attractive, very sweet and flavorful fruit can weigh up to 1/2 oz.
“Tatyana“- This exceptionally hardy female variety bears abundant crops of tasty, sweet, large,lime-green fruit.
“Natasha” (From Vladivostok, Russia, this exceptionally hardy variety bears abundant crops of sweet and delicious, large round fruit.)
$15 Each. Will require a male plant to fruit.
Potted Sea Berry “Botanica”
A Nitrogen Fixing Fruit bush! One of several superior varieties from a Soviet breeding program in Moscow, Botanica™ is prized for its abundant crops of very large and richly flavored, bright orange fruit. Botanica™ is a very reliable and productive variety. $15
Potted Flowering Currant “Mary’s Peak”
Brighten your landscape with the bright, reddish-orange floral display of this new form of Flowering Currant. Mary’s Peak™ produces profuse, striking, 3-4” long, fuchsia-like flower spikes. $15
Please note bare root trees are completely naked and not in pots- they will need to go right in the ground (and be watered) after picking them up.
Check out http://www.prospectrock.org for more details. We’ll be pulling out Grapes, Blueberries, Hazelnuts, Sugar Maples, Walnuts and much much more in the next few weeks.
In early May we’ll have a party at the farm and appreciate the incredible flower show with the Native American Plums, stop by if you want to see some of these plants available a bit more mature than the ones we sell.
Last year we had a record crop of plump, juicy, and unblemished organic Peaches- right here in the Lamoille River Valley of Northern Vermont!
Please share this with friends!
Best,
Keith
Willow Crossing Farm
http://www.WillowCrossing.org
Prospect Rock Permaculture
http://www.ProspectRock.org
Other Nursery Plants that may be available:
Local sales only. Please call, email, or comment for prices and availability.
Sugar Maple Acer saccharum
‘Sweet Sap’ Silver Maple Acer saccharinum
Hardy Kiwi Actinidia arguta
Arctic Kiwi Actinidia kolomikta
Shagbark Hickory Carya ovata
Hardy Pecan Carya illinoensis
‘Hican’ (Pecan/ Hickory hybrid) Carya
Black Walnut Juglans nigra
Persian Walnut Juglans regia
Butternut (White Walnut) Juglans cinera
‘Buartnut’ (Butternut/ Heartnut hybrid)
Swamp White Oak Quercus bicolor
‘Ashworth’ Burr Oak Quercus macrocarpa
‘Hazelbert’ (Filbert/ Hazelnut hybrid)
American Chestnut Castanea
Chestnut hybrids
Orchard Pruning Workshop- March 2
Posted by on September 14, 2012
2015 event details HERE
Hands on- Fruit and Nut Tree Pruning
A day long exploration of the science and practice of ecological tree crop management for diverse yields.
Willow Crossing Farm
Johnson, VT
SUNDAY, MARCH 2
10 am – 4 pm
Join VT’s Master Horticulturalist Zach Leonard and Tree Farmer Keith Morris for a day of hands-on practice with fruit and nut tree pruning, in a diverse permaculture forest garden setting.
Spend the morning in the large yurt learning the science and ecology of how trees lose limbs and ‘heal’, and explore the deep traditions of how humans beings observe and interact with this phenomenon. We’ll synthesize a variety of pruning ideas, strategies, and techniques to help you develop your own philosophy, understanding, and confidence to go out and work with trees in your landscape in a regenerative and yielding way.
After lunch and some hot cider we’ll go outside to explore one of VT’s oldest permaculture designed food forests- a reforestation of old pasture and hayfield in the floodplain of the Lamoille River. We’ll briefly tour ‘Productive Buffers’, wildlife corridors, and stop to work in zones of Plums, Apples, Peaches, Pears, Berries, Vines, Hazelnuts, Walnuts, and more- driven by the group’s interest, and discussing pruning techniques for trees both young and old.
We’ll look at and evaluate previous years of pruning decisions and ensuing consequences, and explore some natural tree injuries and healing responses, helping participants to better understand the implications of our pruning decisions over varying periods of time.
We’ll finish the day practicing with different tools to cut wood cleanly- with an eye towards maximizing production, fruit quality, ease of future maintenance, and minimizing pest and disease pressure. We’ll also set the stage for top-working, multi-variety grafting, species changes (i.e.. Peaches on Plum roots), and other forms of propagation. In preparation for our March 16 Grafting Workshop and Scionwood Exchange
We’ll also prune mature, bearing Hazelnuts and manage black locust, walnut, butternut/ buartnut, pecans, and more for nuts, firewood, high-value lumber, succession, aesthetics, and other long-term aims.
We’ll pass around, demonstrate, and allow you to trial favorite tools, including pruners, saws, pole saws, etc.; speak to their selection and maintenance, and discuss hygienic practices to promote orchard health and reduce cross-contamination.
This workshop kicks off our series for 2014!
Please enter your email in the box on the right hand side of the page, or ‘like’ us on Facebook to get the calendar and details for our other offerings such as: fruit tree grafting (March 16), nursery plant sale, natural beekeeping workshop, nut production, diverse understory planting, spring development for gravity fed irrigation, natural building, compost heat, season extension, earth oven construction, stone masonry, and more.
Our Plum Flower Festival and Nursery Plant Sale is scheduled for May 4, with some plants available for pickup Saturday May 3, or delivery into Burlington.
Our 2014 Permaculture Design Certification Course will be held July 20- August 1, and is filling quickly. Applications for our Advanced Permaculture Design / Build /Grow / Teach internship, and APDC guided portfolio development will now be accepted on a rolling basis!
Event is $60 suggested donation/ sliding scale, including warm or cold cider during lunch and a round of hard cider tasting (21 and over) afterwards. No one will be refused for lack of funds.
*We are looking for photographers or videographers to help document the event, or create a short educational video.*
Please pre-register, and dress to spend the day outdoors.
We’ll need your email address if you’re planning on coming because the weather will determine where we’ll have people park. Feel free to bring your *clean, sterile, and sharp* pruners and saws.
Zach Leonard is a master horticulturalist and was farm manager of Elmore Roots Nursery for over a decade. He and his family have created High Hopes Farm, a diverse, off-grid homestead, where they preserve heirloom apples, sheep, and more. He runs High Hopes Tree Care, Vermont’s most experienced orchard restoration and maintenance service specializing in Organic Management.
Keith Morris has been collecting and experimenting with rare fruit and nut trees for 14 years, and is professor of ecological design at the University of Vermont. He has worked to help create resilient, diverse, socially just, and economically viable food systems around the world since 1996.
Please spread the word to potentially interested friends and networks.
Thank you for your support of our work!
Thanks,
Keith and Crew
Willow Crossing Farm
www.willowcrossing.org
ProspectRock.org 