2020 Plant Sale!

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 SOLD OUT

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!

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

ELDERBERRIES:  ‘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

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

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

NOFA NH Winter Conference

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!

https://prospectrockpermaculture.wordpress.com/2016/01/13/hands-on-fruit-and-nut-tree-pruning-in-vermonts-most-diverse-orchard-sunday-march-2-2014/

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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!

https://prospectrockpermaculture.wordpress.com/2016/01/06/grafting-workshop-postponed-new-date-tba-asap/

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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

Our Nut Research Featured in Sunday’s Free Press!

We were honored to have our research and breeding trials featured in this Sunday’s Burlington Free Press Article:

 

Nut farming hard to crack in Vermont

Nut trees serve and protect.

Lynn Monty, Free Press Staff Writer8:19 a.m. EDT September 8, 2014

(Photo: LYNN MONTY/Free Press )

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.

Photo Gallery: Eden in Elmore

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.

Black walnuts from last year’s harvest at Elmore Roots Nursery.(Photo: LYNN MONTY/Free Press )

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!

Grafting Workshop / VT Scionwood Exchange March 18

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.

Nursery Plants Pre-Orders

The information below is from previous years- these varieties and MANY MORE are available for pre-order with plant pick ups beginning April 23 for the 2016 season.

Please add your email to the box on the right and confirm your subscription (‘Following Blog’).

We will have a large variety of select fruits, nuts, berries, and vines proven in the Lamoille Valley of Northern Vermont.  At this time, we do not ship plants.  Plants area available for pickup at the farm in Johnson, VT or our barn in Jeffersonville, VT starting Earth Day- April 22, 2015, and celebrating with Special Events for International Permaculture Day- May 3, 2015.

Please send an email with specific requests- especially if you are looking for wholesale/ orchard/ production/ hedgerow quantities.  Plants are available in bundles of 10 of the same variety for wholesale or farm production planting pricing.

Available as Bare-Root Plants Picked up in Northern Vermont:

Apples      Pears     Walnuts     Hazelnuts     Chestnuts     Hickories and Pecans     Currants and other Ribes     Kiwis      Sea Berries and other N Fixers      Strawberries      Asparagus      Hops      Plums      Cherries     Peaches and Apricots     Hops    Medicinal Herbs and Companion Plants     Grapes     Schisandra     Tobacco     Paw Paws     Honey Berries     

Please see below for some examples of the varieties we had for previous seasons.  We should have all (or most) of these and are looking forward to introducing several more!

Potted Plants:

We have a limited number of plants.

Black Locusts ~2′ tall potted $20.  The exceptionally fast growing Nitrogen Fixing Tree has delicious edible flowers loved by bees.  Its also exceptionally rot resistant and hot burning fire-wood.

Aurora Pear ~6+’ tall grafted Fruit Tree, XL pot- $50

Grafted Paw Paws ~1′ tall in deep pots.  ‘Pennsylvania Golden’ and ‘NC-1’ varieties.

$25 Various Nut Trees ~2′ tall in deep and/ or large pots.  Walnuts, Hazelnuts, Carpathian Walnuts, Butternuts, Buartnuts  $40 each! Sugar Maples  ~5+’ tall potted trees

$30  Kiwis  potted, assorted varieties

$25 Siberian Pea Shrub ~2-4′ tall potted trees.  Beautiful N Fixer with edible flowers and small peas often used as chicken fodder and/ or living fence.   Please stay tuned and follow the blog- our availability and pre-orders for spring 2015 will be announced soon!

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Spring 2014

(for reference only- most of these plants will be available for similar prices Spring 2015)

Hey All! Thanks everyone for your support of our most successful plant sale to date!  By last count we’ve helped place several hundred fruits, nuts, berries, vines, and other useful plants throughout the northeast just this spring! All plants are available for pickup ASAP in Jeffersonville, VT or at Willow Crossing Farm by appointment, unless otherwise noted. All trees are potted in organic compost potting mix.  For the best prices on trees, please subscribe for details about our late April / early May Bare Root Plant Sales. We still have nice, well branched PIXWELL GOOSEBERRIES  $20/ plant- make a small deliciously fruiting, mildly thorny hedge around your garden to keep the critters back! SIBERIAN PEA SHRUB- One of our favorite Nitrogen Fixers, this plant feeds bees, has delicious edible flowers (for people), and its small edible peas are traditionally grown as a chicken feed.  $20/ Plant CONSTORT BLACK CURRANT- widely adaptable, shade-fruiting, delicious- White Pine Blister Rust immune- yum! $20/ Plant HYBRID HAZELS-  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. $30/ tree.  (Available for Pickup this weekend by appointment). SILVER MAPLES- 3-4′ bare root trees.  Stately!  $15/ Plant SOLD OUT SUGAR MAPLES- 4-5′ bare root trees.  The classic!  $25/ Plant LODI GREEN APPLE- 3/4″ truck caliper (over 6′ tall) bare root trees- $30/ plant  SOLD OUT NIJISEIKI ASIAN PEAR- 3/4″ truck diameter (~5′ plant) bare root- $30/ Plant. SOLD OUT AURORA RED BLUSHED PEAR- 3/4″ truck diameter (over 6′ tall)- $50/ Plant. ONE LEFT- BIG TREE! BLACK LOCUST- 18″- Permaculture stacking function ‘superhero’: the fastest growing, most rot resistant, hottest burning, thorny, Nitrogen Fixing, bee-supporting, edible flowers. $20/ Plant

Ericoid Mycorrhizae infect the roots of blueberries, and expand their reaches for minerals, nutrients, and water exponentially!

WATERMAN BERRY FARM ERICOID MYCORRHIZA INNOCULATED MATURE BLUEBERRIES  magic mushrooms for blueberry roots!  MEADER, BLUE GLOD, ELLIOT $35/ Large Potted Plant CONCORD GRAPES– The classic hardy blue grape known for its vigor and disease resistance, and delicious fresh grapes, juices, wine, jams, and preserves. $20/ pot BLACK WALNUTS- 2-3′ bare root trees.  $30 BUTTERNUTS- 12-18″ bare root trees- $25 *CARPATHIAN/ ENGLISH WALNUTS- 2-3′ bare root trees, $40 XANTHOCERAS- 3-4′ bare root trees, $25  SOLD OUT Still just a few potted: KIWIS, SEA BERRIES, ARONIA, ROSES, ARTICHOKES, and some VIKING ASPARAGUS! More details on the plant sale are available here. If you want something left bare root for you let us know! Thanks so much! Keith, Family, and Crew Only a few spaces remain in this summer’s Permaculture Design Certification Course, and we’re able to offer full scholarships to income eligible Vermonters and Women Farmers.  Two spaces will be reserved for ‘second PDC’ students looking to deepen their practice and experience. Happy spring- get planting!

Fruit and Nut Tree Pruning Workshop- March 15

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 15

(Please note- new date!)

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 21 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 2015!  

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 21), nursery plant sale, compost toilet design/ build workshop, 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 3.

Our 2015 Permaculture Design Certification Course will be offered June 20- July 2 OR July 19- 31, and they are filling quickly.

We have full scholarships available to income-elligible Vermont State residents, and are presently fundraising for gender and diversity leadership scholarships for out of state residents- please be in touch if you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution.

Applications for our Advanced Permaculture Design / Build /Grow / Teach internship, and APDC guided portfolio development are 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.

REGISTER HERE!

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.

Apple Blossoms at High Hopes Orchard

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.

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 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

You can view some photos from last years event and share this via social media HERE.

May Plant Sale!

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.

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”

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!

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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!

 

 

 

Happy Spring! Grafting Workshop, Scionwood Swap, and Plant Sale!

Hi Friends!

Hope you’re enjoying the nice long days and melting snow!  We’re getting ready and have been working with the trees- while the orchard is still under feet of snow, it doesn’t look like it will last through this next week of warm weather that’s finally arrived…

Happy to announce that our 3rd Anual Grafting Workshop and Vermont Scionwood Swap will has been rescheduled for Sunday April 13!  Here’s to hoping for nice weather and not too much mud!

We hope this date works for as many of you as possible!  All participants must register!  We’ll need to provide some details and parking information just prior to the event.  If you registered for the previously postponed date, please confirm whether you’re still coming or your plans have changed.

DETAILS HERE!   Direct Link to REGISTRATION FORM.

 

 

Our Spring Plant Sale and Plum Flower Party will be held Saturday, May 3!

While final list and prices will have to wait until we can get through the snow and start digging some plants, we know we’ll have our favorite, VT-proven varieties of Hazelnuts, Hardy Kiwis, Sea Berry, Walnut, Apricot, Plums, Apples, Cherries, Pears, Grapes, Medicinal Herbs, Blueberries, Currants/ Gooseberries, Strawberries, Asparagus, as well as Rootstock for Apples, Pears, and Prunus (Plums, Peaches, Apricots, etc.).  Stay tuned for more details to be announced in the next few weeks, and please email me if you’d like to reserve anything in particular.  Last year we sold out early, we will most likely only be open at the farm for pick-up of pre-ordered plants.  All proceeds support Permaculture Research, Education, and Productive Reforestation.

 

And finally, we’re excited to announce a few open spaces in this summer’s Permaculture Design Certification Course– the nation’s leading Farm and Wildlife Immersion PDC.  Centered on Design and Practice- join a diverse group of students from around the country and the world in collaborative design for Real-World Community projects, hands on at Vermont’s most diverse permaculture farm, research center, and wildlife sanctuary; and gain professional support in developing Designs for Your Own Property!  Participants range from total ‘newbies’ to practicing architects and landscape architects; sustainability and conservation professionals; farmers, chefs, ‘foodies’, extension agents; activists; homesteaders; and design, ecology, and food-systems students.  Facilitated by a diverse, talented, and most experienced teaching team- we provide a solid, science-based foundation for experiential and experimental ecological design education while cutting-edge information, cross-disciplinary techniques, and 21st Century Integration and Systems Thinking provide new territory for even the most experienced practitioner’s to explore and co-learn with professional peers.  REGISTER NOW TO HOLD YOUR SPACE.  As the only fully-accredited Permaculture Institute in Vermont, Vermont State residents are eligible for a full scholarship.  This PDC can also be taken for 5 fully transferable credits from the University of Vermont.

We’ll begin announcing more open houses and farm tours starting in May!  Look forward to seeing you all this season!

Best,

Keith, Family, and Team

Willow Crossing Farm- Johnson, VT

Prospect Rock Permaculture

Vermont’s Original Permaculture Design and Education Institute

www.ProspectRock.org