Starting a local edible tree nursery by Will Bason

Ever thought of starting a tree and berry bush nursery? With more and more people getting excited about food forest gardens as the answer to avoiding toxic mass framed food,  there will be more demand for ready grown fruit and nut tree and berry bush seedlings and cuttings.  And with more and more people wanting to source locally there will be more demand for small local suppliers.

We hope this article will inspire some to explore this as an eco-commerce that would offer great barter opportunities when the current money-based economy falters.

This was written by a facebook friend Will Bason.  He has much experience and the generosity to share his information freely.   There are some useful links for anyone who is considering starting a commerce in the area of trees, seeds, perennial berries, all of which are great and often easy crops to raise or sell as seedllings.

A small nursery in Haiti.

http://www.haitifundinc.org/news/articles/mgmt_reforestation/l_mgmt_reforest.html



Will says

Local nursery for perennial fruit trees and bushes

I think it’s a great opportunity to start a small business growing useful species of trees and other perennials for one’s local community.  It’s an excellent opportunity for young greens of modest means. I am not an expert, but i have some resources and tricks that i’ll pass on here now.

Growing from Seed – adapting to zone and local species

My favorite species for growing from seed, remembering that i am in the BlueRidge mountains of Virginia USDA zone 6b,  are:  american persimmon, pawpaw, various chestnuts,  hicans, hardy pecans, and various walnuts, hazelnuts, and red mulberry. There are many places online where you can check what zone you live in and what grows best in that zone.

There are many others that are suitable.

Here are some sources I have used for seeds… and while some of my old favorites are no more,  there are new ones too:

http://trees-seeds.com/

http://www.treehelp.com/items.asp?Cc=SD420

http://www.sheffields.com/

Grafting and Root cuttings

It is a great idea to learn to graft and then you can graft improved varieties of scionwood on your seedling.   Most berry  plants are better propagated from cuttings or root cuttings and this is an excellent! and this is easy and a great  thing to learn.

Just take wineberry, raspberry or blackberry cultivars ( cultivated varieties)  and put a piece of root in a pot full of good dirt and a very salable plant results first season. I used to find cuttings in the classified section of Progressive Farmer that were very reasonably priced and I would think that they would be folks selling them on ebay or other sites because selling root cuttings is pretty simple too.

Growing and selling locally

There are disease problems with the rubus tribe  (mostly rust and with blackbery and raspberry etc but  not with wineberry) to watch out for in both buying and selling these. Disease and pest problems are one of the reasons I stress LOCAL and urge caution and education  in choosing what to bring to one’s area and to avoid shipping to other areas entirely. Real plant people ( you know who you are) have an intuitive feel about these things and they should listen and others should find another gig for sure.

Hardy kiwis are a good choice from cuttings , remembering that except for the “Iassai” cultivar they need a male for every several females to produce fruit so you need to root both.

Blueberries are a great crop in my area and are easily reproduced from hardwood cuttings taken in late winter , stored in wet sand in the bottom a refrigerator until the weather settles and then put in a frame with hardware cloth bottom and several incheds of growing media (remermbering that they are total acid heads needing a pH 4.0 to 5.0)covered by a poly humidy tent with burlap over that. Misting systems are awesome and thensome but i never had one.

http://www.stuewe.com/

Goji berries are easy from seed and you can soak regular berries you get in the store, blend them up just enough so the seeds all come out with isn’t much and then the seeds settle to the bottom.  Drink the juce, plant the seeds and jillions of the buggers come up easily and you do not need to buy the seed people are selling at ridiculous price or need any special fertilizer , but remember they are real alkies, mening they need an unusually alkaline soil. They have a a ph of 8.2 to 8.6 in their natural habitat..

Also remember that if the roots get warm in a black pot in the sun they will look like crap and be unsalable, key info i found out the hard way.  Here is info on growing them remembering that you do not need to buy their seed.

http://forgojiberries.com/HowToGrowGojiBerries.php3

Nut Trees

Nut trees will take a while to mature, but many people interested in permaculture are looking to the future and wanting seedlings to plant.   Local varieties always do best.

Walnuts,and hazelnuts, Chinese chestnuts, pecans and buratnuts hicans and butternuts ,true i am a nut nut loving all nuts  but peanuts.

Here is a very good overview of these species:

http://www.utextension.utk.edu/publications/spfiles/sp307-p.pdf

Acorn seeds! This looks like a great source for seed

http://www.acorno.com/

Here is a great article on acorns and how to use them.  Looked throught quite a few before i found this and this far the best:

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/clay79.html

Acorns and other wild nuts have been a far more important source of food for our species for far longer than most folks have any idea. I strongly believe that they also will play such a role agian in the not too distant future. For those wanting extra tree nerd credits, here is a totally excellent pdf  called “

http://www.swsbm.com/ManualsOther/UsefulPlants/Useful_Wild_Plants-3.PDF

Containers for Bushes and Trees

The place i like to get containers is Stewie and Sons because they are real nice folk , but a whole lot more because their “tall one” one gallon tree pots are perfect for growing trees to salable size because they taper, have vertical ridges running down the inside to prevent root spiraling and have half open bottoms to promote air pruning of the roots.

All of these are perfect and the choice of professional growers. Plants experience transplant liberation rather than transplant shock this way if planted properly, in my opinion.

Buying, Selling and Trading Tree Seeds

Ebay is an awesome source of tree seeds.  Remember pawpaw seeds are easy to germinate if they have not been allowed to dry, and only buy  fresh or properly handeled of these.

http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=tree+seeds&_armrs=1&_from&_ipg=%EF%BB%BF

This looks like the way of the future for tree seed trading and buying and selling.  Selling tree seeds is a pretty good way to makes some money!  The internet hugely fascilitates this.  Here is an agricultural swap site with subcategories for seeds> forest tree seeds, fruit tree seeds and bush seeds as well as vegetable seeds and many other things.  Looks very good to me.

http://www.agriseek.com/buy-sell/e/Crops-Seeds/Seed/?AUT&FF_UMX=Y

http://www.agriseek.com/buy-sell/e/Crops-Seeds/Seed/Fruit-Tree/?AUT&FF_UMX=Y

http://www.agriseek.com/buy-sell/e/Crops-Seeds/Seed/Forest-Trees/?AUT&FF_UMX=Y

Buying bareroot stock in quantity and potting them up is cheap and quick way to salable plants!!  Here is the source i used for that:

http://www.lawyernursery.com/

Will recommends this book on Trees

http://www.amazon.com/Seeds-Woody-Plants-North-America/dp/1604691123/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

This book is fairly expensive but if you are really! interested in tree seeds i recommend getting it.  I loved this book, and still do i reckon.

The reason it was so important to me is that every different species has different requirments for germination; wet stratification, dry stratification, scarification, light, temp. requirments and for each process a time period minimum and by golly it is pretty close to necessary to know these things if you are doing them, and years back having this book was the only way i knew to get these.

Nowadays one can supply the supplication ” ginko seed germination requirments”  without the quotes into the Great Google and answers will almost always come forth.  Here is an  excellent thumbnail guide to the terms and basic processes involved such as  statification and scarification etc.

This site i found writing this note and is far far and away the single best source of information on growing trees i have ever seen. Praise the web and pass the information and we’ll all stay free!

http://www.treehelp.com/howto/howto-grow-a-tree-from-seed.asp

Tree Seed Technology Training Course

This manual is intended primarily to train seed collectors, seed-plant managers, seed analysts, and nursery managers, but it can serve as a resource for any training course in forest regeneration. It includes both temperate and tropical tree species of all intended uses. The manual covers the following topics: seed biology, seed collection, seed handling, seed-quality evaluation, seed protection, seed basics for nurseries, and seed programs. It also includes practical exercises.

Tree Seed Technology Training Course – Instructor’s Manual More Details Tree Seed Technology Training Course

http://www.rngr.net/publications/tst

Plant Health is Vital

APHIS stands for Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and is the thin green line trying to stop the rising tide of pests and diseases such as gypsy moth and emerald ash borer. Here is their website on plant health.  When in doubt, don’t do it.  Education and awareness are absolutely necessary in this matter.  The USDA is not the enemy in this,  human ignorance is.

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/index.shtml

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