Howdy! Lindsay here. Welcome to my very first forest farming blog post!
Although this is the beginning of the blog, and of our commitment to forest farming, Matt and I have been casually learning about, protecting and propagating some of the special native, medicinal and at-risk plants in our forest since 2015. We have some nice populations of Ginseng, Black Cohosh, Stoneroot, Bloodroot, Solomon’s Seal and many others, and through good stewardship practices we’ve watched these populations grow over the past 8 years.
Every year the land looks a little happier, and this consistently feels like the most important work I’ve ever done. Hungry to learn more, in 2020 I reached out to Margaret Bloomquist of the NC Alternative Crops and Organics Program and the Applachain Beginning Forest Farmer Coalition, and asked to be put on an email list for a Woodland Stewards group that meets up monthly during the growing season. I went to my first meeting in the spring of 2022, and about a half hour into this meeting I felt like I had found my people. All of those years of slowly learning about the woodland botanicals via websites, books and videos had been fun, but to meet other people in the woods who were doing what I’d been doing was beyond exciting! During these meetings we learned about propagation techniques, record keeping, markets for different plants, and good agricultural practices. We kept beds free from weeds, transplanted seedlings, planted rootlets, identified pests and diseases, made new planting beds and collected data on plots of Ginseng and Goldenseal. I went home from every meeting more inspired, and eager to head to our woods to work.
After many fun and informative meetings with the woodland stewards, Margaret told us all about a grant opportunity designed to get planting stock into the ground in Appalachia. I’d never considered applying for a grant before but I applied and we got it! The Catalyzing Agroforestry Grant we received from the Appalachian Beginning Forest Farming Coalition, Organic Growers School and the Edwards Mother Earth Foundation has been instrumental in the work we have done since August of 2022. We’ve been able to purchase beautiful planting stock, build protected seed beds, inoculate logs, and prepare forest beds for future planting. We look forward to sharing our forest farming journey with you!
If you or anyone you know is interested in growing native, medicinal plants in the forest as a part of a farm or herbal business, for personal use, or just for fun, please check out the Applachain Beginning Forest Farmer Coalition’s website. It’s an invaluable resource.
Thanks for reading.