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Collection, Growth, and Use of Native Plants, Trees, and
Shrubs in Forested Landscapes
by Steve Haines, Prairie Moon Nursery
Prairie Moon Nursery, located on 356 acres of land south of
Witoka, began 20 years ago as a co-op farm owned by 13
people. In the '60s this was called a "commune." Now, it's
referred to as a "co-op," or intentional community. The land
cooperative has existed in its present form since 1975, with
members holding the land in common and owning their own
homes. Within this context, Prairie Moon was established in
1982.
Initially, organic wheat farming was attempted on the land,
but the terrain is steep and it made this type of agriculture
extremely difficult. Then, smaller type production was tried,
which included seed collection. Prairie Moon has led the way
with others in native seed production and serves as a seed
broker for over 100 producers from throughout the Midwest. A
close network of those producing seed and those wanting it
has been established.
Most plants offered for sale at Prairie Moon are grown
outdoors in nursery beds at the Prairie Moon Nursery. Some
woodland species have been moved from areas being destroyed
by road construction.
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Almost all of the nursery's forb seed is hand collected, which is a
good way to ensure that the seed is ripe and free of weed seed.
To clarify terms used in native landscaping, it is important to point
out that Prairie Moon Nursery only handles native species, meaning
those species indigenous to North America prior to European
settlement. Other companies that sell alien species advertise them as
wildflowers; their sources may have come from outside North America.
Some examples include naturalized aliens like oxeye daisy, bouncing
bet, Queen Anne's lace, chicory, dame's rocket, bird's foot trefoil,
and crown vetch.
A unique feature of Prairie Moon is that it serves as a seed
consignment center. This allows a landowner to begin this business
very small and to grow a species of his or her choosing. It's a foot
in the door to seed production that allows a grower to start small and
grow larger.
How does one start seed for production? It's a good enterprise to
consider as it doesn't take a lot of land area to do this. A quarter
acre of pasque flowers can produce a lot of seed!
Producing native plant seed can be a lucrative non-timber forest
activity. There is a demand for the seed of many different species;
these seeds are used in revegetation projects on both public and
private lands.
Native seed production can have a low impact on the land. Many
production fields are, in fact, high diversity wildlife habitat
restorations.
There are a few points to remember, however. You must know exactly
where the source of the seed is. In other words, know what you have
and where the seed came from.
Prairie Moon Nursery catalog.
(catalog photo by David Cavagnaro; used with permission.)
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The first consideration in native plant collection is to determine
which species are appropriate to concentrate on. Just as one must
decide the species mix when revegetating, let the land and soil
conditions decide what will be the best species. Get to know the
species that grow naturally and are native. If there are no high
integrity landscapes around you, visit neighboring natural areas and
research what might have grown there naturally. It is also best to
have a local natural seed source from which to start production plots.
It is important to know with certainty not only what species you are
dealing with, but also where it is from, the genotype or ecotype.
The Prairie Moon Nursery has grown with the native plant industry over
the past two decades. What began as a small niche market of people
exchanging seed they collected from small remnant prairies, has grown
into an industry that supplies quality, true native seed to
revegetation projects for government agencies and private landowners.
Prairie Moon sells native seed on consignment. The nursery has
products around the upper Midwest. This makes it possible for
producers to start small and increase their operations incrementally.
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