About us/Our Mission Statement
Native Haunts is a propagating nursery, growing all of our plants de novo.. We grow trees, shrubs, and perennials including ferns and sedges ,that are native to Maine and New England. Native plants are plants that were growing here naturally in the "New World" before the arrival of Europeans.
The Native Haunts mission is to make a wide variety of sustainably grown native plants readily accessible to the public.
Other goals include-
- To gather and disseminate information on the growing, culture, and habits of native plants.
- To experiment with novel growing techniques such as hydroponics and other soiless culture systems.
- To establish native fruit orchards and promote the growing and use of native fruits for traditional and new uses.
Location
We are located in Alfred, Maine in the United States of America. Phone number 1-207-490-0849. We do not have a brick and mortar retail location-business is primarily done via mail order.
How to get our plants.
Option 1-We can deliver your plants to you if you live within 10 miles of Alfred.
Option 2-You can come pick them up, by appointment.
Option 3-We can send your plants to you via UPS.
Growing Practices.
I grow my plants from seed/spores whenever possible; root divisions and cuttings are used secondarily or as need dictates.
Plants are never dug from the wild.. It should be noted that most of our propagating material comes from wild plants. As time goes on, more of our propagating material comes from stock plants that we grow for said purpose.
Organic growing practices are used throughout the growing operation; we are making an effort to make the Green Industry really "green".
- Synthetic pesticides and herbicides are never used.
- Organic fertilizers consist of compost, seaweed, and fish emulsion; inorganic N-P-K type fertilizer is used occasionally.
- Pesticides are limited to Insecticidal/Fungicidal Soap (potassium salts of fatty acids), Horticultural oils, and other materials listed as certified for organic production by MOFGA (Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association),OMRI (Organic Materials Research Institute), and other organizations involved with organic crop production/certification/standards.
- Repellents like Hot Pepper Wax and garlic/putrefied egg/dried blood type products are used to deter insects and various gnawing mammals.
Organic nursery production seems to be a relatively new and evolving concept. Most of the literature available on organic production focuses on food crops; many of these ideas can be applied to ornamental plant production like- organic fertilizer use, soil health and protection, and best management practices. Some of the material I have read recommends that sustainable organic nursery production should focus largely on management of fertilizer and pesticide run off. Read- Sustainable Small-Scale Nursery Production, by Steve Diver and Lane Greer, for an excellent discussion on this topic.
A heated battle is raging over the heavy and ubiquitous use of peat moss in horticulture. Peat moss is mined from wetlands in the northern United States and Europe, and Canada. Entire wetland ecosystems are stripped of vegetation, drained and hence irrevocably altered to harvest the peat with mechanized equipment. These mining operations provide a large job base in northern regions where employment opportunities may be limited. This debate is really nothing new-a classic jobs versus the environment case. Europe has pledged to be go peat-free in the near future, and North American operations are facing increasing pressure to follow suit. The best candidate to replace peat is coir fiber, which is made from coconut husks, and shipped in from tropical locations in the southern Pacific ocean area. Do we support an industry close to home that provides jobs in our country, or one that uses thousands of gallons of fuel to transport coir from the other side of the world? Is peat moss mining any different then say coal mining, that literally tears off the tops of mountains, fills in valleys, contaminates streams and rivers, but fuels our country and provides thousands of jobs? To learn more about this issue consider reading-"The Myth of Permanent Peatlands: "Peat moss is an environmentally friendly organic amendment essential for many horticultural purposes.", by Linda Chalker-Scott, Ph.D., Extension Urban Horticulturist and Associate Professor,
Puyallup Research and Extension Center, Washington State University.
What is the Native Haunts stance on this issue? I have never liked peat moss. When it comes out of the bag it is hydrophobic and takes considerable effort to absorb and hold water. I like coir because of its water adhering properties-it quickly and effortlessly absorbs water, and can be rung out like a sponge. Author Bill Cullina, in his book Growing and Propagating Native Plants of the United States and Canada states that coir is not a good material to use because it results in excessive nitrogen consumption, nitrogen that the plants would be using. (This is due to the larger number of microbial populations needed to break coir fiber down, in comparison to peat moss. Coir fiber contains an extensive amount of lignin, which is energy intensive to chemically disassemble.) I am big on keeping jobs close to home, sustaining our regional economy, and saving fuel used in shipping, and since I live in Maine, I tend to lean towards peat-argumentatively speaking.
What do we use? My preferred source of organic matter is leaf moulde-compost made from leaves. It is inexpensive because we can make it, and I believe it to be superior due to its substantial microbial and mycorrhizal fungus activity, infusion of earth worm castings, and porosity.
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Last updated on 17 April 2010.