Project Overview
Commodities
- Fruits: paw-paws
- Nuts: chestnuts
- Vegetables: beans
- Additional Plants: Flowers (zinnias, tithonia)
Practices
- Crop Production: agroforestry, intercropping, nurseries
- Education and Training: demonstration, on-farm/ranch research, workshop
- Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity, habitat enhancement
- Production Systems: agroecosystems, permaculture
- Soil Management: soil analysis, soil microbiology
- Sustainable Communities: local and regional food systems, sustainability measures
Summary:
Agroforestry systems have the potential to increase both food production and environmental quality, mitigating challenges generated by climate change and land degradation. To examine whether agroforestry practices could be applied to nursery production to increase income and ecological benefits, we raised Dunstan chestnut tree seedlings in polyculture and monoculture nursery beds. We attempted to grow pawpaw trees as well, but experienced poor germination and thus evaluated only the chestnut seedlings. The seedlings in the polyculture bed were grown with a variety of annual crops including basil, zinnias, tithonia, and pole beans. We intercropped annuals to provide harvests and income while the chestnut seedlings grew to saleable size, and to study whether a polyculture design might foster mutualistic ecosystem benefits for the crops. After two growing seasons we measured root collar diameter, height, number of first order lateral roots (FOLR), and root system depth to compare seedling growth and vigor. We conducted soil tests and microbial assays to examine potential differences between the monoculture and polyculture plantings. We observed the growth of the intercropped annuals and tracked amounts harvested. KWWF hosted a series of four hands-on workshops to share our research, connect with farmers and small landowners interested in agroforestry, and teach propagation skills. Workshops included seed germination of woody and perennial plants, spring planting and seedling care, seed collection, storage and stratification, and fall planting and site preparation. Participants received hands-on instruction, free plant material, and printed handouts. The workshop series was a success, as measured by responses on participant exit surveys.
Measurements showed that the chestnut seedlings grown in monoculture exceeded those grown in polyculture for three out of the four variables examined: root collar diameter, height, and root system depth. Seedlings grown in polyculture exceeded those grown in monoculture in FOLR. Soil tests do not show substantial differences between the beds or significant change through the research period. Soil biology assays show some change in population size of individual microbial types, but the overall trends in microbes present did not change appreciably. Growing Dunstan chestnut seedlings in close proximity with annual crops in this case did not confer any obvious advantage for the tree seedlings, and only small benefits in terms of annual crops harvested.
Project objectives:
Assess the viability of intercropping annual herbs and vegetables with chestnut seedlings in nursery production.
Build two 25’ x 4’ protected nursery beds at Kelly’s Working Well Farm.
Design and implement a program of four hands-on workshops for small landowners and beginning farmers, based on the seasonal rhythms of plants and propagation.
Promote on-farm tree nurseries and integrated farm practices.
Build KWWF nursery inventory based on Northeast Ohio’s diverse ecosystems and to mitigate challenges related to climate change and land degradation.
Generate interest in agroforestry and perennial crops within the community.