Resources

Resources

A compilation of suppliers and sources I've used or had recommended to me for amendments, seeds, plants and other related materials. It is intended to support you on your planting journey. It is a list in progress so check back again for updates over the next few weeks and months... 

Seed, Plant and Soil Amendment Suppliers:

Advancing Eco Agriculture (OH): a good source for micronutrients and soil biology-supporting amendments for nutrient dense growing including a seed inoculant I use called "BioCoat Gold". Sold in farm-sized quantities which is not always practical for home gardeners.  https://www.advancingecoag.com/

Baker's Creek Heirloom Seeds (CA) : vegetable and flower seeds. great source for heirloom, unusual or rare varietes.  https://www.rareseeds.com/


Bigfoot Mycorrhizae - garden-scale supplier of quality beneficial microbial inoculants for seeds with mycorrhizal fungi: https://bigfootmyco.com/


Coast of Maine (ME): Good quality potting, compost and soil mixes https://coastofmaine.com/


Epsoma: Good source for organic, quality soil amendments including basic all-purpose fertilizers for veggie gardens: https://www.espoma.com/product/garden-tone/

Fedco Organic Seed Supplies (ME): seeds including from regionally adapted seed-saving initiatives, bareroot and potted plants and trees (fruit, nut, oramental, herbs, etc...). https://www.fedcoseeds.com/

High Mowing Organic Seeds (VT): regionally adapted to the northeast, organic, quality seeds. https://www.highmowingseeds.com/

Johnny's Selected Seeds (ME): northeast supplier, good source for garden or farm scale seeds or seeding supplies. Some bareroot plants. https://www.johnnyseeds.com/

Fungi Perfecti (WA): 'MycoGrow' beneficial fungal inoculants for plants along with mushroom-growing supplies https://fungi.com/collections/mycogrow

Mycorrhizal Applications – beneficial biology inculants. http://mycorrhizae.com/

Native Seed SEARCH: (AZ): good source for unique varieties of vegetables, fruits and flowers, drought-hardy and regionally adapted to the southwest of North America. https://www.nativeseeds.org/

Neptune's Harvest (MA): liquid fish and kelp fertilizers https://www.neptunesharvest.com/


North Country Organics: great source for organic fertilizers including an all-purpose organic fertilizer blend called 'Pro-gro' : https://norganics.com/index-12/index-11/fertilizers/progro/

Organic Mechanics (PA): source for peat-free potting soil mixes. Check their website to see if a retailer near you carries their potting soil. https://organicmechanicsoil.com/

Prairie Moon Nursery (MN): great suppliers for native meadows and pollinator support https://www.prairiemoon.com/

Twisted Tree Farm (NY): Many excellent quality bareroot-style fruit, nut and native trees and shrubs chosen for excellent quality along with education materials on growing. http://www.twisted-tree.net/


Vermont Compost Company (VT): good quality potting, compost and loam mixes: https://vermontcompost.com/

Wild Boar Farms (CA): Known for breeding unique tomato varieties with exceptional flavor. https://wildboarfarms.com/

Foraging Resources:


Books by Samuel Thayer: 

The Forager's Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants

Nature's Garden:  A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants

Incredible Wild Edibles 36 Plants that Can Change your Life

Sam Thayer's Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern and Central North America

https://www.foragersharvest.com/


Books by Euell Gibbons (classics):

Stalking the Wild Asparagus (temperate forests)

Stalking the Blue-Eyed Scallop (seaside foraging)


Southwest Foraging: 117 Wild and Flavorful Edibles from Barrel Cactus to Wild Oregano by John Slattery


How to Forage for Mushrooms Without Dying: An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Identifying 29 Wild, Edible Mushrooms by Frank Hyman - great beginner's guide to mushroom foraging


Wild Plants I Have Known and Eaten by Russ Cohen

 

Forage, Harvest, Feast: A Wild Inspired Cuisine by Marie Viljoen


The Wild Wisdom of Weeds: 13 Essential Plants for Human Survival by Katrina Blair -  'A forager's guide to ultimate food security, including 100 nutrient-dense recipes for food, medicine, and self-care.'


The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Pantry by Sean Sherman and Beth Dooley https://sioux-chef.com/


Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide - medincinal info on common garden "weeds" as well as some basic culinary herbs like basil, thyme and oregano


Cooking the Wild Southwest: Delicious Recipes for Desert Plants by Carolyn Niethammer

The Forager Chef - https://foragerchef.com/

Alexis Nikole as "Black Forager" on various social outlets including short information videos on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackforager/

Desert Harvesters www.DesertHarvesters.org website - great resource for eating wild foods in the Sonoran Desert

Water Resources:

Ancient Methods for Preventing Desertification and Recovering from Drought: https://www.usgs.gov/news/science-snippet/ancient-methods-preventing-desertification-and-recovering-drought

Gardening with Less Water: Low-Tech, Low-Cost Techniques, Use up to 90% Less Water in Your Garden by David A. Bainbridge 

Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond (Volumes 1 and 2) by Brad Lancaster 

Re-greening Dryland Watershed:   https://www.usgs.gov/media/videos/re-greening-dryland-watershed?fbclid=IwAR1vrYXoII_P4p9ssXM_BCddYaxmmWynhY1HFuSdDNV3zYsLP8gmYGVhHfI

Water: A Natural History by Alice Outwater: a short, inspiring and paradigm-shifting book on waterways both long ago and today to also inspire a vision for water in the future

Water in Plain Sight: Hope for a Thirsty World by Judith Schwartz

Water Stories Community: Community started by Zach Weiss on recovering small water cycles around the globe. Inspiration, examples and practical tips: https://www.waterstories.com/

Soil-Building and Remediation Resources: 

The Carbon Sequestering Garden: Gardening for the Planet While Growing Some of the Best Food Possible by Allison Houghton: https://www.nofamass.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/The-Carbon-Sequestering-Garden.pdf


Cho’s Global Natural Farming Manual by Rohini Reddy on Korean Natural Farming Techniques. http://www.permacultivo.es/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/chos-global-natural-farming-sarra.pdf


Cocktail Cover Crops : article by Graime Sait's article on the amazing effects of plant synergy specifically with a blend or "cocktail" of cover crops (plants used for soil building): https://blog.nutri-tech.com.au/cocktail-cover-crops/


The Compost Tea Brewing Manual by Elaine Ingham (2002):

http://ecologiesurleweb.free.fr/docs/Docs_agir/Lombricomposteur/Brew%20Manual%20compost%20tea.pdf


Compostwerks - https://www.compostwerks.com/


Earth Repair: A Grassroots Guide to Healing Toxic and Damaged Landscapes by Leila Darwish, https://earthrepair.ca/


The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health by David R. Montgomery and Anne Bikle. W.W. Norton and Company. 2015.


Korean Natural Farming: Managing Farm Systems Holistically by Julie Rawson

https://www.nofamass.org/articles/2014/05/korean-natural-farming-managing-farm-systems-holistically


Korean Natural Farming files and resources located on their facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/koreannaturalfarming/


Life in the Soil : A Guide for Naturalists and Gardeners by James B. Nardi. University of Chicago Press. 2007


Mycorrhizal Planet: How Symbiotic Fungi Work with Roots to Support Plant Health and Build Soil Fertility by Michael Phillips. Chelsea Green Publishing, 2017.


Mycoremmediation Handbook: A Grassroots Guide to Growing Mushrooms and Cleaning Up Toxic Waste with Fungi by Alex Dorr


Natural Farming Hawaii: Korean Natural Farming resources 

http://naturalfarminghawaii.net/


NRCS/USDA’s “Soil Biology Primer”: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/photogallery/soils/health/biology/gallery/?cid=1788&position=Promo)


Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation: Simple to Advanced and Experimental Techniques for Indoor and Outdoor Cultivation by Tradd Cotter. 


Reforestation Technologies International - https://www.reforest.com/


The Regenerative Grower’s Guide to Garden Amendments: Using Locally Sourced Materials to Make Minerals and Biological Extracts and Ferments by Nigel Palmer. 2020

Soil Food Web by Dr. Elaine Ingham and the NRCS Soil Health Division. https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detailfull/soils/health/biology/?cid=nrcs142p2_053868

SRI: System of Rice Intensification: 12-minute video on what SRI is and how it works (use less to grow more): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGeanXxdE1g


Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web by Wayne Lewis and Jeff Lowenfels. Timber Press. 2010.


Teaming with Fungi: The Organic Grower's Guide to Mycorrhizae by Jeff Lowenfels. Timber Press, 2017.


Soil Testing Labs that test for lead:


Other Soil Testing Services:

Biodiversity Support and Native Plant Resources/Suppliers:

Beyond the War on Invasive Species: A Permaculture Approach to Ecosystem Restoration by Tao Orion

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Bug Tracks: A blog by entemologist Charley Eiseman with the tagline 'Bringing glory to Earth's small and neglected creatures' https://bugtracks.wordpress.com/

Caterpillars of Eastern North America by David L. Wagner

City Nature Challenge (annually): Every year cities around the world compete to see how many species we can find in our cities. It's an awesome way to contribute to citizen science data and meet other awesome and nerdy naturalists in your own neighborhood.  https://citynaturechallenge.org/

Freshwater Mussels of Connecticut: An Identification Guide: https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Wildlife/Freshwater-Mussels/Freshwater-Mussels-of-Connecticut

Freshwater Mussels Article by the Center for Biological Diversity: https://biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/freshwater_mussels/index.html

Homegrown National Park Project with Doug Tallamy - https://www.homegrownnationalpark.org/

iNaturalist App: One of the best, free, awesome plant and bug and animal ID app I've found that also lets you contribute to citizen science data, track backyard biodiversity and ID creatures. https://www.inaturalist.org/ 


Lawns into Meadows: Growing a Regenerative Landscape by Owen Wormser

National Wildlife Federation’s Field Guide to Insects and Spiders of North America by Arthur V. Evans

Native Milkweeds Finder and the problem with Tropical Milkweed (article): https://xerces.org/blog/tropical-milkweed-a-no-grow 


The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees by Doug Tallamy

Plant List from Dr. Robert Gegear Lab in MA for supporting endangered bumblebee and butterfly species: https://gegearlab.weebly.com/plant-list.html

Rodale’s The Organic Gardener’s Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control: A Complete Guide to Maintaining a Healthy Garden and Yard the Earth-Friendly Way edited by Fern Marshall Bradley, Barbara W. Ellis, and Deborah L. Martin

Tending the Wild: Native American Knowledge and the Management of California's Natural Resources by M. Kat Anderson

Tracks & Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates: A Guide to North American Species by Charley Eiseman and Noah Charney

Resources on Lawn Alternatives:


Some Native Plant Nurseries (mostly northeast):

Ecosystem Restoration Stories, Articles and Resources:

Commonlands - support for creating regenerative business models - https://commonland.com/

The Serviceberry: An Economy of Abundance awesome article by Robin Wall Kimmerer. https://emergencemagazine.org/essay/the-serviceberry/ 

Ecosystem Restoration Communities - https://www.ecosystemrestorationcommunities.org/

Article on Reforesting a Mountain in India with John Button: https://worldpermacultureassociation.com/reforestation-of-the-sacred-mountain/

Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) "How the Sahara Desert is Turning into a Farmland Oasis" in Niger (8-minute video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXQrvT23rPw

"Desert or Rainforest" Trailer from Water Stories with Walter Jehne (2 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf4jwkhCk_A

Six Projects Restoring Vital Mangroves Around the World: https://www.oneearth.org/six-projects-restoring-vital-mangrove-forests-around-the-world/

The Man Helping to Save Senegal's Mangroves: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-49375146

Lehigh Gap Nature Center (PA) video (6-min) describing their amazing restoration story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7oUPpIQSWI&t=1s

China and India Lead the Way in Greening from NASA report: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/144540/china-and-india-lead-the-way-in-greening

Hope in a Changing Climate:  30-minute documentary by Dr. John Liu on the regreening of the Loess Plateau: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLdNhZ6kAzo

The Amazing Return of the Mystic River Herring: restoration story of herring resturing to the Mystic River Watershed in MA: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/be565b61b9d64128852f5ae20749fa82

The Secret of El Dorado: Terra Preta - 1-hour documentary on the fertile soils in the Amazon rainforest and the ancient practices that created them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Os-ujelkgw&t=5s. 

Healing the Desert: The importance of biocrusts: article from the Nature Conservancy. https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/utah/stories-in-utah/growing-biocrust-in-utah/

Digging Deep Reveals the Intricate World of Roots: article in National Geographic on 'talking roots' and beneficial fungi.  https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/article/digging-deep-reveals-the-intricate-world-of-roots

Wood Wide Web. short video on beneficial biology and trees in forest soils. BBC News. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWOqeyPIVRo

Horseshoe Crabs: Prehistoric Paramedics: 16 minute video on the importance of Horseshoe crabs for modern medicine: https://vimeo.com/271427041

Wangari Maathai's story: https://wangarimaathai.org/wangaris-story/

Downeast Salmon Federation: Bringing Back Atlantic Salmon: https://www.mainesalmonrivers.org/

Massachusetts Division For Ecological Restoration video series: "River Run: A Short Film Series of Dam Removial in Massachusetts": https://www.mass.gov/info-details/river-run-a-story-of-dam-removal-in-massachusetts

Mushroom Resources:

Field and Forest Products (WI): spawn, growing kits, tools https://www.fieldforest.net/

Fungi Ally (MA): spawn, growing kits https://www.fungially.com/

Fungi Perfecti (WA): different types of spawn, growing kits and instructional materials.  https://fungi.com/

Gourmet Mushrooms (CA): spawn including morels, grow kits: https://gmushrooms.com/

North Spore (ME): spawn and growing kits https://northspore.com/

"How to Grow Mushrooms from Scratch: A Practical Guide to Cultivating Portobellos, Shiitakes, Truffles, and Other Edible Mushrooms” by Magdalena and Herbert Wurth

Elderberry Resources:

River Hills Harvest: Elderberry products, cuttings and growing supplies. https://www.riverhillsharvest.com/

Growing Elderberry guides and cutting from Terry Durham: https://www.growelderberries.com/

The Elderberry Entrepreneur: want to grow an elderberry side business? Or make your own product. Get ideas or inspiration here: http://www.elderberryentrepreneur.com/

Paper on "A comparative evaluation of anti-cancer properties of European and American elderberry fruits": one example of some of the studies coming out on medicinal value of the different varieties: https://www.midwest-elderberry.coop/a-comparative-evaluation-of.pdf

The Elderberry Grower's Guide (Midwest): from The Savanna Institute at https://www.savannainstitute.org/elderberry-guide-download/

Elderberry Grower's Guide (Northeast): from University of Vermont and others at https://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/media/ElderberryGuideComplete.pdf

"The Elderberry Book" by John Moody: forage, cultivate, prepare and preserve elderberries.

Fedco Trees (ME): supplies elderberries and other excellent edible trees, shrubs and vines: https://fedcoseeds.com/trees/elderberries

Pawpaws: 

"Pawpaws: In Search of America's Forgotten Fruit" by Andrew Moore

Peterson Pawpaws and where to buy fruit or tree (caution: they are hard to find in stock!): https://www.petersonpawpaws.com/

Zebra Swallowtail and Pawpaws: https://vnps.org/paw-paws-and-the-zebra-swallowtail-butterfly/

National Pawpaw Day - third Thursday in September

Pawpaw Festival in Ohio

For the Love of Pawpaws: A Mini Manual for Growing and Caring for Pawpaws from Seed to Table by Michael Judd

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