Humble Roots Tree Farm

We offer many familiar species like apples, plums, peaches, chestnuts, walnuts and hazelnuts, but also lesser known species like honeyberries, seaberries, mulberries, hardy kiwis and goji berries. We are passionate about utilitarian plants that produce food or other useful products. Our mission is to offer healthy, versatile plants that will help people establish their own food production systems in order to be just a bit more self-sufficient and a bit less dependent on the fragile and increasingly expensive conventional food supply chain.

We have chosen to grow bare root trees, which are trees grown in the ground or in specialized beds rather than in pots or containers, because we feel the final product is a stronger, healthier tree that will more quickly adapt to its final planting location and ultimately grow faster than a container grown tree. The reason for this is the root systems are allowed to grow into a healthy structure rather than being confined to a small and unnatural space like a traditional nursery pot. However, since our trees are grown in the ground they cannot be dug up and sold just any time of the year. Bare root trees can only safely be dug and shipped while they are dormant. So, we harvest all our trees in the fall and ship them to customers in the fall before the ground freezes and again in the spring after the ground thaws, but before the trees break dormancy.

We understand the importance of soil health and the impact it has on what we grow and ultimately eat. Because of this we choose to grow all our plants without the use of any synthetic pesticides, fungicides, herbicides or fertilizers all of which can have very negative effects on soil health. Rather, we use collected rainwater to irrigate, we feed our plants with natural fertilizers such as worm casting teas, fish and kelp emulsions, we create our own compost on site to feed our plants and we mulch heavily with lots of organic matter. All of these practices improve plant health, but more importantly, improve soil health and soil structure. The relationship between soil health and plant health is very intertwined and cyclical in nature. Healthy soil will produce healthy plants and healthy plants produce root exudates that feed and support soil microbes that will further improve soil health and structure and so on and so forth.

Humble Roots Tree Farm is run by myself (Keith), my wife, Michelle, and our two young daughters, Willow and Olea. The nursery is a project born of passion for trees (and all things that grow) and a desire to create a healthy life for our family where we can live and work together on something that matters and creates lasting value for ourselves, others and our environment. We work very hard to ensure we only offer the highest quality trees and shrubs so that folks who trust us with their time and money can be assured that their plants will thrive.