[/media-credit] Emily presents the Nature Space Award to Drew and Kristin of Humble Roots
Humble Roots Farm & Nursery received Enirogorge’s Nature Space Award on October 9, 2015.
By Emily Long. Oct. 13, 2015. Humble Roots Farm & Nursery wins the final 2015 Envirogorge Nature Space Award. Owners Kristin Currin and Drew Merritt won for their stewardship practices in their business and environmental education to the community.
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Humble Roots is a small native plant nursery in Mosier, Oregon. Kristin and Drew’s focus is providing “ethically propagated native plants of the Pacific Northwest.” Their customers range from homeowners and gardeners to soil and water conservation districts and federal agencies. Envirogorge staff met with the couple at their nursery on a recent Friday morning.
The nursery is tucked under an oak stand where sunlight moves in slow waves across the contained plants throughout the day. Plants like Pacific dogwood, Serviceberry, Bear grass, Wapato, Poet’s shooting star, Glacier lily and Western peony make up the Fall Plant List. All are native plants found in the local environment this time of year. As we sat in the mulch surrounded by plants, we asked Kristin and Drew about their ‘humble’ beginnings.
Their extensive background in botany branches into subjects like agroforestry and riparian zones. They’ve been in business seven years. For the last three years they’ve been actively propagating seeds; also known as, multiplying through natural reproduction from the parent stock.
[/media-credit] Kristin and Drew collect seeds for propagation
“We wanted to walk-the-talk. Instead of talking about native plant restoration all the time, we wanted to just do it. That meant living off grid, doing everything by hand, harvesting water, and proper storage. We dug four holes by hand for water holding tanks, which took us the whole winter. But we didn’t want to use any machinery because of the impact it would have on the surrounding plants.”
One of their biggest shocks in the nursery’s early years came when they faced water shortages on the property they were using. They feared their business would dry up with the water. Fortunately, an embrace from the community of the Gorge in turn propagated Humble Roots. Through the beauty of the “Gorge-network,” they connected with a homeowner who had both land and water for them to use, and thus were able to keep growing.
“This is our whole life’s vision. Having a positive impact and benefiting the environment is what keeps us going.”
“We want people to know that just by replacing or incorporating a few native plants, they have a big impact and you can begin to see change.”
Humble Roots provides plants for all seasons and offers consultations for anyone with questions. The plant they’re advocating the most for at the moment: milkweed, because it is critical to the monarch butterfly, whose range has been diminished due to loss of the plant. Milkweed is the only plant monarchs will lay their eggs on and is a primary food source for the caterpillar stage of the insect. There are two native varieties, both offered at the nursery.
[/media-credit] Thank you for your stewardship and passion, Humble Roots!
If you would like to nominate someone or a business email susanh@envirogorge.com with name of nominee, project type, and the nominees contact information. Winners will be chosen monthly and receive a small honorium and will be featured in an article on Envirogorge’s website.
