To Plant a Tree 🌳
Originally Published on January 3, 2021 on Linkedin
Growing up I remember climbing up the marred branches of the Loquat tree in my backyard, disfigured from years of snapping under my weight. Oops. As I stood perched up above the magnificent tree, I felt like I was on top of the world. If it was winter my trek likely served a secondary purpose — to collect the glorious fruit that my siblings and I loved so much. The Loquat — Eriobotrya japonica — is also known as Japanese Plum and despite its tasty fruit, as well as the ability to steep its leaves for tea, it is often grown simply as an ornamental. I’ll admit lots of those tasty fruits went to waste on our tree as we could only eat so much. I had no idea how many culinary recipes could be made from Loquats or ways to preserve them. Now I simply cannot get enough of them, often scavenging my friendly neighbor’s trees for extras.
When my father passed away and I inherited that house, and with it that backyard, I knew I had my work cut out for me. It was far overgrown. The hedges along the fence line were growing into the neighbor’s yard, the bird of paradise was easily 12' tall and just as wide (perched conveniently right in the middle of the yard). As I wrestled with what to do to get it under control I knew one thing — the loquat stays. My brothers and I sent loads of yard debris to the dump and burned countless piles in a makeshift fire pit.
I wrangled with what led me to care so much about the Loquat: Was it the memories? Was it that my father planted that tree right before I was born? Was it the tasty fruit I’d grown up with? It surely was a combination of those things, and I determined I’d like to share those same memories with the daughter my wife and I were expecting. Though I wondered, why stop at the Loquat? I began replacing the cut trees with edible plants and even built a small vegetable garden.
I began learning about what it takes to make my yard tick — attracting pollinators, retaining moisture, collecting rainwater and improving the soil fertility. Like most entrepreneurs, I then also decided to turn my new addiction — uhh, I mean hobby — into a business specializing in edible plants. I cleared out my grandfather’s dilapidated greenhouse and began propagating plants from seeds and cuttings, while also purchasing larger trees from several reputable vendors with similar affinities for edible plants. As I have learned more about the ecosystem and how to create a food forest, even in the confines of a small residential backyard, I have grown infatuated with teaching others about the amazing things we can do with our green spaces.
This pursuit has led me to a greater understanding on how we can sequester carbon in our soils, provide a sustainable food source for local communities, prevent desertification, eliminate food deserts and ultimately create a better world. In 2019, the rate of atmospheric carbon dioxide was 409.8 parts per million, which is far greater than it would be without human consumption of non-renewable energy. Our best path to overcome this is to reduce our consumption, predominantly in the 1st world countries that contribute the most to atmospheric carbon rates, and sequester carbon in the soil.
Empowering our communities to reclaim and utilize lands to plant perennials, fruit trees, nuts, and other plants advantageous to the humans, pollinators, animals, and the ecosystem at large, is a must. So what are you waiting for? It’s ok to start small. Maybe a porch herb garden is where you can start, or possibly you can plant your favorite fruit tree that grows well in your area or maybe a few ambitious folks will create a whole new landscape plan or volunteer at local community gardens. What’s important is that you start. Local nurseries can teach you the best plants for your area and help support the local economy. As the Chinese proverb goes, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.
So plant that tree. Most fruit trees are available in small sizes and at very affordable prices and most are even able to grow their entire lives in pots. You’ve got this! Let’s work together to create joyous memories and delicious, healthy food alternatives for our communities.
