Sustainable Ramp Management

Ramps are the first green vegetable of spring that grow wild in Appalachia, the midwest and south eastern Canada. The plant you see and savor in the spring has grown up and floursihed under the right conditions throughout the year. By the end of May the leaves have senesced and the plant is sending up a flower spike. The flower blooms by July and polinated flowers then produce a green fruit. By September the green fruit will have harvested into a black hull covering the seed that will drop during the winter to eventually germinate into a seedling establishing the next generation.Sustainably managing ramps includes managing the forest and the harvest. A healthy forest includes diverse age and ramp favored species and a full canopy that is not too dense. It also includes managing invasive species that can overtake the ramps. Managing the harvest includes keying on harvesting only mature plants at their prime and rotating through ramp lands each season. This workshop will be an opportunity to discuss these practices during the time of year when seeds have formed and can be harvested. This is also a good time to harvest dormant bulbs for transplanting. Participants will have the opportunity to harvest seeds and dormant bulbs to establish ramp patches on their own properties.We will discuss selecting a site to establish a new ramp patch, site preparation, seed planting and rhizome division and transplanting.The event is free to all, sponsored by the Northeast Forest Farmers Coalition. It is limited to 10 participants.

Also check out other Workshops in Equinunk.