Green Barn Farm, local fruit tree propagators.

Nick Taylor, son of the Green Barn Farm family and also a grower on our plant science team, is a unique farmer. The Taylor family of Green Barn Farm, in Île-Perrot, are a team of three with over 35 years’ experience propagating some of the rarest northern fruit tree varieties. As Nick explains, Green Barn Farm prides itself on having unique varieties that are low maintenance, grow in small urban gardens, and are happy with our northern Montreal climate. We’ve been working with Green Barn closely for over two years now, and you can find their seasonal fruits & veggies as well as starter plants for your own urban garden on the Marketplace.

Green Barn Farm is a northern fruit tree propagator, but they also harvest amazing fruits and nuts from their own trees throughout the season (just for Lufavores, in fact). What’s exceptional about the work of Ken Taylor (Nick’s dad) is how he’s adapted varieties through careful breeding over many years, including species such at Mont-Royal Plums, Taylor Apple-Pears, and Heartnuts (a unique heart-shaped walnut variety pioneered by Ken).

At their untamed farm filled with wildflowers that attract native pollinators, Nick applies what he refers to as the “Darwinian Selection Process”. According to Nick, new genetics are important in fruit growing. “Our plants are priced higher than most common varieties, but they’re really unique and not likely to be found elsewhere. That’s because we combine the best of two varieties together over generations, until we have the perfect tree,” Nick explains.

The first step is to mix the pollen of two trees, then wait for the fruit and collect the seeds.“We simulate an outdoor environment in Canada, where seeds fall to the ground then sit under the snow for a couple of months, then germinate,” Nick explains. To mimic that, they place the seeds in the fridge, stratify for a few months, then remove them from the cold and germinate. They then plant them out and wait up to 5 years, in hopes of the first fruits and the desired traits. It’s survival of the fittest, and the strongest out of thousands of seeds and seedlings they plant each year are those that get propagated onward.

“We pride ourselves on doing the least amount of work at our farm”, Nick laughs. If they can plant something that’s easy to grow, is unique and will give incredible fruit, they’ll grow it. For example, there are many people that grow red raspberries, and they’re good and not pricy. At Green Barn Farm, you’ll only find black raspberries. This is because red raspberries propagate easily and will take over the whole yard. “Given the limited land most urban farmers have to work with, this is not a great option, so we grow black raspberries instead,” he explains. It’s a rarer variety that’s harder to find and hence a little pricier that its red cousin, but, in the end, it requires less care and maintenance and grows stronger (and, Nick would say, way tastier) fruit.

On the Marketplace, you’ll find varieties like Taylor grape vines, mulberry trees, and more from Green Barn Farm. Some of these plants will arrive in biodegradable pots so you can just plant them directly in your backyard. Others should be kept in a pot indoors year-round, such as tropical plant varieties that need lots of light and warmth. “There are many ways of growing trees, what we do at our farm is move them inside in the fall and outdoors in the summer,” Nick adds. We gathered Nick’s tips on growing each of the varieties available from Green Barn Farm, and you can find these DIY details on the product pages.

And read the full story of Ken Taylor and Green Barn Farm here.