Sustainability
Native Plants
More than half of the plants we grow at Baker’s Nursery are native to North America. We try to source zone specific genetics by tracking seed sources to ensure that reclamation projects receive plants with genetics from their local forest communities. We are so fortunate to be part of the process of recreating native plant communities by supplying plants to reforestation projects.
Land Use
Live like you’ll die tomorrow, farm like you’ll live forever! Baker’s Nursery takes land stewardship very seriously. We employ crop rotation and green manure crops to manage weeds and fertility. Integrated pest management is used to control insect pests in the greenhouse. Wetlands on our farm have been reforested and we continue to find places to plant more trees on the land!
Baker’s Nursery acknowledges that land within our county is the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee and Neutral peoples. We recognize the First Peoples’ continued stewardship of the land and water, and that this territory was subject to the Dish with One Spoon wampum, under which multiple nations agreed to care for the land and resources by the Great Lakes in peace.
Supplies and Packaging
Our production system uses biodegradable stakes, tape and ties, multi-year reusable pots and trays, as well as degradable pots. We make an effort to eliminate our plastic use. Our packaging system is really an integration story. We are able to partner with our customers by integrating into their production to prevent plastics from travelling with our plants to their facilities. It has been a pleasure working with our customer partners to make significant reductions in waste plastics. The picture shows a bulk order of container grown trees in totes without their pots. These totes are foldable and returned to us to refill for the next shipment. We also are happy to get any plastic pots and trays back to reuse.
People and Community
We recognize that labour is a big part of achieving our goals at the nursery. Baker’s Nursery pays employees more than the living wage and we work to make our workplace safe and as comfortable as possible. Baker’s Nursery has supported local community organizations such as the Horticultural Society, the Agricultural Society and hosted Garden Club tours. Members of our team are active in Trade Associations and Societies. We greatly appreciate our fabulous staff!!