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FEATURED MEMBER (Continued)

access to land. They rent about an DNP is also willing
acre to Kathleen Moss, who grows to forgo sales in
vegetables and seasonal produce order to maintain
in-ground and in a high tunnel. Her that standard. At
business, “Fox Briar Farm,’ sells shares one point, DNP was
in her CSA (Community Supported approached by a
Agriculture) harvest and maintains broker seeking to
a presence at the Lewes, Delaware, purchase 30,000
farmers’ market. plugs of Spartina
patens for use at a
Wetland plants are produced in
golf course project
2-inch, 50-cell plugs to meet U.S.
in Southeast Asia.
Army Corps of Engineers specs. Most
They absolutely
other species are grown in trade
refused, telling the
gallon pots for resale to landscapers
prospective client
and retail nurseries. Much is still
that Spartina patens
propagated from seed, but because
of their expanding range of species, Sedum nevii, rare native from southeastern U.S. has been shown
to be invasive in
they have begun buying in plugs from
the media mix and holds water. that part of the world and that they
trusted growers for potting up.
Pittmoss developer, Mont Handley, needed to find a solution that was
Delmarva Native Plants is very proud nurtured the idea for some 20 years more ecologically sound and that
of its sustainable growing media, before appearing on the reality show avoided ecological damage.
mixed in house. All the components “Shark Tank,” where he obtained
“We’re doing this for environmental
are either agricultural or post- venture capital to launch a consumer
benefit,” DeLong said. “The income
consumer byproducts. No peat, retail product line in 2017.
keeps our mission going. I feel better
no coir, nothing imported, and no
DNP is strictly wholesale. “If you are walking away from a sale when
wetlands destroyed in the process of
a retail customer in need of planting it doesn’t ascribe to our beliefs, to
manufacturing it. One ingredient in
material, we are more than happy follow the most environmentally
their mix is Pittmoss. Pittmoss is made
to refer you to our retail nursery sound practices we can.”
from recycled shredded newspaper
partners,” DeLong said. “We specialize
and cardboard, that has been For native plant questions or
in large scale contract grows, but we
aerated and fluffed. Pittmoss lightens to request a quote, phone
do keep a large inventory on hand to
meet all of our clients’ needs.” 410-972-9161 or email jillian@
DelmarvaNativePlants.com. A
Plants shipped out from DNP end up
at a variety of destinations. Plants are
distributed all over Delmarva, north
to New York City and south to Norfolk.
DeLong and Parisi intentionally
constrain their market radius. They
firmly believe that regionalizing the
horticulture market is best from an
ecological perspective. Native plants Carol Kinsley
should be grown in the region they Kinsley Communications.
are native to, for planting in the 410-924-3582
region they are native to. cjkinsley@comcast.net

Wooden pot labels

58 SPRING 2024• Free State News Membership Matters • SPRING 2024 59