Julia Morrison, Landscape Architect at Strada, spent a splendid day at Ernst Seeds learning about the seed harvesting and processing that allows her and her fellow practitioners to paint the ground with fields of color. The PA-DE ASLA helped facilitate the event, which was attended by practitioners, students, and flower enthusiasts alike!
Ernst provides seed mixes for a wide variety of projects in Pennsylvania. Strada specifies Ernst Seed mixes for projects where site conservation and ecosystem restoration are priorities. We’re so grateful to have had the opportunity to understand the work they do and the innovation they pursue every day.
Take a walk through the farm with us!
Welcome to the Ernst family farm in Meadville Pennsylvania. Established in 1964, the family started with a focus on utility right-of-way reseeding. With the Highway Act of 1999 requiring a focus on native ecosystems, Ernst began to bloom!
Mark Fiely, horticulturalist extraordinaire and seed mix designer at Ernst, stands in front of a field of Cup Flower (Silphium perfoliatum) as he shares stories of trial and error in the field at the start of the tour.
Mark is always incredibly generous with his knowledge, and his passion for plants and pollinators is contagious.
Many different types of seed threshers remove plant pulp and sift the seeds through various shaped sieves dependent on the species.
We cooled off in one of the many climate-controlled warehouses full of commercial seed mixes ready to ship to suppliers and installers throughout the east coast.
Ernst Seeds handles all their own equipment and frequently tests new strategies for harvesting and planting. One such victorious innovation involved adapting a tomato seed extractor to extract more types and configurations of seeds. Let there be no doubt; this is a heavy-duty agricultural operation for harvesting tiny little seeds.
One of many cool cats who keeps the seed sacks safe from rodents and birds.
Ready for the close-up: Blazing Star Flower!
Another close up: “Upland Meadow Mix” from Ernst Seeds includes a variety of seasonal blooms: Coneflowers (Echinacea) and Black-Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia) are currently abuzz with pollinators at a Strada project!
Landscape architects, Penn State students, Ernst staff, and flower lovers alike meander in a meadow of Blazing Star (Liatris).
All in all, a great day in the field!
