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Johnny Appleseed of the NorthJohn planted his inaugural apple trees in the Klondike over thirty five years ago, undeterred by the cold, wet, previously unbroken, moss-covered valley soil. Determination and passion prevailed. Decades of success growing fruiting and ornamental plants here have made him a sought-after expert in extreme northern horticulture. His ornamental conifers and deciduous trees are features of private, municipal and institutional plantings in Yukon, at the University of Alberta Botanic Garden and the prestigious Iseli Nursery in Oregon.
Locally the most prominent display exhibits his dwarf spruces, Siberian larches, elm, hybrid birch and poplars in the Front street park in Dawson City. He has been featured in Yukon, North of Ordinary, Up Here, What's Up Yukon and CBC television, both in the series On the Road Again and more recently in a feature interview. John loves to share his passion for growing and treading lightly on the earth with everyone who comes through the place. |
"The KVN community shares an ethic of care for the natural world that supports us. The nursery lets us explore ways to diversify our local landscape, broaden our community's food production capabilities while retaining a sense of integration with our natural landscape."
Other significant supporters
Kim Melton of Dawson City has been a long standing associate of the business and driver of the more recent research components that have taken place. Her continued casual support and advice is much appreciated.
Kate Lawless, assistant professor at the University of Calgary provides assistance as KVN is a participant in her multi-disciplinary research project* as noted below. Her interest in our work is inspirational on many levels as it expands our views and capacity to share in our local community and beyond.
Interns and volunteers have long been an important source of help and opportunity to share the place and knowledge gained here. John is always very appreciative of their support and strives to make their experience here equally valuable to each other them.
*Soil as a Relational Medium is funded by a Tri-Agency New Frontiers in Research Fund – Exploration grant. This project reframes soil as a set of social and material relations rather than an object or resource to be extracted and exploited. As part of this reframing, we are developing an interdisciplinary research methodology called the Expanded Soil Profile (ESP), which combines soil sampling and analysis with qualitative research methods to develop a multi-layered understanding of any particular soil that situates it within a series of nested social, ecological, political, and economic systems. Our core team consists of soil scientists, social scientists, artists, curators, and we engage most extensively with farmers, growers, Indigenous communities, and other soil care practitioners.
Kim Melton of Dawson City has been a long standing associate of the business and driver of the more recent research components that have taken place. Her continued casual support and advice is much appreciated.
Kate Lawless, assistant professor at the University of Calgary provides assistance as KVN is a participant in her multi-disciplinary research project* as noted below. Her interest in our work is inspirational on many levels as it expands our views and capacity to share in our local community and beyond.
Interns and volunteers have long been an important source of help and opportunity to share the place and knowledge gained here. John is always very appreciative of their support and strives to make their experience here equally valuable to each other them.
*Soil as a Relational Medium is funded by a Tri-Agency New Frontiers in Research Fund – Exploration grant. This project reframes soil as a set of social and material relations rather than an object or resource to be extracted and exploited. As part of this reframing, we are developing an interdisciplinary research methodology called the Expanded Soil Profile (ESP), which combines soil sampling and analysis with qualitative research methods to develop a multi-layered understanding of any particular soil that situates it within a series of nested social, ecological, political, and economic systems. Our core team consists of soil scientists, social scientists, artists, curators, and we engage most extensively with farmers, growers, Indigenous communities, and other soil care practitioners.
Where/what is KVN?The nursery and orchard is in boreal forest twenty-minutes from Dawson City, Yukon. It is accessed by crossing the Klondike river by canoe six months of the year and on foot over ice for the remainder. Appointments to visit must be made ahead of time.
New Realities As he approaches retirement and summer workers are increasingly difficult to attract, some elements of the nursery are being wound down so more sales are being conducted as custom orders rather than purchases from existing stock. This will allow the nursery to focus on the core elements that make this nursery/orchard the special place it is. |
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Growing spaces conducive to vegetables and fruit trees have been conscientiously carved out of the forest and maintained for over three decades. Three heated greenhouses and six unheated shelters house fruit trees, young tree stock as well as vegetables. These and the rows of haskaps and dwarf conifers are the most prominent feature from the air. Less conspicuous but an additional feature to the property are the many ornamental trees scattered about the property. The collection includes Alpine and Balsam firs, elms, ash and mountain ash, selections of native hybrid birch, and exotic species, poplars, hawthorns, maples, cherries and a hardy assortment of roses that you are unlikely to find anywhere else in Canada so far north! Solar power provides the nursery with power through the operational season and heat for the facilities is generated in wood stoves fuelled by wood collected and hauled by hand/foot.