A native BioSwale/Raingarden Seed Mix from Native Connections in Kalamazoo, MI, is tailored for restoration jobs like the KPVA retention pond. A visit to their shop reveals the process for preparing the seed mix that was broadcast on the KPVA parcel in late November 2024.
Some of their native Michigan seed is grown on-site. Large wooden boxes contain the fluffy seeds of Big Bluestem, for example. When Native Connections separates out some natural debris the pile will shrink.
Big bags often contain the seeds grown on-site, while smaller containers may be filled with native seeds grown by and purchased from other regional sources.
From bags of pre-mixed stock seeds and cover crop seeds, the desired mix is measured to align with the customer's acreage.
The grasses, sedges, rushes, and forbs in the mix have a specific number of seeds per square foot to be covered.
A temporary grass cover of winter wheat and annual rye grass act as a nurse crop that prevents clumping seeds when broadcasting the small amount of seeds by hand.
Mix it all up...
Finish with a product label. A partial bag for 0.05 acres allowed some leftovers after KPVillas volunteers seeded the south berm and east landscaping bed.
An interactive map from Michigan State University (with a hard copy greeting visitors to Native Connections) suggests the vegetation history in nearby Michigan as recorded by land surveyors circa 1800.
Though the colors in the key are somewhat confusing, KPVillas falls under the Oak-Hickory Forest category.
Thanks go to Native Connections for the behind-the-scenes tour and their commitment to sourcing native seeds.