About Us
At Karma's Forest Wholesale Nursery and Organic Gardens it is our intention to grow the highest quality plants with as little impact as possible to the environment that we are striving to restore and protect. We do not use chemical fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides or pesticides * and feel strongly about the negative impact they have on the environment and the people and wildlife that are exposed to them. We believe that by growing plants organically, it not only builds a stronger, healthier plant that is naturally more resistant to pests and disease, but also helps to ensure a better success rate once it is transplanted out in a natural environment.
All of Karma's Forest's plants are propagated from seed or cuttings gathered from the nursery and areas we have explored in Oregon, Washington and California. We are always careful to make sure enough seed and plant material is left at each collection site to be certain the plant will continue to thrive and reproduce in its original natural setting. We only use division as a method of propagation from beds in our personal gardens and do not believe in digging plants from the wild. To see a list of trees and plants we are currently growing visit our Plant Availability page. Pictures and descriptions for these plants can be found on our Plant Descriptions page.
Karma's Forest is a big advocate for organic agriculture and sustainable living. After being told by many people in the nursery industry that it couldn't be done, we are now in our 4th year of growing containerized nursery stock organically. We feel that we have proven that you can grow great looking, healthy plants without the use of harmful chemicals. Other ways we try to reduce our impact on the environment, in addition to being chemical free, is by incorporating recycling, re-using, and composting into our nursery operations. We re-use nursery containers for as many seasons as possible, and offer customers can re-use credit for returning their used containers to us.** We recycle the containers once they have finally lived out their lifespan. All cardboard and paper products are also recycled or used in sheet mulching when building new garden beds. We compost plant material and trimmings and use the compost extensively throughout the nursery. We try to support local businesses as much as possible, even our website is hosted by a local company that is powered by alternative energies. We are working on trying to minimize our use of paper products for billing and bookkeeping, but until we can completely eliminate our use of paper we always use products that are made from recycled or renewable materials. Our list of ways to make the nursery even more environmentally conscious is always growing. Implementing water catchment systems for greenhouse irrigation and using alternative energy for supplying power to our greenhouses are just a couple of goals that we hope to achieve in the near future. Karma's Forest hopes to be an example and inspiration to people and other nurseries to show that you can grow superior plants, and have beautiful gardens, without causing more harm and stress to our fragile environment.
Karma's Forest is owned and operated by Ryan and Lisa Chamberlain; along with a little help from their golden retrievers, Sikoya and Seeder. Ryan grew up on the Oregon coast and discovered his love of native trees and plants at an early age. He spent most of his younger years exploring the woods, and went on to receive a degree in Forestry from Oregon State University. After finishing college, Ryan gained valuable experience in the nursery trade by working for many years at both large and small native plant nurseries in the Willamette Valley. Lisa, a transplant from New Jersey, discovered her passion for plants later in life. She came to Oregon for a weekend getaway a few years after going to school for Illustration at the Columbus College of Art and Design in Ohio. She was drawn in by the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest, and moved to Eugene within a year of her trip. She began a job working at, and eventually managing, a local garden center. It was here that she discovered plants and became an avid self-taught gardener and plant enthusiast. When Ryan and Lisa met, they both had the same dream and goal in mind, to own and operate a plant nursery, and to do it in the most environmentally friendly way possible. Ryan brings his education, experience and love of the woods together to add valuable insight in all phases of restoration work and Lisa integrates her creative background with her love of plants by helping customers with garden and landscape design. For a full list of services offered by Karma's Forest please visit the Services page.
* Please go to the Terms and Conditions page for information on the use of organic fertilizers.
** Please go to the Terms and Conditions page for information on the can re-use credit.