Ask an Agroforester Fall '25: Willow for Every Farm - Howard Peller and Sarah Lasswell

This episode brings together two Appalachian willow growers - Sarah Lasswell of Moss and Thistle Farm, and Howard Peller of Living Willow Farm. Together, they represent a broad range of willow work, from natural burials and willow casketry, to global art traditions and live stake production. Enjoy! 00:00 Introduction 00:28 Welcoming Sarah and Howard 01:05 Thank you Edwards Mother Earth 01:19 What is ASD 04:37 Introducing Howard Peller 05:31: Introducing Sarah Lasswell 07:55 Howard’s presentation start 21:00 Sarah’s presentation start 34:41 Q&A Starts 34:54 How to choose a willow? 40:42 Sarah & Howard’s favorite varieties & uses of willow 44:55 Underrated uses of willow 49:42 Did you have mentors? 52:43 What are you using for weeds & what does maintenance look like? 56:28 What clover is Sarah using? 57:43 How wet is too wet? 59:54 How many varieties do you recommend starting with? 01:00:39 How are deer interacting? 01:02:42 How do you maintain these structures? 01:04:55 When do you harvest pussy willows? 01:05:59 Are either of you growing floral cuttings? 01:09:00 How to identify 01:11:44 What do you do with the plantings that aren’t working? 01:13:07 Last question 01:15:36 Ending the webinar https://www.mossandthistlefarm.com/ https://asdevelop.org/programs-resour... https://www.livingwillowfarm.com/