The production of the vertebrate body axis involves the coordinating activity of the organizer, which coincides in amniotes with the node in the gastrulating embryo. This organizer orchestrates nearby axial progenitor populations that produce the spinal cord and musculoskeleton. Various findings, discussed further in this review, suggest that some of these axial progenitors exhibit stem cell-like properties as they display maintenance behaviour such as self-renewal and sustained contribution to derivative tissues. We consider how the node acts to maintain and regulate these progenitor populations by providing mechanical forces and a niche-like signalling environment.