Colossal Orchards: 30 Years, 25 Acres & Lessons for New Growers
October 22, 2026
Steve Jones planted his first Colossal chestnut trees and began chestnut farming in 1992, after gophers ate every tree in his partner’s California orchard. Thirty years later, his Washington chestnut farm covers 25 acres and sells about half of every crop straight out the back door.
On this episode of Branching Out: Growing Together, host Melanie Jones asks Steve of Colossal Orchards in Selah, WA, for the beginning, the messy middle and where the farm is today. Steve shares what new chestnut growers need to decide before planting, how long chestnut trees take to produce real income, why water rights matter out West, how two people harvest the whole orchard with used equipment, and why big grocery chains weren’t the answer to selling chestnuts.
He also makes the case for what the US chestnut industry needs next: shared growing standards, one way to grade nuts, and a clearinghouse for buyers, because “you can’t flood a market and expect prices to hold.”
CHAPTERS
0:00 Welcome
1:12 The gophers and planting Colossal chestnuts in 1992
2:08 Growing from 9 to 25 acres
2:34 Learning in the apple capital of the world
4:15 A PhD in dairy cows and agroforestry, Western-style
7:05 What new chestnut growers need to know
7:28 Why your chestnut farm needs to be near a market
9:43 8 inches of rain, irrigation and water rights
14:18 Labor costs and harvesting chestnuts with 2 people
16:54 Selling to grocery chains (and what didn’t work)
18:16 The newspaper article that brought customers to the door
19:25 Why there’s no U-pick
22:08 Good agricultural practices for chestnut growers
26:10 How should chestnuts be graded?
29:35 The next 10 years of chestnut farming in the US
31:08 Patty, the head marketing agent
31:55 The year the crop came up short
34:07 Where to find Colossal Orchards
– Read the article, with the research behind Steve’s numbers: https://unitedchestnuts.com/colossal-chestnut/
– Colossal Orchards: https://www.chestnutsusa.com/
– Plan your own chestnut orchard with UC Academy guides: https://unitedchestnuts.com/uc-academy/
– Book a Farm Tour with Orchard Blueprint and SEO analysis: https://unitedchestnuts.com/product/two-hour-chestnut-orchard-tour-seo-blueprint/
– Chestnut Growers of America: https://www.chestnutgrowersofamerica.com
Branching Out: Growing Together is the United Chestnuts podcast for chestnut growers and perennial agroforestry. Subscribe for conversations with real growers, researchers and the people building the US chestnut industry.
#ChestnutFarming #ColossalChestnut #Agroforestry