Chestnut Farming & Orchard Management
Colossal Orchards: 30 Years on a Washington Chestnut Farm
Steve Jones planted his first Colossal chestnut trees in 1992 because the gophers made a business decision for him. The plan was a partnership: Steve in Washington, a friend in California, two orchards, one chestnut business. “Well, the gophers ate all his chestnut trees,” Steve told us, “so Patty and I are in the chestnut…
Why Water Is One of the Most Important Resources on a Chestnut Farm
A few weeks ago, we walked out into the orchard after a long spell of extremely hot weather and no rain. Kentucky had given us a good, rainy summer. Then, almost overnight, the rain just stopped. The burrs were still sizing on the trees, and our permanent irrigation system is going in next year. So…
Maps, Forms, and Familiar Faces for Chestnut Farmers
What We Learned From Our Local FSA, NRCS and Forestry Teams A while back, we found ourselves at the desk with a USDA aerial map of our farm spread out in front of us — field boundaries traced in yellow, our creeks and river bends in blue, and a growing stack of questions we didn’t…
Chestnuts as a Long-Term Farm Investment
We hear versions of this question constantly: Is this actually worth it? I have 10 acres, or 30, or 50. I’m thinking about chestnuts. But I’m not a farmer. And I don’t want to wait a decade to find out I made a mistake. It’s a fair question. And the honest answer is: yes, it…
Chestnut Tree Pruning: Why It Can’t Wait
Folks usually come to me with the logistical questions first — what variety to plant, what it’ll yield, how soon they’ll harvest. All fair. But the practice that quietly decides more than almost any of those rarely makes the list: pruning. If there’s one thing a visit to a chestnut orchard in Chile drove home…
Why Plant Chestnuts on Your Farm?
Chestnut farming might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you’re thinking about what to do with a few extra acres. But for a growing number of growers, landowners, and career-changers across the eastern United States, it’s becoming one of the most exciting decisions they’ve ever made. And once you dig into…
Chestnut Farm Succession Planning: Built to Last
If you’ve ever stood in a young chestnut row and wondered who’ll be there when these trees finally bear, you’re already doing succession work. So that’s really what chestnut farm succession planning is. Not paperwork. Not the LLC. Instead, it’s the slow daily work of growing the people who will love this land. The Question…
Grafted, Seedling, or Clonal? A Quieter Way to Choose Your Chestnut Trees
If you’re standing in front of nursery catalogs trying to decide what to plant, you’re not alone. The grafted vs seedling chestnut trees question is the one we hear most often—from first-year growers, folks fifty trees in, and researchers. Underneath, though, is usually a quieter question. Not just “which tree?” but “what kind of orchard—and…
Starting a Chestnut Orchard: Lessons from Nash Nurseries
Starting a chestnut orchard can feel equal parts thrilling and terrifying. I remember that mix the day we planted our first trees. So I loved hearing Jon and Bill Nash of Nash Nurseries describe the same feeling on this week’s episode. Between them, the Nashes carry six generations of nursery wisdom, and Jon’s raising the…
Growing Pains: Scaling Your Chestnut Orchard
We spend years getting the trees into the ground, tending the soil, and waiting for the burs to open. But getting the nuts off the trees is just the starting line for revenue. We calculate yield per acre, project the harvest out a decade, and expect the math to guarantee a return. But the actual…