Chestnuts are called the Bread Tree as the nuts are similar to grain nutritionally. They can be eaten fresh or milled into flour. Chestnuts were once a staple throughout much of the eastern United States, both for humans and wildlife, and today, they are a staple in parts of Europe and Asia. Chestnut trees can produce 4,000 pounds per acre, and start producing in as little as 3 years. Chestnuts are a sustainable food harvest because they produce every year without needing to be replanted, thereby reducing tillage, helping build soils, and locking carbon in the soil. 

This year are making some of our 1-2 and 2-3 year old trees available to other growers. Our trees are especially suited for growers in the northern climates. 

Our chestnut trees are from known cultivar parents, selected for northern growers by the best in the biz, sources include HARC, Empire Chestnut, Wintergreen Tree Farm, and Red Fern Farm. 

We grow chestnut trees for our own orchard on Washington Island, WI, and we sell what we don’t have ability to plant. The trees are grown outdoors in nursery beds with low-fertility sandy soil. The sand ensures that the fine root hairs stay nicely intact, so you can expect great roots on the trees. 

We have three- and two-year old trees, with the following mother tree

• ACE Sandy (an Empire selection from a Lockwood seedling grown by and named after Sandra Anagnostakis at the CT ag Exp Stn)
• Sleeping Giant,
• Hong Kong,
• Resilient,
• Royalmark Luval’s Monster,
• 65-11 (a very early Chinese tree from Empire),
• Cerone,
• Gellatly Sweet
• other Stehli selections for northern growers,
• Blondie, as well as some descendants from Meader #4 via Empire,
• seedlings of Chinese trees found in Maine by Jesse Stevens
• seedlings from West Danby, NY (I don’t know grower but seed sold by Akiva Silver). 

With maybe the exception Hong Kong which might like more degree days than my region offers, we are excited to trial all of these in my climate and would love to re-home these to other northern growers to compare notes but of course these trees will also do well or better in warmer, longer-season spots. 

Trees are 2-3 years old, and I’m sizing and pricing based on height of 1-2’ or 2-3’ Smaller stock relocates better in our experience.  

If you are interested in buying more than $250.00 worth of trees, please reach out to us for a discount code to save 10%. 

ADD SHIPPING by purchasing the SHIPPING TICKET for the amount of trees you are purchasing. 

Gathering Ground celebrates and practices agriculture and conservation on our 34-acre working and teaching farm, connecting learners of all ages to nature, community & healthy food.