Edible Chestnut Seed (Castanea spp.)

20 seeds stratified in wet sand.

Chestnuts are found throughout the temperate world as an important food staple to many cultures. Chestnuts are the bread tree providing abundance from above on a yearly basis. They are beautiful and cherished across many cultures. The more we learn about chestnuts the more we love them. 

Variety 6 Mile: An old set of trees located near our farm in the Nelson BC area. Reportedly a hybrid of Japanese and American parentage the productive tree we collect from has a heavy consistent yield of nuts every year and has withstood temps below -20 c in its lifetime. Fast growing seedlings, we’ve seen young trees grow more than 4 feet in a year if planted in a rich site. 

These trees can withstand dense plantings with some trees in Gellatly’s nut farm being less than 10 feet apart. This would greatly benefit pollination. Chestnuts need a partner to produce nuts. Besides holding different genetics, another partner tree will ensure a difference in timing for pollen set. We recommend planting 3-5 seedlings more densely than expected and selecting 2-3 of the most vigorous trees over time. You can use the fallen trees as quality mushroom logs or woodcrafting.