Chinese chestnut (seed)

Prices of large seed, such as acorns and chestnuts, have some of the costs of shipping embedded in the price of purchase.

Wee Prolific, a new selection: Seed of Wee Prolific is gathered from a single mother tree that creates an incredible amount of small nuts. While most of us seem to be more drawn to large chestnuts, selecting for small nut size has its benefits, particularly for those leaning toward a more off-grid living experience. The main benefit is that large chestnuts can be difficult to fully dry in-shell, particularly as a nut high in carbohydrates. I have cracked large dried chestnuts myself to find green mold in the very center. Small chestnuts such as the one from this mother tree are more easily dried and stored in-shell without having to be concerned with mold.

Feralwood select Chinese chestnut seed: This seed originates from a single seedling tree planted within the Feralwood food forest about 12 years ago. These chestnuts represent the largest ones I have ever seen on a seedling tree and rival many cultivars in size.

Red Feather select Chinese chestnut seed: In the area of rural North Carolina where I dwell, chestnuts are a somewhat regular sight, being feral throwbacks of the old homestead life. Of the dozens of chestnut trees I have mapped out and regularly forage from, I select seed annually from a single tree (within a patch of seven). This tree, located at Red Feather Farm and Pottery near the South Mountains in NC, is robust and reliably produces an abundant crop of large chestnuts. The yields on this tree, which is estimated at more than 70 years old, are astonishing.

To see the chestnut seed in question, look to the above images. Red Feather select is held in my hand in the form of a triangle. The larger Feralwood select is held in my hand in a line.

Some genetic differences to note: Red Feather select tends to ripen a bit later than Feralwood select. Feralwood select tends to drop nuts from the burs, while burs of Red Feather select have a tendency to hold on to the nuts: a consideration if you want to gather the nuts for your own use, yet have the pressure of wildlife getting to them before you. Nuts of Feralwood select are larger than Red Feather select, and though time will tell, I expect that Red Feather may boast better overall yields.

I always throw in some extra.

Seed requires 60 to 90 days cold stratification.

Plant details:
Genus & species: Castanea mollissima
Hardiness: Zone 4 to zone 8
Sun: Full sun preferred
Soil type: Adapts to a wide variety of well-drained soils
Soil moisture: Dry to average