Chestnuts

[omicron1792]

Last year was a banner acorn year. Many many less acorns dropping and matured on trees this year.

 

[Luongo43]

Can chestnuts be planted directly in the ground in the fall and grow in the spring? I’d cover them so no squirrels can dig them up?

 

[ncstewart]

Can chestnuts be planted directly in the ground in the fall and grow in the spring? I’d cover them so no squirrels can dig them up?

Yes. I have direct seeded just fine. Till up the soil a little and plant a couple inches deep. I have used coke bottles with bottom cut out to prevent squirrels from eating them with decent success.


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[White Birch Farm]

The comments about Dunstan’s being Chinese with effectively zero American characteristics are correct. That leaves the only real benefit to growing them is when you want to buy a tree at a local store in a quick and convenient fashion. Otherwise, given how cheap high quality Chinese seeds and seedlings are there are many much better long term investment options. The variation in Dunstan seeds is very wide and on the low end of quality. Much better to focus on trees with a smaller range of outcomes and on the higher end of the quality scale.

All that being said, if you grow lots of Dunstans, some will have decent nuts. Here is an example, these are medium sized, peel well and taste good. Regardless, compared to high quality nuts, these are average at best and growing out anything less just does not make a lot of sense given the available options.

(As mentioned previously, The Wildlife Group sells very high quality Chinese seedling trees for a fair price.)

 

[hunts_with_stick]

Bumper crop of acorns this year. Big ones too! Dropping them early.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Chestnuts are just starting to drop here.
Picked these off the ground a few minutes ago.
I will direct seed them into shrub strips later this fall.

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And I love to see this!
Will drop a cage around him soon.
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Our Dunstans should start dropping in a couple weeks, not as many burrs on them this year as the Chinese.

Just checked in here again on HT. Nice crop of chestnuts, H20. I hope the deer are enjoying them. Your trees are ahead of ours at camp. I think we'll get our first burrs next year on our oldest ones. You taste any of them?