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Chestnut season is here!

The American chestnut tree here on the homestead has plenty of husks but who knows how many nuts I'll be able to find. Last season I only found one and it didn't sprout. A couple years ago I found a few handfuls but they all dried out before I could plant them.

Thankfully, a squirrel has successfully planted an American chestnut for me. I found this tree in the spring with just a couple leaves and have been taking care of it. I'm impressed with it's growth and vigor. A blessing after my struggles trying to grow the nuts I've collected.

The other chestnuts have recovered from an accidental sheep grazing. You can see that this tree is now looking very similar to the tree below which made it through the whole summer without any abuse.

I've been able to meet several of the people in my neighborhood whose properties I've found chestnut trees during bike rides. Some know what they've got and some had no idea. All have agreed to let me collect a few handfuls of nuts to try once again to sprout some seedlings. I'm determined to get as many chestnuts growing as possible!

#permies #permaculture #homesteading #grownostr #meshtadel #selfsovereignty #foraging #chestnut #americanchestnut #socialcapital

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rev.hodl 2y ago

This year has been a true level up when it comes to chestnuts at the homestead

I've been able to find more chestnuts than ever falling from the american chestnut tree here. I look forward to planting them soon

I also found another seedling chestnut tree about 30ft away from the mother tree in addition to the seedling I found in the spring. Looking forward to watching them grow. Hopefully they are both also as blight resistant as the large tree.

Recently I stumbled across an older chestnut seedling that had succumbed to the blight. Classic example of the main trunk getting girdled and new growth coming back from ground level. Makes me wonder how many more I've been walking past an just never noticed here.

This fall I will plant more chestnuts than ever before thanks to discovering and getting the opportunity to collect the nuts from several trees in the neighborhood. Hopefully I can grow enough to try out the Mark Shepard stun strategy. Basically plant as many as possible with tight spacing and let nature select for the strongest trees (strategically).

#homesteading #permies #permaculture #chestnut #foraging #selfsovereignty #meshtadel

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Discussion

phenixfalconer 2y ago

Amazing. You have some potential there. Grow em!

rev.hodl 2y ago

All the chestnuts I've gathered this season are planted.

I broad forked the bed which I recently harvested squash from in the food forest and then planted the chestnuts there. I planted them on roughly 2ft spacing and didn't add any additional compost. Once the nuts were in place, I covered everything with straw and put some chicken wire over the section with the American chestnuts for extra protection. I put flags marking the American chestnuts as well. My hope is that the chicken wire prevents squirrels and other animals from digging up the nuts. Once the trees grow in I will cut the wire away if I have to so I can transplant them.

I also planted some nuts in pots in case the food forest planting totally failed. Pots are filled with orchard compost (slow old fungally dominant compost) then nuts placed on top of the soil. Once again, I covered with chicken wire then put a layer of wood chips over the whole thing. Hopefully one or the other gets me some chestnut seedlings come spring!

#homesteading #permaculture #permies #meshtadel #selfsovereignty #grownostr #nursery #chestnut #americanchestnut #foodforest #forestgarden #treecrops

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CiderMaker 2y ago

Wow. This look very relatable 😂

I’ve germinated hundreds of chestnuts and walnuts over the years.

I bury them in a mouse and rat proof metal basket over the winter. When spring comes and they start to germinate, I plant them out in the kitchen garden with a distance of 10-20 cm and keep them there for 1-2 years. Very high success rate.

This year I had my first walnuts from a tree based on a seed I collected and planted myself only six years ago.

Lego for comparison.

CiderMaker 2y ago