# Chestnut - yellow, orange topsoil is best (some clay, iron oxide) - bigger nuts, less nuts - smaller nuts, more nuts - a foot above the wet, with the root crown above the wet - bottom lands are great - can leave in air prune beds over the winter - fruit in 4-7 years - 3-4' new growth - hard to keep in single leader, got to cut them back - let them be multi-stem, big wide trees and productivity comes quickly because every stem is, or removing every other plant to let the multi-stem grow out wide - Chinese hybrids will do well - STEHLI started Hiram Orchard started with 4000 trees, now 355 after growing out and selecting out - he was looking for who was trialing and selecting the chestnuts and - rogue out - to cut out what doesn't work - plant the 2-10%! - losing 50% to weather and freezing - saving for grafting - 30% sold to customer - his farm was more wet and keeps production numbers year after year - medium to large - not so much about size, more about being productive while still being sellable - Chestnut weevil - greater - they get around - lesser - less prevalent - right when chestnuts are ripe, the eggs hatched in the nut - they are a larvae - when they drop and the hit ground, they are trigger to bore out - no natural control for this - no alternate host - the second the nut hits the ground, they boil the nut - the weevil leaves 1-2 weeks - if you catch them when they first fall and then cook them, they seem to disappear, cooked to nothing, if they nut is rotten thats a different story: poor tree nut - Asian gall wasp - major predator (long winged wasp that preys on asian gall wasp) has been introduced, highly effective - 6-7 years no wasps left - gall leaves on the couple buds of the branch - has mostly come and gone - trees survive fine, production goes down and fruit - Blight - Chinese has good resistant. They will still get blight, but it might just be a leader - Tree tubes, harder to transition - Japanese - more resistant and tolerant to higher ph and poor soil - China - the real problem is that its not American (purist), all they see is the problem of non-native and misinformation - F1 - hybrid cross, crossing a America with a Chinese, thats an F1, 50/50 - F2 - then grow them out, let them flower, cross them back with the original (American) - 100 year old experimental plant in CT - Deer - They don't want to be near the house - Dogs - Weeds - mow between the rows, but lets the weeds grow to keep the deer out, the deer wont put their head - Certain trees will be bigger faster and - Pollen swarming and pollinized by hand - by hand - you really want to cross certain breeds - Graft - Bulb plastic crate - 16"x24" - 6/8" height - 100 hazelnuts grow to two years - hazelnut crates - put on the ground - 5" apart in rows - chestnuts - 3.5' wide row, 5" apart to hoe between them, 2" centers with big seeds almost touching each other - 2 year old trees - bigger tree in a tree tube, survived frost - 1 year old trees - 12-18" - 2 year old - 2-3' - machine digging when there is massive quantity and clay in the soil - cant kill junglens species no matter what you do to them and transplant easy - hard nuts and hybrids are sold in 1 year - butternut hybrids Year 7 - helluva crop Year 10 - go to single stems, the crop is so heavy American + Chinese are multi-stem, not trying to get into the canopy in a orchard setting Empire Stehli - hybrids and pure chinese and Qing seedlings (4K planted in the 35 acre orchards, down to 400 after culling, zone 5B, 6A Ohio heavy soiler) Rusty Russell - greg miller cultivar and seedling mix, homestead, giddeon, sego, lou, ace, sleeping giant (all soundly productive in fenced environment) - good orchard, Buzz has been tagging and tracking seedlings here - vigor - hybrids have less, multispecies hybrids typically - pure genetics - less variability - Japanese are tolerant of cold and like timber form Rusty's best - cultivars Ortet - seedlings and worthy of naming and then that name gets registered (majority of people don't), and then it has better sellability. All trees come a tree in the wild or orchard The ortet is the original tree From their forward, its either open pollination or grafted Seedlings of X (named cultivar) And then they get a new name Past the ortet, every clone you make a ramet, a cutting or scion Genetically, a plant is not static When a clone of a clone of a clone is called sporting (when that clone starts to shift) Ace (chinese x american hybrid) makes no pollen. Male sterile Single stem chestnut trees - almost all grafts need to be single stem chestnut trees What we want - trees I can sell in pairs of two - all seeds are open pollinated - just in case it doesn't make pollen - any seedling will pollinate any other seedling - orchard setting, home grower - productive Chinese plants that are multi-stem and have quarter size seed - hybrid (generally speaking this means timber form and smaller nuts) - grade A - Chinese are an even stand - 3rd year growth is crazy - grow tall in first year - 16"-18" - Guarantee - Payment - 10% more seed - he pays premium for the seed - he culls it out - gives personal advice - he will pick and load me up - not send me weird hybrid stuff - I want to spend this: - Course - Starting a chestnut bed, cover crop, spacing, weeds, staking fiberglass, tagging - nursery beds vs field beds, 35 acres into forest - interplanting in field beds with culling 50%, 1.5m apart in field and then culling - pest, disease, weather conditions How deep to bedrock and how deep to clay and how deep to water...tough condition to chestnuts What to avoid - really attractive to vermin - grey squirrel are like a chimpanzee, hard cloth strapped to the beds - red squirrels dont like to be on the ground - fungicide will keep chestnuts blight free Species - Lou - red leaves and red burs (ornamental), huge nut, grows like a weed - Sweet Green Lou - green leaves - Ornamental Red Lou - - Productive Lou - pink or red burs (christmas balls) - Sego - hybrids that grow like weeds, more upright - Giddeon - orchard form, pure chinese, will pollinate any other giddeon - Greg - B65 - pure chinese - Nanking - pure chinese - Smith - pure chinese - Hunt - guy from missouri - Quin seedling - Tree tubes - take the tube off every year and prune and get the leaves out - good ones are ventilated, cook leaves, break early and go dormant earlier - will grow more rapidly - big tubes are one and down Fence cage - 3.5-4' fence cage is the most stable, any smaller than fall and bang against the tree. To keep the deer off, should be 5' high - can last 20 years - rebar stacks and twist with rebar wire Personal time + premium pricing shagbark hickories + pecan - the transition between walnuts and wet where walnuts wont grow, this is where they will grow - Hickories - 10 years to seed, grafted in pots though will nut Persimmon Oaks Black walnut - germinate anywhere - not picky about germinating but can lay dormant for two or three years - likes moist, well drained soils, North facing or east facing slopes, small stream bottoms that don't flood frequently. Hickory - grow slowly but are tolerant of competition of grass - shade tolerant - in time, out last the grass and weeds General Information: [three facts about the tree] Genus & species: Planting Sun: Soil type: Drought Tolerant: Hardiness: Fruit Characteristics Color: Ripening Season: Flavor: Uses: Harvesting: Tree Characteristics Size: Hardiness: # Pawpaw Pawpaws generally require cross-pollination to produce fruit. Pawpaw trees are self-incompatible, meaning they cannot successfully fertilize themselves using pollen from their own flowers. Even though each flower contains both male and female parts (making them "perfect"), they are protogynous—the female stigma matures and becomes receptive before the male anthers release pollen. This timing prevents self-pollination. Additionally, pawpaws rely on cross-pollination from a genetically different tree to set fruit. ## Pawpaw - Jerry Lehman These seedlings are grown from seed that originated from cultivars in the orchards of pawpaw grower/breeder Jerry Lehman. ## Pawpaw - Ron Powell These seedlings are grown from seed that originated from cultivars in the orchards of pawpaw grower/breeder Ron Powell. ## Pawpaw - KSU These seedlings are grown from seed of mixed cultivars that originated from the well-known and well-established pawpaw breeding program at Kentucky State University. # Persimmon Few fruits have as much unexplored potential as the American persimmon (Diospyros americana). The meaning of their name is fruit of the gods. They ripen from August all the way through to October, depending on the individual. In some cases they hang on the tree through till December or even January, drying out and becoming even sweeter as they adorn the tree covered in snow as if they were ornaments. Any male trees can be grafted with female wood. The flavor is quite different from the better-known Asian persimmon (Diospyros kaki). These fruits have a complex flavor with hints of butterscotch and dried date, but in truth is so unique and distinct that everyone should try one and describe it for themselves. These trees are for the most part dioecious, meaning that there are males and females. Buying seedlings means that there’s no way to know if they are males or females, so it’s safer to have 3-4 trees to ensure that you will have both sexes in your planting. American persimmons are incredibly well adapted to life in North America, especially the east coast from Vermont to Florida, and west Texas and Kansas. They reportedly thrive in many regions of the west coast, though I know very little about that. They are adapted in that the timing of their life cycle phases (phenology) is attuned to the climatic fluctuations that occur in North America. In addition to this, they have native pollinator friends and they have few serious pests and diseases. So few in fact that the trees can simply be expected to bear heavy crops of fruit every year with no care at all, which is a very rare thing in the world of fruit growing. - **Genus & species **: Diospyros virginiana. The American persimmon’s genus, _Diospyros_, translates to "fruit of the gods." - **Flavor**: Ripe persimmons are incredibly delicious, with a unique flavor unlike any other fruit. - **Planting:** - Sun: Full sun preferred - Soil type: Prefers sandy loam, clay OK if well-drained - Soil moisture: Average, well-drained - Hardiness: Zone 4 to zone 8 - **Fruit Characteristics**: - Color: Bright orange. - Ripening Season: Fall, with some fruits hanging on the tree into winter, providing food for people and wildlife. - Uses: Can be eaten fresh, dried, or made into puddings, breads, cakes, and even beer. - **Harvesting Tips**: Collect fruits when they are "dead ripe" (very soft with wrinkled skin), as unripe persimmons are very astringent. - **Growth Tolerance**: - Drought Tolerant: Persimmon trees can grow almost anywhere except overly wet sites. - Shade Tolerance: While they tolerate shade, they yield more fruit in sunny conditions. - **Tree Characteristics**: - Size: Trees can reach up to 80 feet, though 15-30 feet is more typical in northern regions. - Hardiness: Hardy to -30°F. - **Varieties**: ## Persimmon - Barbara's Blush These trees were grown specifically from seed gathered from the wonderful American persimmon cultivar known as Barbara’s Blush. ## Persimmon - Jerry Lehman These trees were grown from seed obtained from cultivars among the orchards of persimmon and pawpaw breeder Jerry Lehman. ## Persimmon - Hobo Woods (Donald Compton) The seed to grow these were obtained from Hobo Woods persimmon farm, owned by Donald Compton, and the place of the most extensive research on American persimmon breeding in the states. Seed was selected from the most productive American persimmon trees at Hobo Woods. # Other ## Cornelian Cherry Yellow cornellian cherries are rare and taste like a cross between tart cherries and cranberries. They can grown as a small tree or a bush. Disease and pest resistant, they require very little maintenance. Cornelian Cherries can be grown in soil of moderate to good fertility, including heavy clay. They prefer moist soil and sunshine, and will tolerate shade and exposure to wind. They are also resistant to drought and suffer from very few pests and diseases. They bloom early in the season and are a great source of nectar and pollen for bees. They can also be used as screens and windbreaks, or trimmed and used as hedges. This deciduous multi-stem shrub has an upright, mounded growth habit and can be trained as a small tree. Use this plant as a hedge, create a privacy screen, or a specimen planting. The Cornelian Cherry Dogwood or Cornus mas is a perennial in USDA zones 5 through 9. The Cornelian Cherry Dogwood needs full sun to part shade, so a spot that receives at least 4 to 6 hours of sunlight is best. Use moist but well-drained soil that is rich and acidic to neutral. For the first year, dogwood plants like damp conditions, so water when the first few inches of soil feel dry. Once established, this plant will be drought tolerant. Dogwood plants naturally maintain a good shape, so this shrub will not require much pruning but trim away damaged growth as needed. Top-dress the soil with rich organic mulch to support healthy growth. Fruits ripen over a long period of time, around August and September. The easiest way to harvest them is to wait until fruit has changed color (ripe fruits are usually bright red, though different cultivars can produce fruits in colors ranging from cream to dark reddish-purple), and then to shake the branches. The ripe fruit will fall and can then be collected from the ground. Fruit will continue to sweeten and intensify in flavor as it ripens, so it’s worth keeping it on the tree until fully ripe, or letting it sit on the counter for 1-2 days at room temperature. Details--Nutritional and Medicinal Uses After cooking, the Vitamin C content of the fruit is as high as that of raw lemons – about 30-50mg/100g. The fruit also contains substantial amounts of calcium, magnesium, provitamin A, and rutin. In the Caucuses and Central Asia, Cornelian Cherry has been used as a part of traditional medicine systems for over 1,000 years. Products made from the leaves, flowers, and fruit are used to treat sore throats, digestion problems, measles, chickenpox, anemia, and rickets. Juice made from the fruit has been used to help with diabetes. Leaves, dried and powdered fruits, and dried ground drupes (fruit plus seed) are used to alleviate diarrhea and hemorrhoids. Products made from the bark and from evaporated juice can be used to treat skin wounds and boils. Researchers from the former USSR found that the fruit flesh and seed oil can help damaged skin to recover, and successfully used them to cure difficult-to-heal wounds, stomach ulcers, and colitis. Recent Russian research has found that the fruit contains substances that can leach radioactivity from the body. The fruit, bark, and leaves have also been found to demonstrate antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus and E. Coli bacteria In conclusion, Cornelian Cherries are pretty awesome. With their versatility, deliciousness, and hardiness, they are definitely a great tree to have around. With a long history of cultivation, there are many ways to eat and prepare Cornelian cherries. Acidic and sweet, the cherries can be eaten raw or dried, and are also commonly used in preserves and to make wine and liqueur. The flowers of this tree are also edible, and in Norway are used to flavor spirits. Oil can be extracted from the seeds, which have an oil content of up to 34%. The oil is edible and can also be used for lamp fuel. Seeds can also be dried, ground, and used as a coffee substitute. ## Northern Pecan Carya illinoinensis. Hardy to zone 4, though may not ripen nuts. Prefers zone 5-9. These are the same seed that we use in our nursery. Fantastic for reforestation efforts, wildlife, permaculture applications or as specimen trees. Progeny of Major... The Major Pecan is one of the best flavored pecans proving bigger is not always better. This is a cold hardy variety that produces medium sized pecans of excellent quality and a high oil content. A great home or orchard tree that is a pollinator for Kanza, Lakota and Oswego. Major makes medium sized nuts at 77 to 80 nuts per lb. Pollen shed type 1. Need type 2 for germination ## Heartnut Freshly harvested & cleaned- we do not bleach our seed to "photo perfection"- nature and manual husk removal does a good job. Organically produced in orchard of superior mother trees. These seed are what we grow out in our own nursery. 10 pack seed. Juglans ailantifolia, Heartnut x heartnut. Seed comes from a cultivar orchard and are not pollinated with walnuts without the heart shape. Larger trees also available. Organically grown in the field, not a chemically-based nursery. Use in an orchard, in a small planting, or as a specimen tree for dappled shade in your landscape. Heartnut trees can grow to 50' tall with a spread of 65-100'. They are cold hardy cold and resilient to most pests. They get their name from their prolific production of a nut that looks, both inside and out, like a heart. The nuts taste similar to white walnuts/ butternut. Plant at least two for fuller pollination. Grow for nuts to feed people or wild life, as a specimen woody perennial or as part of an integrated homestead or permaculture planting. ## Thornless Honey Locust - Seeds are Thornless x Thornless hand pollinated trees so that the seedlings are nearly all thornless This listing has been updated for 2yo trees, approx 18-22". Early Pollinating Tree/ Edible Pods for Forage & Wildlife, 24"+ trees. We can ship multiple trees for the shipping required by Facebook. Pm us. Zone 3-9. Excellent producers of large, sweet pods for human or animal use. No thorns or few, small thorns. Terrific nitrogen fixer in orchards. Changes colors throughout the season. Sold bare root for best acclimation o your site. Trees are 2'+. 90% will be thornless, 10% will have few or very small thorns. Small leaves do not need to be collected in the fall. •Early Pollinator- bee keeper's favorite •Use in Silvopasture as Fodder- High energy pods •Wildlife food, Whitetail Devour Pods •Provides Dappled Shade •Use in Erosion Control •Functions as Nitrogen Fixer •Edible Sugar Pod Tree •Hardy, resilient Species •Hard Wood Popular Permaculture/ Agroforestry Sustainability/ Regenerative Farming species Prefers full sun, young trees will also grow in partial shade as part of a succession planting. We combine shipping. ## Burr Oak Burr Oak, also called Mossycup Oak. Hardwood Timber, Specimen, and Wildlife Tree. Pack of 10 tree seed. Fresh seed, collected 10/16/23. For planting, not eating. Instructions included with seeds. Grown organically from disease resistant, hardy trees. These are XL acorns- most burr are nickle size. Most of ours are quarter size or larger. ## Sea Buckthorn Seeds require pre-treatment for successful germination. Cold-stratify for 90 days by placing seeds in mildly damp sand or other growing medium in a cold refrigerator. After stratification, soak seeds for 48 hours before planting. Some heat (78-84 degrees Fahrenheit) makes them sprout more quickly and uniformly. ## 'Nyirségi' Black Locust common tree in much of the US today, the original range of black locust is thought to be the Eastern Appalachian mountains and the Ozarks. Black locust is a thorny, suckering tree that will generally keep coming back after being chopped to the ground. Like many native trees, black locust is a pollinator magnet and provides lots of nectar for honeybees. It’s long been used by farmers and homesteaders for building, fencing, and firewood, because it's one of the most durable, rot-resistant native hardwoods (surpassed by Osage orange and little else). It also burns as hot as coal. Black locust recently gained traction among agroforestry practitioners as a coppice species providing animal forage and nitrogen cycling services. A truly versatile plant, its aromatic cream-colored flowers are delicious batter dipped and fried. They also make a great springtime iced or hot tea. The seed pods contain a tangy, sweet paste, like a North American version of tamarind. 'Nyirségi' is a cold hardy (Zone 5) Hungarian forestry selection with a straight and tall growth habit, making it ideal for various timber uses. Our seed was imported from Hungary by the good folks at Sheffield's Seed Company in Locke, NY. GROWING TIPS: No cold stratification required, but scarification greatly helps germination rate. Soak seeds in hot water for 24hrs before planting time, letting them swell to 3x their original size (if this fails, try boiling water or sulfuric acid). Or fall seed to let the winter weather break down the seed coating. Sow seed 1/4" deep. Trees can reach 80 feet. Prefers full sun and dry to medium soil. Flowers May-June. ## Japanese Cornel Dogwood (Sanshuyu) The Japanese cornel dogwood, or Japanese cornelian cherry, is a late-winter-blooming East Asian dogwood that produces loads of bright red olive-shaped fruit which are both edible and medicinal. It's called sansuyu in Korean, shān zhū yú in Chinese, and sanshuyu in Japanese. This is not the same species as the standard cornelian cherry (Cornus mas), which is native to the other end of the Eurasian continent (from France to the Caucasus Mountains), though the fruit are similar in appearance and have similar uses. Japanese cornel dogwood has showy flaking bark and explodes in tiny yellow flowers every late winter or early spring. Trees can reach 26 feet tall, but it's best to prune them if your goal is to harvest the fruit. Researchers have validated a wide range of medicinal uses for this species, most impressively a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study finding that an herbal formula containing mostly Cornus officinalis is effective and safe for treating erectile dysfunction. Another study found it improves sperm motility. An extract from the plant has been found to improve the creation of new neurons in the brain (neurogenisis) and new blood vessels (angiogenesis). These are just a few of the positive health outcomes associated with medicinale use of this plant. The juice of the fruit is high in potassium, calcium, sodium, iron, zinc, manganese, and copper — notably higher than the juice of more commonly consumed fruits like plums, pears, and apples. These seeds were foraged by EFN co-founder Nate Kleinman and our friend Dylan Bruce (of Circadian Organics in Wisconsin) from an ornamental planting in southeastern Pennsylvania. GROWING TIPS: Cornus officinalis seeds require a long cold-moist stratifcation period of between 3 and 5 months. Seeds should be planted immediately after, but can be expected to germinate irregularly and slowly. They may not sprout for 18 months! But they'll make up for it by growing quickly once they do. Trees should be protected from predators when young, and planted in rich, acidic soil in full or partial sun. They'll be grateful for some afternoon shade in warmer areas. two inches on center, inch between to edge of the bed cucumber seeds - 10 in a gal - carnary in the coal mine, cucumbers are more sensitive Cultivars mother tree seed, open pollinated, Chinese in general from Chinese orchards. Some will be genetically superior, but come good progeny. Its all been progeny tested, seed may not be large because drought. # Black Walnut Cultivars Tree house - seeds come from mother tree in fruitland, NC. I have observed this tree for four years. Yields are high, even in off season, and nuts are extra-large. Seems to drop in a short window and earlier then most other trees in the area. Earned it's name from the childhood adventures had in the tree by the property's family. ![[Pasted image 20251005100523.jpg]]