Recommended for: Deer attraction
Why these trees fit that goal
Chestnuts drop a high-carb, low-tannin nut that deer choose over acorns almost every time. Spread out ripening dates so your food source lasts from early September into late October instead of dumping in one week.
Top pick
The workhorse. A heavy, dependable annual drop that deer key in on year after year, with enough cold hardiness that you are not gambling on the crop.
Large for a Chinese chestnut · Mid season · $24 each
Runner-up
Chosen purely for volume. On a food plot, total pounds hitting the ground beats individual nut size, and this family delivers pounds.
Medium to large · Mid season · $24 each
Also excellent
Your early-season family. It drops before the acorns start, which puts food out during early archery when nothing else is falling.
Medium to large · Early season · $28 each
Now sorted for you. The families below are now sorted best-fit first for deer attraction. The ones at the top drop the heaviest, most dependable crops, or they fill a gap in the season the others miss.
Honestly? Call or email before you buy.
A five-minute conversation about your soil, your drainage, your county and how you use the ground will get you a
better planting than any filter on a website can. We will tell you which of these actually fit your site, which to
skip, and how many you really need for pollination. There is no charge and no pressure.
Email us about your planting
Prefer to write it out? Use the reservation form and tell us about your
ground. We answer every one, including the ones that talk us out of a sale.
Recommended for: Early nut production
Why these trees fit that goal
Some seed families are precocious, meaning seedlings tend to flower and set nuts young. With good tubes, weed control and water, first nuts commonly show up in year 3 to 5 instead of year 7 to 10.
Top pick
Early ripening and heavy bearing, with vigorous growth that gets it out of the tube fast. Hard to beat if you want nuts soon.
Medium to large · Early season · $28 each
Runner-up
The name literally means early. Bred in France specifically for precocious bearing, on a large, sweet nut.
Large · Early season · $30 each
Also excellent
Japanese chestnuts are known for bearing young and ripening early, and this one carries very large nuts on top of it.
Very large · Early season · $30 each
Now sorted for you. The families below are now sorted best-fit first for early production. The ones at the top come from parent trees known for bearing young, ripening early in the fall, or both.
Honestly? Call or email before you buy.
A five-minute conversation about your soil, your drainage, your county and how you use the ground will get you a
better planting than any filter on a website can. We will tell you which of these actually fit your site, which to
skip, and how many you really need for pollination. There is no charge and no pressure.
Email us about your planting
Prefer to write it out? Use the reservation form and tell us about your
ground. We answer every one, including the ones that talk us out of a sale.
Recommended for: Large / high-quality nuts
Why these trees fit that goal
European and Japanese hybrid families throw the biggest nuts. Chinese families give slightly smaller nuts but usually better peeling and better sweetness. Pick your trade-off.
Top pick
The biggest nut we offer that is still fully cold-hardy northern genetics. If you want size without winter risk, start here.
Very large for a cold-hardy Chinese · Early to mid season · $28 each
Runner-up
The classic French chestnut. Large, glossy, dark nuts with outstanding flavor. Give it your best, most sheltered ground.
Very large · Mid season · $30 each
Also excellent
Japanese chestnuts produce the largest nuts in the genus. Peeling is harder than a Chinese type, but nothing beats it for raw size.
Very large · Early season · $30 each
Now sorted for you. The families below are now sorted best-fit first for nut size and quality. Read the trade-off carefully here, because the biggest nuts near the top of this list often come with less winter hardiness and less blight resistance.
Honestly? Call or email before you buy.
A five-minute conversation about your soil, your drainage, your county and how you use the ground will get you a
better planting than any filter on a website can. We will tell you which of these actually fit your site, which to
skip, and how many you really need for pollination. There is no charge and no pressure.
Email us about your planting
Prefer to write it out? Use the reservation form and tell us about your
ground. We answer every one, including the ones that talk us out of a sale.
Recommended for: Cold hardiness
Why these trees fit that goal
Iowa is mostly USDA zone 5. Northern-selected Chinese families have already survived Midwest winters, so they are the safe backbone of any Iowa planting.
Top pick
Wisconsin cold hardiness crossed toward Qing eating quality. This is the one for northern Iowa, ridge tops and open exposure.
Medium to large · Early to mid season · $26 each
Runner-up
The same tough northern foundation, selected up for the largest nuts. Cold hardy without giving up size.
Very large for a cold-hardy Chinese · Early to mid season · $28 each
Also excellent
Zone 5 proven across the Midwest and the benchmark everything else gets measured against. The lowest-risk choice on this page.
Large for a Chinese chestnut · Mid season · $24 each
Now sorted for you. The families below are now sorted best-fit first for cold hardiness. Everything near the top has already proven itself through Midwest winters, which is exactly what you want on an exposed site.
Honestly? Call or email before you buy.
A five-minute conversation about your soil, your drainage, your county and how you use the ground will get you a
better planting than any filter on a website can. We will tell you which of these actually fit your site, which to
skip, and how many you really need for pollination. There is no charge and no pressure.
Email us about your planting
Prefer to write it out? Use the reservation form and tell us about your
ground. We answer every one, including the ones that talk us out of a sale.
Recommended for: Disease resistance
Why these trees fit that goal
Chestnut blight is the big one, and Chinese chestnut carries the strongest natural resistance. Some European hybrids add resistance to Phytophthora ink disease on wet ground.
Top pick
Selected from parent trees that stayed clean and vigorous while their neighbors struggled. Built around one question: which trees are still healthy in year twenty?
Medium · Mid season · $24 each
Runner-up
Strong Chinese blight resistance on a family that also happens to produce excellent nuts. Disease insurance you will actually enjoy harvesting.
Large for a Chinese chestnut · Mid season · $24 each
Also excellent
A different kind of resistance. Bred in France for Phytophthora ink disease, a root rot that kills chestnuts on heavy, wet ground.
Large · Mid season · $30 each
Now sorted for you. The families below are now sorted best-fit first for disease resistance. Chinese families lead this list because they evolved alongside chestnut blight and carry the strongest natural resistance to it.
Honestly? Call or email before you buy.
A five-minute conversation about your soil, your drainage, your county and how you use the ground will get you a
better planting than any filter on a website can. We will tell you which of these actually fit your site, which to
skip, and how many you really need for pollination. There is no charge and no pressure.
Email us about your planting
Prefer to write it out? Use the reservation form and tell us about your
ground. We answer every one, including the ones that talk us out of a sale.
Recommended for: Fast growth
Why these trees fit that goal
Hybrid vigor plus a 4x12 tall pot root system plus a tree tube is the fastest way to get a tree above browse height in one or two seasons.
Top pick
Known for vigorous, upright, timber-form growth. It gets above browse height in a hurry and carries large, sweet nuts when it gets there.
Large · Mid season · $28 each
Runner-up
A very vigorous French hybrid, and the one to use on the heavier or wetter corners of your property where others would sulk.
Large · Mid season · $30 each
Also excellent
Vigorous and productive, with root disease tolerance built in. A strong third leg alongside the other French hybrids.
Very large · Mid to late season · $30 each
Now sorted for you. The families below are now sorted best-fit first for growth speed. The hybrids near the top grow fastest, but they trade away some blight resistance to do it, so mix them with a Chinese family.
Honestly? Call or email before you buy.
A five-minute conversation about your soil, your drainage, your county and how you use the ground will get you a
better planting than any filter on a website can. We will tell you which of these actually fit your site, which to
skip, and how many you really need for pollination. There is no charge and no pressure.
Email us about your planting
Prefer to write it out? Use the reservation form and tell us about your
ground. We answer every one, including the ones that talk us out of a sale.
Recommended for: Human food production
Why these trees fit that goal
For kitchen and market use, peelability matters as much as size. Chinese and Chinese-hybrid families generally peel cleanest, which is what buyers and roasters care about.
Top pick
Selected on flavor rather than raw size. Notably sweet with clean, easy peeling, and it keeps full Chinese hardiness and blight resistance.
Medium to large · Mid season · $24 each
Runner-up
Qing peelability and sweetness on a bigger nut. If one family has to satisfy both the hunter and the cook in the house, this is it.
Large · Mid season · $26 each
Also excellent
The premium market nut. Large, glossy and beautiful, which is what sets the price at a farmers market. Needs your best ground.
Very large · Mid season · $30 each
Now sorted for you. The families below are now sorted best-fit first for eating and selling. Peelability matters as much as size here, which is why Chinese and Chinese-hybrid families rank high even though European types grow the bigger nut.
Honestly? Call or email before you buy.
A five-minute conversation about your soil, your drainage, your county and how you use the ground will get you a
better planting than any filter on a website can. We will tell you which of these actually fit your site, which to
skip, and how many you really need for pollination. There is no charge and no pressure.
Email us about your planting
Prefer to write it out? Use the reservation form and tell us about your
ground. We answer every one, including the ones that talk us out of a sale.