Chestnut time again

[hesseltine32]

Your property is really going to be something in 20 years.  I never hunted where there was pear trees till ohio this year.  The few pear around the old farm stead where all dug up around getting those last few pears that fell. 

[Hollywood]

Your property is really going to be something in 20 years.  I never hunted where there was pear trees till ohio this year.  The few pear around the old farm stead where all dug up around getting those last few pears that fell.

That's the plan. 
Time is going faster every year anyway... May as well set the table now. I've heard they'll walk past a bunch of Apple trees to get to a pear tree. I have an old logging road that's situated so that it gets quite a bit of sun. It leads to the apple orchard. Put a line of pear trees about twenty feet apart for about a hundred yards. Put the rest in a group in a small clearing about 75 yards from the small clearing where I planted eight Apple trees last spring. I'd planned on putting these in the couple acres I'd cleared...but it's crazy to put them in then try to work around them. I think this will turn into a great "plan b". I'll fill in the cleared area next spring, just plant ground cover, clover and chicory, maybe some beets as Dom suggested after I get it dozed then draw up the plan for trees for next spring.

[Hollywood]

Wrapping up season two of chestnut cultivating. Got about 150 good seedlings from 240 nuts. Would've been better if I'd used the peat moss mix instead of substituting potting mix for some.
Lessons learned this year...
1) peat moss/ vermiculite/perlite, 1/3 each
2) plan on planting towards the end of May
3) not too wet, not too dry...
4) plastic planters require less water than the fabric pots
5) clip/prune secondary shoots as they appear, don't let them get started
6) if you can tell it's going to be a dud, just chuck it, make room for the good ones.

Year two, done growing top growth and ready to hit the ground to establish a good root foundation...

[Green Mountian Hunter]

   They look sweet Tom . You got them out on the porch now .

[Hollywood]

   They look sweet Tom . You got them out on the porch now .

They do need to be hardened a bit before going in the ground. Tried starting that the other day to find a squirrel getting into them for the remainder of the nut. They'll have to get hardened off while I'm home. No way after all this work I'm coming home to find them all dug out and dead.

[Green Mountian Hunter]

             Going to try your way come this year Tom 10 trees $90.00 . I got 14 in the ground should be 15 but lost one,
             Keeping my fingers crossed no oaks or chestnut's around here , Way more cheaper your way .