Nice talk. We have been growing Chinese chestnuts in a small orchard for about 30 years in mid. Missouri. One day, I took a minute at flowering time and mentally counted 14 different insects on a tree, tiny native bees, several different butterflies, flies, beetles, some I couldn't identify, and our favorite of them, the "fireflies" also appear at bloom time at night just as we start to smell the flowers. As you stated, demand is always good enough to sell what we can produce. For an example, we tried, as an experiment/ data collection this year, putting 100% of a single 30 yr old seedling's crop up online. Priced cheaply @ $4 lb, (and customer also paid shipping costs via priority flat rate) the tree generated $520 worth of sales. 130# were sold as soon as they hit the ground. We grow Eaton and Qing as our main cultivars, but also have 8 or 9 others as well and seedlings too. Unlike our pecans and walnuts, the chestnuts bear every year. Only pruning, mowing and watering is required here. We haven't used fertilizer for many years, though it would probably increase tree vigor.

What are your thoughts on Dunstan Chestnuts? I believe they are an American/Chinese cross.

Excellent presentation. Thanks for sharing.

OMG that smacking sound! What was that? Her lips smacking, or something mechanical? So annoying!