Seed Sales
Plant sooner or later?
If you want to get some American chestnuts, we can help!
The Maine Chapter of TACF collects seeds from native chestnut trees in Maine every year for:
- Research purposes
- Retail seedling sales
- Volunteer rewards
- Fundraising sales to support our work
Due to a late freeze in May of 2023, our harvest was much smaller than usual, leaving us too few chestnuts to offer them for sale to the public in 2024. If you’re looking for seeds to plant, let us know and we’ll contact you early in 2025.
There are good reasons to start planting sooner than later:
- Your native chestnut trees can provide an ideal nursery shelter for planting blight-resistant chestnuts when they become available.
- Growing native chestnuts now lets you test the suitability of your site. Soil must be acidic and well drained.
- You can learn now what is needed to get good growth later.
- Growing ME native chestnuts helps us preserve local genetic diversity.
- Happy chestnuts can grow 4 feet in height and 1” diameter per year!
- In 10 to 20 years, your native chestnuts will be producing nuts, poles, and small saw-logs.
How to get seeds or seedlings
Here are ways to get chestnuts to plant and enjoy:
- Join TACF and receive an invitation to buy our limited supply of pure American seeds or seedlings if/when available.
- Lend a hand at a volunteer event.
- Ellis’ Greenhouse in Hudson ME often sells seedlings during the summer months.
- Buy 2-yr-old Maine chestnut seedlings from Fedco Trees. Fedco buys seeds from the ME Chapter and gives us back $3 per tree.
Maine Chapter Menu
National Facebook
Ohio friends: celebrate the American chestnut on Tuesday, April 23 at the John Bartram Arboretum at Kendal at Oberlin.
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Zoom meeting plans?
Pets of The American Chestnut Foundation: Episode 3
Charlie Renfield Sparkle, aka Charlie Chestnut or “Chichi,” is a certified HLI (Horrible Little Idiot) with over 6 months experience of bringing joy and chaos to the home of TACF’s Northern Regional Outreach Coordinator, Catherine Martini. He was brought home last fall along with the chestnut harvest and has been trying to bury himself in the forest ever since. Charlie is not a wild-type American chihuahua and hasn’t been genotyped yet, but phenotypically we believe he is a Pug-Chihuahua hybrid.
When not digging up various disgusting things in the yard, Charlie is most frequently attacking his siblings or snoring on Catherine’s lap while she checks her emails.
Matilda is the soul-dog and familiar of Catherine. She is a fearsome and powerful wrestler who only plays “Matilda wins.” Her favorite activities include sunning herself, going for long walks in the wilderness, protecting every baby (no matter what species – most recently, bunnies), and giving an amount of kisses way above the recommended daily allowance. Matilda prides herself on her ability to make anyone, even her dog siblings, give up their spot on the couch for her. And let’s face it, she really deserves that spot more than any of us do.
Moreau “Goose” Martini-Riley is a 5-year-old boxer dog who got the nickname of “Goose” because he is so silly. Goose is here for two reasons: to play, and to eat butter – and he’s not allowed to eat butter.
Goose only has one brain cell, which is heart-shaped, so he’s perfectly suited to his job of being the charismatic goof-ball who loves everyone. He enjoys making everyone he meets feel like the most important person in the world and will sneak in a sloppy kiss or two if you let him. Goose loves to help in the garden, mostly by digging holes, but he also loves to hurt in the garden, mostly by digging holes. Goose was born deaf, but he doesn’t know it – he knows sign commands and enjoys sleeping through his siblings’ barking parties.
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Join us on TODAY, April 19, 2024, from 11:30AM – 1:00PM (EDT), for the next LIVE Chestnut Chat, where we'll talk all about growing chestnuts!
In this episode, we will cover all the basics of planting, growing, and maintaining American chestnut trees. TACF staff and expert volunteers will talk about how to plant chestnuts from seed and from seedlings, including bareroot and containerized seedlings, as well as considerations for planting in the spring versus the fall. Bring your questions and don’t miss this Chestnut Chat that is sure to become an instant classic.
Visit the link to save your spot! tacf.org/event/chestnut-chat-growing-chestnuts/
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Was this episode recorded? I was only able to follow along for a few minutes because I was at work. But, I'd love to see this again.
You can make a difference for people, for an ecosystem, and for a tree.
Join the movement to save the American chestnut by becoming a member of The American Chestnut Foundation today.
support.tacf.org/membership
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One year ago volunteers gathered at Pryor Orchard in Edneyville, NC and planted chestnuts seeds gathered on the Appalachian Trail by NC/SC Chapter member Jon Taylor, who also led a planting demonstration at the start of the event.
To see find out about volunteer and planting events in your neck of the woods, visit our events calendar at tacf.org/events/category/tacf/
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