Anyone in Kelowna area able to ship nuts from Gellatly?

I am looking to plant some chestnuts, and perhaps other nuts as well, from Gellatly nut farm, near Kelowna. https://www.regionaldistrict.com/your-services/parks-services/parks-and-trails/7-gellatly-nut-farm-regional-park.aspx#GNFS

It is now a park, amd while nuts can be picked and purchased at the park, they do not ship.

I am hoping someone in the general vicinity of Kelowna would like to visit the park, collect some chestnuts and perhaps other types of nuts, and ship them to me. I can pay a bit beyond the cost of the nuts and shipping, and hopefully someone is interested in going there anyhow?

As I cannot legally/practically ship in chestnuts from outside BC, this is a really important source... but I can't quite convince myself to drive to Kelowna from Van. Isl. exclusively for this!

It's too hectic this year, but next Thanksgiving I'll probably be making a detour to gellatly on the way to the in-laws'. If you still want nuts then, I'm your gal :)

Jan White wrote:It's too hectic this year, but next Thanksgiving I'll probably be making a detour to gellatly on the way to the in-laws'. If you still want nuts then, I'm your gal :)

Thank you! Seems like good odds that I will be looking for nuts next year.

I think I recall a guy on Denman Island growing chestnuts. That's all I've got unfortunately.

Van Dusen Gardens in Vancouver has American chestnut. I'm not sure if they are propagating or just have a few specimens.

Dale Hodgins wrote:I think I recall a guy on Denman Island growing chestnuts. That's all I've got unfortunately.

Van Dusen Gardens in Vancouver has American chestnut. I'm not sure if they are propagating or just have a few specimens.

Thanks Dale!

For anyone else seeking them who might stumble in, I have found spanish chestnuts in Victoria on Point and Marlborough streets. Boulevard trees, huge, lots of nuts but smallish nut size.

Two small farms down there are selling nuts, I am trying to get in touch to get some and learn about what trees they have..

The ailing spanish chestnut at Finberg park in Comox was removed before I was aware of it. There is a 3ft replacement sapling in place, nuts will be a long wait.

Milner gardens near Qualicum reportedly has a spanish chestnut.

The fellow on Denman would probably be Peter at Treeeater nursery. I have a couple seedlings from him, and he is working on other sources. He has at least one producing tree as well as bringing in stuff for his nursery.

Gord Baird at Ecosense in the Highlands is importing from Washington, grafted named cultivars, which is great. Only problem is I can't afford many trees at 65-89 bucks a pop, and I am worried about cold-hardiness being north-central island.

That's all I have found to date, and Gellatly is the only breeding program I am aware of within BC!

The one on Denman may be the same guy who sells Russian pomegranate.

It's too bad the hazelnut industry has been decimated by fungal disease. I read somewhere that production has gone from over a million to about $30,000 worth, in the entire province.

The good news in hazels is people are replanting and planting anew, with blight resistant trees. The powers that impede are/were subsidizing about half the cost of hazelnut trees for planting.

I will plant some hazels, but have a friend with a hazelnut orchard, and thus no desire to duplicate the obscene workload of non-mechanized hazel harvest on the several tons scale. And, the mechanized options available still involve a very clean flat lawn, and sweepers/blowers for nut collection. Very monoculture dependent...


Would be a no-brainer with cheap labor available, but...