M.K. Dorje Sr.

Thank you for your replies everyone. I'm always interested in hearing about other people who grow chestnuts.

I transplanted two Chinese Chestnuts here about 10 years ago and they flowered for the first time last summer, but no chestnuts formed inside the burrs. I'm hoping for the first crop this year. The trees receive minimal care except for Scotch broom mulch and a bit of organic fertilizer.

The seeds I planted a few weeks ago were from Silverleaf Chestnut, a chestnut that is a predominantly Japanese hybrid variety. I'm trying this variety out because it can produce in the forth year after planting, doesn't get too gigantic and is resistant to blight. If I had the room though, I would like to try some of resistant American Chestnut varieties. They are remarkable trees.

Here's a video called "The Chestnut Grove" from a three part series about chestnuts by Akiva Silver, a fellow permies member, nurseryman, author and chestnut enthusiast:



He's got lots of other  cool videos about growing fruit and nut trees.

I was checking out the Good News Network this morning and found an amazing article and documentary about the return of the American Chestnut in Maine, thanks to Dr. Bernd Heinrich, author of Ravens in Winter and many other great books. Check this out:

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/once-wiped-out-by-blight-thousands-of-american-chestnut-trees-are-thriving-on-biologists-land-in-maine/

The American Chestnut was decimated by chestnut blight in the early 1900s, which killed million of trees through the eastern United States. But thanks to Dr. Heinrich, they are making a comeback in Maine. This article was very inspirational for me because I just planted and began stratifying several dozen chestnut seeds a few weeks ago. I'm planning on planting, selling and donating lots of chestnut seedlings once they begin germinating. Chestnuts are amazing trees and can live for hundreds of years. And they are delicious roasted!

Anyone out there growing chestnuts? What species do you grow and where do you live?

The Turkey Tail mushroom is a proven medicinal mushroom species that is increasing in popularity. Although inedible in the conventional sense, they can be used in capsules, teas and tinctures. They are also added to the new trendy medicinal mushroom coffee blends. They are quite common throughout much of the world, in fact, they often appear on Shiitake logs as a "weed".  But since many people have problems with identification, I've decided to post a video about how to tell the real Turkey Tail from its many lookalikes. This video from Feral Foraging is very clear and should help anyone who would like to harvest and use this species safely:



Below are some photos of Turkey Tails in my garden.

Here's some photos of some Oregon Bellybutton Hedgehog (Hydnum oregonense) mushrooms I harvested on a recent foray. They are sometimes abundant from December-February in western Oregon in older, wet forests under Evergreen Huckleberry, Western Red Cedar, Western Hemlock and Douglas-fir. They are almost always found near Yellow-Foot Chanterelles, another choice edible.

Field & Forest is from Wisconsin. I have used their spawn successfully for over 20 years and they are a great family-owned company. Here's a link to their TeePee Kits:

https://fieldforest.net/shop/mushroom-grow-kits/indoor-grow-kits/teepee-kits/

If you live in a different country, you could  order from a local grain spawn producer and use your own bags. Filter patch bags are sold by big mushroom grower supply houses or you can make your own. If you use grain spawn, be sure to keep it away from rodents, since they will do every thing they can to eat the spawn.

Although I've never used this method, it sounds really simple and really fast compared to the log culture I normally do. In fact, I'm tempted to try this method myself after seeing how ridiculously easy it looks! Here's a really good video from Field & Forest on how to grow oyster mushrooms on toilet paper rolls:



Field & Forest sells their "TeePee Kits" for this method. One kit contains 7 filter patch bags, 2 lbs. Grey Dove Oyster spawn and rubber bands for $28. They've also got two other "TeePee"  kits.

As you can see, they use grain spawn. I would also use unbleached toilet paper. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

Thank you,  I've been thinking about growing some new species this year.

"Do or do not. There is no try" - Yoda

I've grown Purple Passion asparagus from seed for many years. I save the seed "berries"  in the fall, dry them, clean them and plant the seeds in six packs. After a few months, I transplant the seedlings to bigger pots. In the late winter of the next year, I transplant the plants into a raised bed that was dug deeply and enriched with lots of compost, sand and a bit of lime and wood ashes. I begin harvesting the third year. The plants last for decades and are super productive by the forth year.

I've never had any problems with asparagus getting invasive, although I live in the Northwest. In fact, I wish it WAS invasive since I like eating it so much! As I say to my friends- you can't have too much asparagus!! Cream of asparagus soup and morels with asparagus are two of my favorite recipes.

This winter I'm trying a new technique, of just direct seeding the seeds into a cleared raised bed. That way, I won't have to transplant. Time will tell if this lazy method will work...

My solution is to paint the trunks of young fruit trees with white latex, preferably indoor latex. This also prevents sun scald, sunburn and rodent damage. IV Organics makes a special paint that also contains essential oils for this purpose:

https://ivorganics.com/product/3-in-1-plant-guard/

The IV Organics paint is super pricey, so I just use regular latex on my trees. I paint my young trees in the winter during a dry spell. I seem to have good results.

Here's a video from Dave Wilson nursery:



Good luck Judith!