Winkel Chestnut Farms

04/18/2026

We are into early bud development at our chestnut farm. The most advanced buds are showing just under 1/4 inch of green bud. See the attached photo.
Now, the morning of 20 April 2026 is forecast to get as low as 27°F. This is just below the temperature we have been looking for to show the effect of hard frost on the budding chestnut tree.
What will happen at this stage of bud development? We might be on the path to finding out.

04/09/2026

FOR SALE: 21' x 30' Poly-Tex Garden Mart seasonal greenhouse with roll-up sides for ventilation in good condition. Shelving included: (6) 6 ft x 3 ft, (20) 6 ft x 1-1/2. Full digital manual available. Must be disassembled. $4500. (retails for $13,500).

02/09/2026

Pruning Chestnut trees.
Consider Coppice, Pollard, and grafting!
Coppicing (cut tree near the ground, and allow to re-sprout), and Pollarding (cut tree above the ground and allowed to re-sprout), can generate vigorous new growth as a larger root system pushes new young shoots.
The shoots can be pruned over time to shape the top of the new tree. Or, the shoots can be grafted to preferred varieties, assuming graft compatibility. In either case, the root system of a mature tree can force impressive new growth.
In this photograph, Youssef Darwich has pruned (April 2025) the mature tree in the foreground to a pollard. In the background to the left a substantial tree has been treated as a pollard in the same pruning session.

12/16/2025

Did you know 'Marsol' chestnut has a reputation as a good rootstock tree? A Wikipedia search on 'Marsol chestnut as rootstock' will reveal a list of cultivars that you can expect to be graft compatible with Marsol.
A painless order for 2 lb of Marsol seed was placed at NorthStarChestnuts.com. The order arrived today, communication was good every step of the way, packaging was everything I could hope for, the nuts were the size and quality I would hope for for seed.

When every step is well done you just need to pass on the good word! Many thanks to Abby and Nick for great transaction.

And if you are looking for a source for Scion wood, I have had very good experience with fruitwoodnursery.com .

10/13/2025

10/10/2025

Chestnut Harvest Update 2025
Winkel Chestnut Farm U-pick chestnut season is closed for the 2025 harvest season.

We thank our new friends and our old friends for their support this year. We hope to see you again next year.

Best wishes for a safe and prosperous 2025/2026,
Dick & Leslie Winkel

10/07/2025

Chestnut Harvest Update 2025
Winkel Chestnut Farm will be open for U-pick Chestnuts tomorrow Wednesday October 8 and Thursday October 9.

After Thursday we will reevaluate the trees to determine if any more U-pick days are warranted this season.

Best wishes,
Dick & Leslie Winkel

10/01/2025

Chestnut Harvest Update 2025
This is the week!
Our typical harvest schedule is one week of nuts coming down slowly, the second week nuts come down fast, the third week the nuts are slowing down.

This is the second week, and yes the nuts are coming down fast.
This is the week to U-pick your chestnuts.

10/01/2025

Our customers never cease to amaze us! This 8-year old fan wanted to collect the burs so she could create some artwork...so very creative and talented! Thanks for the pictures Angela 🤗

09/24/2025

Chestnut Harvest Update 2025
The Winkel Chestnut Farm U-pick season opens tomorrow, September 24.
Open hours through end of harvest will be Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. From noon to 5pm daily.
After the summer's heat and extreme drought many of the early chestnuts are smaller than average.
Will the later season chestnuts be larger? Time will tell.

Dick Winkel