Which Chestnut Variety is Right for You?
A Midwest Zone 5-7 Selection Guide
Chestnut trees are an incredible addition to any Midwest homestead, garden, or even your yard. They can be used for edible nuts for your family, and for deer and wildlife.
Story time
I bought local chestnuts at the store and roasted them at home. I liked the taste and thought that they would be a good staple food to add to my homestead.
My friend told me that he planted two chestnut trees at the local rural school, with the intent to share with the kids roasted chestnuts (like the song) at Christmas time. The principal put a damper on those plans. Years went by and the chestnuts are dumping bucket loads of chestnuts and hardly anyone is picking them up. I collected gallons of them in the Fall and saved them in buckets of sand to plant out into seed.
Now I had chestnut seedlings adapted to my crazy climate, that thrived on my land. And you can too.
What the heck is a Qing chestnut tree?
Walk into any nursery (or search online), and you’ll quickly find yourself overwhelmed by variety names: American x Chinese, Qing, Empire Elite, Revival, Chinese, American, European, hybrid. What does it all mean, and which one is right for YOUR property?
Here’s the truth most nurseries won’t tell you: There’s no single “best” chestnut variety. The right choice depends on your goals, your land, and your climate.
Are you choosing chestnuts for food, seed to start a tree nursery, or as a deer or wildlife food plot?
I put together this guide to cut through the confusion and help you make the right decision for your specific situation in Midwest Zones 5 – 7.
Why Variety Selection Matters in the Midwest
My Recommended Varieties for Midwest Zones 5-7
Quick Decision Matrix
| Your Priority | Zone 5 | Zone 6 – 7 |
| Maximum reliability | Empire Elite, Chinese Hybrid | Empire Elite, Chinese Hybrid |
| Best flavor | Empire Elite, American x Chinese Hybrid | Revival, American x Chinese Hybrid, Empire Elite |
| Wildlife/deer food plot planting | Chinese Hybrid (early drop), American x Chinese Hybrid, Empire Elite (late drop) | Chinese Hybrid (early drop), American x Chinese Hybrid, Revival, Empire Elite (late drop) |
| Premium quality nuts | American x Chinese Hybrid, Empire Elite | Revival, Peach, Empire Elite, American x Chinese Hybrid |
Let’s take a deep dive on each variety.
Empire Elite
- Late leafing (avoids late frosts)
- Heavy producer, medium to large size nuts
- Drops nuts mid to late season
- Blight resistant and cold hardy to Zone 5b
- Market quality nuts with sweet flavor
- Diverse parents
- My Empire Elite seedlings are grown in Kansas from seed from Route 9 Cooperative in Ohio.
I will have more Empire Elite chestnut seedlings later in the Fall. Until then, buy from our partner (use coupon code thrivingthefuture10 for a 10% discount):
Buy Empire Elite Chestnut seedlings from our partnerHybrid (American x Chinese)
- Larger nuts than pure Chinese
- Better tree form (more upright) and may be a larger tree
- Darker nuts that drop later
- Cold hardy to Zone 6, although they may do OK in Zone 5b.
- My hybrid seedlings are a farm mix of chestnuts with American genetics mixed with Peach, Qing, and other unnamed Chinese chestnuts. They are grown in Kansas from seed gathered from Charlie’s Chestnuts in Lawrence, KS
Best for: Homesteaders and landowners wanting a mix of production and those with slightly more space.
Recommend spacing these trees 30 feet apart and 30 feet between rows.
Also good for deer plots because they drop nuts later.
If selling nuts or seedlings, your customer will lean more toward these American hybrids than Chinese hybrids.
Disclaimer: Dunstan is a trademark owned by Chestnut Hill Tree Farm. You can buy full Dunstan trees from them, and they usually ship in 3 gallon pots. However, they are grown in the Southeast and do not do as well in Kansas. (Note that many people call any American-Chinese hybrid a “Dunstan”). My American x Chinese Hybrid seedlings are a farm mix of chestnuts with American genetics mixed with Peach, Qing, and other unnamed Chinese chestnuts.
Revival (American x Chinese Hybrid)
My Premium Choice
- Very large nuts (the largest chestnut I have ever seen!)
- Exceptional chestnut flavor
- Larger, upright tree (the seedlings grew taller in the first year)
- Good blight resistance
- Cold hardy to Zone 6
- Drops nuts later
- My Revival seedlings are grown in Kansas from seed gathered from Charlie’s Chestnuts in Lawrence, KS.
Homesteaders seeking unique, very large nuts (these nuts sell themselves).
Make sure to space these trees 30 feet apart and 25-30 feet between rows.
Revival is not as easy to get.
Warning: Buy Revival seedlings only, not grafted trees. Revival has a tendency to have graft failure after 10 years if grafted.
Chinese Hybrid chestnut (farm mix)
- Medium nuts, foraged from NE Kansas trees that were originally planted from seed from Charlie’s Chestnuts in Lawrence, KS.
- My Chinese hybrids have a farm mix of Qing and other Chinese varieties, including Peach.,
- Easy to peel nuts
- Cold hardy to Zone 5b
- Drops nuts early to mid-season
- May bear nuts at a younger age
Peach (Chinese Half-sib)
- Large to Extra Large nuts, lighter color, sometimes slightly fuzzy (hence the name)
- Easy to peel nuts
- Cold hardy to Zone 5b
- Good genetics
- Drops nuts mid-season
May bear nuts later than other trees, or peak later for commercial production
I will have Peach chestnut seedlings later in the Fall. Until then, buy from our partner (use coupon code thrivingthefuture10 for a 10% discount):
Buy Peach Chestnut seedlingsQing (Chinese Half-sib) – pronounced Ching
- Late leafing (avoids late frosts)
- Heavy producer, medium to large size nuts
- Industry standard for commercial nut quality
- Excellent cold tolerance
- Easy to peel
- Sweet flavor
- Drops nuts mid to late season
- Cold hardy to Zone 5a
- May bear nuts at a younger age
- One of the most sought after chestnuts for commercial planting when turning corn/soy into a chestnut orchard or mixed regenerative crop planting.
Commercial growers in Zone 5 – 6.
Anyone prioritizing reliability, homesteaders wanting high yield and proven production.
Warning: Make sure to buy Qing seedlings, not grafted trees. Qing has a tendency to have graft failure after 10 years if grafted.
I will have Qing chestnut seedlings later in the Fall. Until then, buy from our partner (use coupon code thrivingthefuture10 for a 10% discount):
Buy Qing Chestnut seedlingsGideon (Chinese Half-sib)
- Vigorous growth
- Heavy producer of large size nuts
- Good choice as a pollinator, especially when planted with Qing
- Drops nuts mid season
- Cold hardy to Zone 5a
Adding diversity to your chestnut orchard. Pairs well as a pollinator with Qing.
Buy Gideon from our partner (use coupon code thrivingthefuture10 for a 10% discount):
Buy Gideon Chestnut seedlingsWhat about Chinese Chestnuts?
Chinese chestnuts get a bad rap. If you are selling seedlings, your customers will ask for American chestnuts and will become less interested if you are selling Chinese chestnuts.
The Truth: Unless you are buying European hybrid chestnuts from the North (Michigan), all hybrids have Chinese heritage to make sure that they do not develop blight. Yes, even the famous Dunstan – American x Chinese hybrids may be mostly from Chinese heritage.
Chinese Chestnut Half-Sibs
Qing, Peach, Gideon chestnuts are Half-sibs. This means that there is a known mother tree (that is the named tree, like Qing) which was pollinated by any of the surrounding trees (mixed for good pollination).
Farm Mix Chinese Chestnuts
Empire Elite is a Farm mix, with the mother tree dating back to the 1960’s, surrounded by grafted high producing trees with Chinese/European, and other heritage. Besides my local Chinese hybrids grown from seed, Empire Elite is the most successful on my Kansas homestead.
Tip: If you grow out seedlings to sell as a nursery, stick with the named varieties.
Shop our Midwest Memory Nut Trees
Conclusion
Choosing chestnut varieties for the Midwest doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Start with proven, Midwest-adapted genetics (I like Empire Elite as the best all-around tree), ensure proper site preparation, plant multiple varieties for cross-pollination, and give your trees time.
In 5-7 years, you’ll be harvesting pounds of sweet, nutritious chestnuts from trees that will feed your family—and your grandchildren’s families—for generations.
Ready to start your chestnut orchard?
Why buy from Grow Nut Trees?
Because seeds and trees have “memory”. They thrived and reproduced in a certain climate.
Our Midwest Memory trees are grown and battle-tested in NE Kansas, so they don’t flinch at Midwest heat, wind, late frosts, or drought.
Result: higher survival, earlier bearing, and reliable nut yields in Zones 5–7.
About GrowNutTrees.com
At GrowNutTrees.com, we specialize in Midwest Memory nut trees grown right here in Kansas. Our chestnuts, hazelnuts, and other plants are raised in Zone 6 conditions, so they have the “seed memory” to thrive in your Midwest homestead or orchard.
Every tree we sell has proven itself through Kansas winters, summer heat, and long drought —meaning you’re getting genetics that WORK in the real Midwest, not just in a catalog.
