Delphine (D-12) – Gideon seed nuts
The variety
Gideon came out of a 1972 planting in Carroll County, Ohio, where Greg Miller selected it — along with Amy and Peach — from seedlings his father had raised. It has become one of the six standard mothers Miller recommends to anyone establishing a seedling orchard.
The nuts are medium sized, twelve to eighteen grams, and unusually uniform and attractive. The tree is cold hardy, drought tolerant, and a consistent bearer.
What sold us on it is a single figure from a Tennessee trial. In 2011, the worst year that orchard recorded for both size and yield, one Gideon tree produced 7.45 kilograms of nuts — the heaviest crop of any tree in the study. The next best was a Colossal at just over half that. Gideon is never the biggest nut on the table and never the smallest, and in a hard season it is still standing there with a crop. That is worth a great deal on a working farm.
Delphine in 2026
2026 observations coming after harvest.
The tree
More about this tree coming soon.
Seed nuts from this tree will be available once harvest is in. Join our newsletter to hear first.