Genevieve (G-7) – Sleeping Giant seed nuts
The variety
Sleeping Giant was bred here in Connecticut, from a cross made in 1937 at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station under Arthur Graves and later Dick Jaynes. Nearly ninety years on it is still one of the six mother trees Greg Miller recommends to anyone planting a seedling orchard.
It is a hybrid — Chinese crossed with Japanese and American — and we say so plainly rather than calling it a Chinese chestnut. But it behaves very much like a Chinese tree, and Route 9 Cooperative makes a point that matters for an orchard like ours: its offspring come out consistently Chinese-like and of reliable quality. For a farm growing seedlings rather than grafts, a hybrid that breeds true to type is worth more than one that scatters.
The nuts are medium-large, around forty to the pound, handsome and good eating. It ripens early to mid-season and bears with unusual consistency from year to year.
It was bred twenty miles from where it now grows.
Genevieve in 2026
2026 observations coming after harvest.
The tree
Genevieve has a classic form, reaching tall toward the sun and putting out burs to reproduce. She has been influenced by the wind in our orchard but she will be just fine, she is producing a nice set of burs after planting in 2023 and she is going to be one of our best.
Seed nuts from this tree will be available once harvest is in. Join our newsletter to hear first.