Fall harvest: the year's work in every nut.
When controlled crosses mature at Matthews, we collect the burs, protect the pedigree, and celebrate another season of restoration.
A nut is both a seed and a data record.
The value of a controlled cross depends on knowing exactly which parents produced it.
As burs ripen, volunteers collect them from the Matthews orchard, keep each cross separate, label every container, and safeguard the nuts for the next step. Some will be grown for genomic screening. Others may enter field trials, nursery beds, or future breeding work.
Harvest is also our moment to pause. The season may have included winter scion trips, spring grafting, summer pollen work, orchard care, and mountain searches. Fall turns all of that effort into something small enough to hold in your hand.
Care at every handoff.
Good seed handling protects both germination and the integrity of the breeding program.
1. Watch maturity
Track burs as they change color and begin to open so the crop is collected at the right time.
2. Separate crosses
Keep each maternal tree and pollen source in its own labeled bag or container.
3. Count & inspect
Record full nuts, empty nuts, damage, and any collection notes.
4. Route the seed
Move the crop into RGS growing, nursery beds, field trials, or other planned use.
Celebrate, then begin again.
Harvest closes one cycle and starts the next. Nuts move into cold storage and growing plans. Orchard notes guide winter pruning and scion collection. The best successes—and the mistakes—become lessons for the following year.
That rhythm is part of what makes the project fun: there is always another season, another skill to learn, and another chance to improve the breeding population.