Colossal Orchards was established in 1990 with the purchase of a 20-acre apple and pear orchard. The apples were removed and the land was prepared for the first chestnut planting in 1992.  The planted chestnuts were grafted Colossal trees with Silverleaf and Nevada pollinators.  The Colossal chestnut variety is thought to be a European/Japanese cross cultivar.  The trees were planted on a 10 by 20 foot spacing with the anticipation of having an early production of marketable chestnuts.

In 1998, adjacent property was added to the orchard and many of the original trees that were planted in 1992 were moved to the new property using a tree spade.  The trees were large enough at that point to use a 20 by 20 foot spacing.  The survival of the transplanted trees was excellent.  There were over 500 trees moved to the new location and the transplant loss was less than 1%.  In 1999, an additional 2.7 acres were planted on the new property with new grafted Colossal trees.

 In 2019, additional orchard renovations have allowed for an additional 8.7 acres of new grafted trees to be planted.  These trees are a combination of Colossal and Bouch de Betizac with Maraval and Precoce Migoule pollinators.