How to Grow Your Own Chestnuts

If you have a chestnut tree growing in your yard, you have an unknown treasure. In the early 1900's there was a blight that cut into the chestnut population quite radically. Here are some tips to help you grow the rare chestnut tree in your back yard.

Plant your chestnut trees about 30 to 40 feet apart. They should be planted in early spring on a northern slope, if it is possible. This will help to keep the flowers from forming to soon in the springtime. Chestnut trees prefer a soil that is slightly acid with plenty of humus. If the soil gets too soggy, the trees are liable to develop oak-root fungus. If you prepare the soil when you plant your chestnut tree, there is rarely a need for later feeding. Mulching around the trunk of the tree will help it grow to the optimum hight. The central-leader branch should be trained. You should also prune any suckers that appear at the base of the tree so it will not become like a bush.

Chestnut trees will need more than one variety to be pollinated. Your harvests will be greater if you plant at two or more varieties. If you do not have a large amount of space you can plant two trees in each hole you dig. Chestnuts will grow to 30 or 40 feet tall. These trees usually take 3 to 4 years to begin to bear nuts. Chestnut trees are hardy to temperature zone 6.

Chestnuts will mature in the fall. When they are ripe, they will fall to the ground. These chestnuts should be picked up daily. This will help prevent mold. It will also keep the nuts from being attacked by insects. If you soak the chestnuts in water, the defective husks will float to the top of the water. These should be thrown away. Then the nuts should be dried off and placed in the sun for two days. They need to be completely dried out before you put them into storage or use them. If they are stored at room temperature, the chestnuts will keep for several weeks. If you freeze them, they will keep for a year or longer.

Chestnuts can be used in many recipes. And, growing a new chestnut tree will help restore the population in the United States. Hopefully, these tips will help you grow wonderful chestnuts in your back yard for you and your family to enjoy.

SOURCE

Editors "Better Homes and Gardens" magazine. "New Garden Book". 1990. Better Homes and Gardens Books. Des Moines, Iowa.