Chinese Chestnut Tree

Chestnuts roasting (singing) on an open fire,... Wouldn’t you love to grow and roast your very own chestnuts? You’d certainly have bragging rights during the holiday season when you present these healthy treats to your guests. Chestnuts are chock full of vitamin c, antioxidants, and minerals and they are also low in fat. They can be consumed raw, baked, or roasted. 

Chinese Chestnut trees are surprisingly easy to grow. They are drought-tolerant, deer and disease resistant, and adaptable. These amazing and attractive trees require no maintenance once they are established. 

• Resistant to chestnut blight. This awful disease all but decimated the native American chestnut tree. Luckily the Chinese chestnut is highly resistant to this fungal infection.
• Easy to grow. This tree is extremely hardy and resilient. It stands up to drought, deer, and disease. 
• Easy to grow organically. Because this tree is so tough, it rarely encounters issues that require chemical sprays. So feel free to grow organic chestnuts and have the best quality nuts for your family.
• Enjoy healthy homegrown nuts. These nuts are so good for you. Because they are low in fat and lower in calories than other nuts, chestnuts are more like a fruit than a nut. Eating a diet that includes chestnuts supports heart health, helps control blood sugar, aids digestion, and boosts your immune system.

Pro Tip: Chinese Chestnut trees require cross-pollination to produce fruit. So make sure there is another chestnut tree close by or order two trees for the best results. 

Chinese chestnut trees are very easy to grow. Once they are established they require little, if any, continued maintenance. 

Sun: Chinese chestnuts perform best in full sun.

Water: Newly planted trees should be watered deeply about twice per week for the first couple of months. This will ensure a deep and healthy root system and sturdy, strong tree. Once established Chinese chestnut trees are drought tolerant. 

Food: If you have nutrient weak soil a slow-release fertilizer can be applied each spring. 

Pollination: Plant more than one chestnut tree. Chinese Chestnut trees are not self-fertile so you need at least two trees for this tree to produce nuts. 

Harvesting: Simply collect the fallen burrs (they fall when the nuts are ripe) and extract the nuts inside. Wear gloves; the burrs can poke your skin. Chestnuts can be stored in a refrigerator (in their shells) for about a month or in the freezer for up to 6 months. 

The Chinese Chestnut tree is large so it makes an excellent shade tree. 

The fragrant yellow flowers arrive in late spring, giving this flowering tree yet another attractive dimension in the home landscape.

Enjoy having a 3-in-one tree! A fruit (nut) tree, a flowering tree, and a shade tree all in one!