Growing Your Seed Nuts
Winter care
Chestnuts are living seeds. They need a cold, damp rest over the winter, called stratification, before they’ll sprout. That’s how nature does it, without the squirrels.
- Put the nuts in a plastic bag with a folded, damp paper towel, or pack them in a little damp peat moss. Moist, not dripping. Poke a few small holes in the bag so the nuts can breathe. Don’t use potting soil or garden dirt, which can carry mold spores and disease.
- Store the bag in the coldest spot in your refrigerator that doesn’t freeze, ideally 34–38°F. Never the freezer.
- Check them once a month. A little mold on a few nuts is normal: rinse it off, re-dampen the towel if it’s dry, and put them back. A nut with some mold is still good as long as it’s firm. Throw out any that are soft or hollow.
- Don’t plant them outdoors this fall. They’re much safer in your fridge until spring.
Spring: when roots appear
Some nuts push out a white root while still in the fridge, sometimes as early as February. That’s normal, and they keep well that way. Leave them in the fridge until planting time, and handle the root gently, because it breaks easily.
Plant once the ground has thawed, sprouted or not. If seedlings have come up and a hard late frost is forecast, cover them overnight with a bucket, a pot or frost cloth.
Planting
You have two choices:
Plant directly outdoors: pick a sunny, well-drained spot and plant each nut about 1 inch deep, on its side or with the root pointing down.
Start in pots: any pot works if you’ll plant the seedlings out within a few weeks. If you’ll grow them in pots for the season, use a deep one, at least 4" × 4" × 12", because chestnuts grow a long taproot early. Use clean potting mix, not garden soil.
The first year
Sun: chestnuts need full sun.
Water: keep the soil evenly moist the first summer, but not soggy.
Weeds: keep a weed-free circle around each seedling.
Protection: squirrels and mice dig up nuts, and deer browse young trees. A wire cage or tree tube makes a big difference.
Pollination: chestnuts need a partner. Plant at least two trees from different mother trees, within about 100 feet of each other.
Germination
We commonly get 90–95% germination here, but every refrigerator is different, so plant a few extra.
Questions? Email cannonball53@gmail.com.