Edible chestnuts?

[terry]

Having successfully grown a few horse (non-edible) chestnut (and oaks and other varieties) trees over the last 40 years or so I was happy on one occasion to find a few edible chestnuts in a local s.market that had begun to sprout. Bought them and was able to get two or three small chestnut trees to start growing.

That was some 12 to 15 years ago.

However due to neglect during illness in the family including the death of my late wife in 1997, the seedlings perished.

Each year since have looked for edible chestnuts (especially any that were starting to sprout) leading up to Christmas and today have phoned several local emporium; none advise they will be having any edible chestnuts for Christmas.

Googled; but not much info. there (one source of edible Italian chestnuts is out of stock but will advise).

Would very much like to plant North American sourced chestnuts since they will probably be more suited to our climate and eventually do well.

Speaking of climate; we have a long chilly but not extremely cold winter here (Eastern Canada); and it does seem to be getting milder (Global warming etc.).

Can anybody suggest a source of say a dozen or so edible American chestnuts (probably quarter of a pound?) with a high likelihood of sprouting?

Might be able to get two or three viable trees? When hardened off then plant them with members of the family in memory of my late wife.

Any info. be much appreciated. terry in Newfoundland, Eastern Canada.

PS. Recently after reading an article about being carbon neutral went out and counted the number of trees we have planted and grown up around this property (there were none when we arrived and built on this old potato field!); about half an acre for our and one daughter's house. It was around 70. Plus a few that we had given immediate neighbours etc. That few included a couple of horse chestnuts. Which are growing slowly but steadily. A number of oak trees have this year for almost the first time produced a significant number of acorns. Planting those will, hopefully, produce yet another generation of trees!

[ransley]

Street vendors in france roast chestnuts everywhere, street vendors in mexico cook tacos.

[Frank]

I have a couple of Chinese chestnuts that I bought trees mail order years ago. May have been Musser Forests in Indiana, PA. There also may be blight hardy American trees. Only problem is Chestnut weevils but spraying can prevent them.

You might try emailing the folks at Delmarvelous Farms. They were very helpful in informing me to getting the weevils controlled.

[SteveBell]

You'll find no North American chestnuts; they were wiped out by blight at the beginning of the 20th century. Only a few native trees remain on the whole continent. There's an effort underway to cross them with blight-resistant chestnuts from China.

[Matt]

Hey, potatoes are carbon-neutral too!

[phil scott]

I dont know about weevil control but have some experience with mice.. I shot one with my berretta 22 pistol a few years back from about 10' away... thought I missed, then a few days later in better light I saw tiny red specs and tiny fragments of grey fur.

with weevils you would probably have to get a little closer.

[jack]

Chinese-American hybrids are common enough. Anyplace that sells nut trees ought to have them. I can't believe nothing came up on a search.

The chestnuts sold in the groceries (and they are common enough around here) are Italian chestnuts. They are never sold as plants; I don't know why. Perhaps they will die from chestnut blight.

[terry]

Right on Matt; valid point. We were the first to buy a half acre of this old potato field some 40 years ago. Had an opportunity to buy the whole field, which now accommodates 12 homes (all with municipal water and sewer), for (then) $10K. Another of life's lost opportunities????? But funds were short, one salary and we were building this single storey, 4 bedroom, full basement house which we completed in about 3.5 years for around $37,000 including land, a well and septic system and without any mortgage. So back then the house cost us about four times our net salary. And the local primary school was just yards away! Very safe and convenient. Just picked up some more acorns from trees planted since then. Thanking all for advice about sources of edible chestnuts for planting; apparently there are bans on shipping 'seed nuts' (and seedlings trees) to certain areas of North America, including where we are! Probably so as to not spread that weevil problem.

[J. Clarke]

I'm not seeing the original post for some reason.

Anybody interested in growing American chestnut trees should check out

which is attempting to develop proven blight-resistant strains.

has a list of sources for chestnut seedlings (including some in Canada) and other useful information.

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, You can find raew chestnuts at oriental grocery stores. They may sprout and grow. I just love roasted chestnuts. Very nutritious.

[marlboroman]

You mean that Christmas song about roasting chestnuts on an open fire is just a lie? It was bad enough when I learned that Santa Claus is a lie too. (about 50 years ago).

[Jmmv08]

I think you can only find chestnuts sold in some groceries. But plants itself never heard any of it. Posted from the Free Home Improvement Forum at