Chestnut
Chestnut is a fruit in the Fagaceae family. It grows best in full sun with medium moisture, and is listed for USDA zones 4-8.
Varieties
1 · sorted by days to maturity▸Chestnut
PROPAGATION CATEGORY: Nut tree (grafted) (not currently in seed catalog). Use: Edible roasting nut. Note: Plant two trees for pollination. Use blight-resistant Chinese chestnut (C. mollissima); the native American chestnut (C. dentata) was nearly wiped out by chestnut blight. Not the inedible horse chestnut (Aesculus).
Chinese Chestnut (Castanea mollissima) is a spreading tree grown for sweet, starchy roasting nuts and is resistant to the chestnut blight that devastated the American chestnut (C. dentata). Needs two trees for pollination. Hardy zones 4-8.
Growing notes: Botanical name: Castanea mollissima|Hardiness zones: 4-8|Propagation: grafting/seed|Sun needs: Full sun|Water needs: Medium|Mature height: 40-60 feet
Plan your chestnut planting
Add chestnut to a free GardenDraft plan and get sow, transplant, and harvest dates computed for your ZIP code — with a drag-and-drop bed layout and reminders when it’s time to plant.
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Storing & preserving
Refrigerate ripe fruit; ripen firm fruit at room temperature.
- Freeze: Freezes well raw; spread on a tray first so pieces stay loose.
- Preserve: Make jam or water-bath can high-acid fruit.
- Dry: Dehydrate or air-dry, then store airtight away from light.
General home-preservation guidance — for tested processing times and safety, follow the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
Growing timeline
Care & troubleshooting
No curated care & troubleshooting advice for chestnut yet. Our extension-sourced library currently focuses on common edible crops; we're expanding it over time.