Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire

Chestnuts are the winter treat celebrated in the classic Christmas song by Nat King Cole, but they are also a treat in the edible landscape too.

If you have enough room, they are a majestic tree that will lend a stately air to your property.  But when I say enough room, I mean, you will need A LOT of room because these trees are HUGE!!  With a mature height of 60 feet, they will spread out across 40 feet.  But not only will they give you the yummy benefits of being able to cook chestnut turkey stuffing at Thanksgiving, their strong and sturdy trunks are wonderful for the coolest treehouses.  Imagine what little kid, {or big kid} wouldn’t want to build a tree house to rival Tarzan’s or Swiss Family Robinsons.  This is the kind of tree to do it in.

So hang a swing, enjoy the cool shade in the summer {plant it so that it will shade your house to help reduce your cooling costs} and enjoy the sweet little nut and the gorgeous stature it will offer your yard.

You can get a Chinese Chestnut Tree that is supposed to be pretty hardy and resistant to blight and that supposedly will give you 75-100 pounds of chestnuts each season through Gurney’s if you’re interested.