Chestnut
Chestnut: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
Sweet chestnut, Castanea sativa, is a large deciduous tree in the Fagaceae family, alongside oaks and beeches. Long established in European landscapes and orchards, it is familiar for its edible chestnuts and imposing outline. Its natural range includes parts of southern Europe and western Asia, while cultivation has taken it far beyond these regions. It is a long-lived tree, and old specimens add considerable character to their surroundings.The crown becomes broad with age and can greatly exceed the space occupied by a young nursery tree. A mature specimen often grows taller than twelve metres and wider than eight metres; some trees become much larger. Deep grooves develop in the bark over the years. The leaves are simple, long and glossy, with conspicuously toothed margins. Green through the growing season, they turn golden in autumn before falling, revealing the framework of the trunk and branches. This changing appearance gives the tree…
