Martin Brown wrote:

Nick Maclaren wrote:

In article ,
sw wrote:
I have four more edible chestnuts coming on. They're still in pots. This
winter I decided to store some in the fridge (stratify?) before sowing them.
That may have been a mistake, and unnecessary. None appearing above the
soil yet and any I've tested are rotten.

They are native to southern Europe, Asia Minor etc., so stratification
is unlikely to be necessary, but I can't guess why the fridge would
have killed them. They can certainly survive damp, cool conditions in the UK!

They grow wild pretty well on Tuscan hillsides so I expect they are fairly
frost/snow tolerant too.


They grow at lower altitudes on these hillsides than I would expect to get
much snow in winter: although i have never been there in winter so cannot
be sure about that. The higher slopes which definitely get snow because
thats where the ski resorts are covered with beech forests rather than
chestnuts.
Anita