Chestnut Trees in South Carolina

You can grow several varieties of chestnut trees in South Carolina.Ursula Alter/Photodisc/Getty Images

Roasted chestnuts are a Christmas tradition in many areas, and harvesting nuts you've cultivated and grown yourself surely satisfies more than buying them at a supermarket. All chestnut trees are deciduous and share many characteristics, including simple, serrated leaves that grow on massive, wide-spreading branches. These trees are well-adapted to the climate of South Carolina and are useful as shade trees in parks, along avenues and in backyards. Talk to a local gardening expert to help you decide which chestnut trees are best for your specific corner of the state.

American Chestnut

American chestnut trees have a natural range that includes most eastern states, including South Carolina. The trees grow at a moderate speed, reaching heights of 80 to 100 feet. Full sun exposure is best, and the trees tolerate a range of soil types. Like European and Chinese chestnuts, the trees produce nuts that are edible raw or roasted; the nuts grow inside spiky burrs, usually with three nuts in each burr. American chestnut is highly susceptible to Cryphonectria parasitica, a devastating fungal infection better known as chestnut blight, which decimated chestnut trees after their introduction to North America around 1900.

Also called Spanish chestnut, the European chestnut is also susceptible to chestnut blight, but less so than its American relative. They tend to grow best in northwest South Carolina, not adapting as well to the warmer southeast half of the state. European chestnut trees can reach heights of 100 feet. Full sunlight encourages the best growth. The trees thrive in sandy, well-drained soils and are tolerant of acidic soil and drought once established. Water is important when young, however, because young trees may remain shrub-sized with too little water. The nuts are a wintertime favorite when roasted, and most chestnuts sold in the United States come from European chestnut trees.

Chinese chestnut may be the best variety of the three for home growing in the United States because it is resistant (though not immune) to chestnut blight. It is a smaller tree, reaching an adult height of 40 to 60 feet, and its leaves are thicker and more coarsely serrated than those of American or European chestnut. It still provides ample shade as well as nuts. If you plan to harvest the nuts, planting two trees for cross-pollination yields a better crop. The trees need full sunlight and moderate water, thriving in moist but well-drained loam soil but tolerating drought once established.