Peat Moss Storage - Use very lightly dampened peat moss. Plastic bags or plastic containers may be used and you must punch holes in the container for air circulation. No bathing is necessary unless there are indications of mold.
Place a layer of peat in the container and lay the nuts on top of the layer keeping them from touching -preventing mold transfer. continue the layering until you fill the bag or container. Place in refrigerator and check periodically for signs of mold and to insure adequate moistness. Not too wet or too dry.
Bulk Storage of the nuts - Place the nuts in a cold water bath with 3% to 5% bleach solution (about 6 oz. Clorox to a gallon of water) to retard the growth of mold. Remove the floating nuts - these are unpollinated or too dry to germinate. Do not allow the nuts to remain in the bleach water for more than a few minutes. Bleach can kill the embryo if soaked into the shell. Drain the excess water and place the nuts into a very thin (vegetable type) bulk storage bag. Include a dry paper towel in the bag to absorb excess moisture. It will also keep the nuts lightly dampened. Refrigerate (NOT FREEZING) at about 35 degrees for the winter. Inspect each month and remove moldy nuts. If many nuts are moldy, give another 5% bleach bath to that bag. The nuts in storage should be kept lightly damp - not dry or dripping wet.
The more moist the peat most, the more likely the nuts are to sprout at an earlier date. Similarly, the warmer the storage temperature, the more likely the nuts will sprout in the refrigerator.
Be sure to document what is in each container and also place a strip of masking tape on the container and write in permanent marker the contents.
DO NOT store nuts in a refrigerator with apples or pears. These fruits produce a lot of ethylene gas as they ripen; this gas also causes other fruits to ripen. In the case of the tomato, this can be very useful. But in chestnuts, it causes the embryo to die prematurely.
