I think I remember reading that they are harvested in the fall.
I'm honestly not sure whether to pause and harvest mine, or just leave
them growing where they are for the winter. Although I'm pretty
sure that commercial crops of water chestnut go through a period
of dormancy, I'm not so clear on whether that is a preferred part
of the plants' life cycle, as it is with turmeric, or if it could be
avoided completely with the right environmental conditions.

***

You drove me to Google to validate the depths of my own ignorance,
and I have come away with some useful info: Namely, water chestnuts
are officially harvested in the fall; and tuber formation is related to
shorter day lengths. Under 12 hrs of daylight encourages the formation
of new chestnuts. Over 12 hours of daylight appears to actively
discourage them.

Here's the useful article:
http://tinyurl.com/ysho

I was also happy to note that at least this particular group of
researchers is pretty fuzzy, themselves, on the other factors which
may or may not make water chestnuts tick.

krnntp

James Silverton wrote:

> "KR" > wrote in message
> s.com...
>
>>Frogleg wrote:
>>
>>>Now, back to afa -- should I just overwinter my lemon grass it its
>>>pot, or maybe dig up and put in water for new shoots indoors? Too bad
>>>I can't grow water chestnuts. :-)
>>
>>But you *can* grow water chestnuts! Buy some firm ones without rotten
>>spots, bury them under an inch or two of moist, sandy soil in a wide
>>container without drainage, and when they start to send up shoots
>>maintain the container in a slightly flooded state, letting it dry
>>back to damp soil occasionally. And keep it blasted with light.
>>Water chestnut plants look a little like reeds or rushes, and
>>they spread underground like little damp potatoes.
>>
>
>
> Perhaps you can answer a question about water chestnuts. Are they a seasonal
> vegetable? At the moment they are plentiful and good in the DC area but
> sometimes good ones are very hard to find. I fthink fresh ones are
> infinitely superior in taste and texture to canned even if it is a bit
> tedious to peel them.
>