WANT MORE GARDEN PROBLEMS? GROW A BLACK WALNUT TREE

PLANT A WALNUT AND DON'T BOTHER WITH ANYTHING ELSE!

ENGLISH WALNUT, ITS OFFICIAL NAME IS JUGLANS REGIA

Yes, there is a walnut tree on the plot next to mine.  I noticed it as a little sapling a few years ago.

At that time the plot was being cultivated, so I told the person who had the plot, that it would grow very big - he just said 'Oh, I was wondering what it was..."

How I wish I had sneaked in and cut it down then!  But I am too law-abiding.

Now the tree is quite large.  It has attractive silver bark and the squirrels really enjoy the nuts. 

English walnut tree trunk

Our allotment plot walnut tree is the English walnut, Juglans regia, and should not be confused with the Black Walnut tree, Juglans Nigra, which is widely grown in the USA.

JUGLONE

Some plants are apparently affected by Juglone, secreted from the leaves and roots of the walnut tree.

WHAT MIGHT BE AFFECTED?

TALKING ABOUT THE AMERICAN BLACK WALNUTS, TAKE A LOOK AT THIS
ASK COM. WHAT CAN'T I PLANT UNDER A BLACK WALNUT TREE?

This web site lists plants that are not good to plant under a Black Walnut tree - 
(remember, in England we have the English tree, I will call it the White Walnut as its trunk is whitish)

Asparagus, Cabbage, Aubergine, Peppers, Potatoes, Rhubarb, Tomatoes

English walnut next to my plot

The above two images were photographed by me on the allotment site in England.

Black Walnut, thanks to A. Giarraputo

Black Walnut nuts, thanks to A. Giarraputo

The above images of Black Walnuts are reproduced with the kind permission of A. Giarraput who photographed them in New York State, USA.  

The English walnut does not produced Juglone to the same extent as the Black walnut tree.
I found some information from links kindly supplied by Steve at Burncoose Nursery, the lovely nursery in Cornwall.  Burncoose sells walnut trees, in case you want to buy one!

BURNCOOSE NURSERIES, CORNWALL

Royal Horticultural Society Walnut information

The Royal Horticultural Society says tomatoes and apples are particularly affected.

Here is what I noticed on Wikipedia, where there is a lot of information:

"Mature trees may reach 50 feet in height and width, and live more than 200 years, developing massive trunks more than eight feet thick."

it looks as though our tree is going to outlive us!  I think we should cut our allotment site's tree down now and not wait for it to get 50 feet tall..... but then I will not be around in 200 years time, I wonder if allotments will be around then?

BLACK WALNUTS  - JUGLANS NIGRA - AN IMAGE OF ITS TRUNK

Black Walnut, thanks A Giarraputo for image

This is the tree we do NOT have.

WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE   uwex.edu

According to Wisconsin Horticulture, which deals with American horticulture not English, you can grow:  
Beans, beetroot, carrot, sweetcorn, melon, onions, parsnips and squash, but there is a long list of OK plants which includes flowers and trees too.


What they say on Wikipedia about Black Walnut trees:

"A number of other plants including apples, tomatoes, and white birch are also poisoned by juglone, and should not be planted in close proximity to a black walnut. Horses are susceptible to laminitis from exposure to black walnut wood in bedding."

As well as eating all the walnuts, the squirrels in our area also enjoy the hazel nuts from my cob nut trees so they are getting very fat and cheeky.  And produce lots of little squirrel pups, of course.  I wonder if our resident foxes like nuts too?