Walnut: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
How do you plant a walnut tree?
Choose a sunny site with enough space for your variety's mature canopy. Walnut prefers deep, fertile, well-drained soil; clay need not be excluded if it does not remain waterlogged. Avoid frost pockets.
Plant bare-root trees during dormancy, avoiding frozen or sodden ground. For container-grown trees, favour autumn or spring and monitor watering. Protect roots from drying and avoid damaging the main root.
Dig wide enough for the roots or rootball without planting deeper than before. Keep the root collar at soil level and the graft union above ground. Backfill with excavated soil, firm gently and water. Stake if needed and mulch without touching the trunk.
Before buying, check your variety’s pollination needs. Male and female flowers on a walnut tree are not always active at the same time, even on a variety described as self-fertile. Another walnut can improve cropping if it releases pollen when your tree’s female flowers are receptive. Ask a specialist nursery to confirm compatibility for your climate; any two varieties will not necessarily work. Pollen travels by wind. Consider compatible walnut trees already nearby and the space needed at maturity before planting a second tree.
How do you prune a walnut tree?
How to care for this plant
-
Maintain the mulch
Check the ground cover around the base. If the mulch has thinned, top it up on moist, well-drained soil after removing competing weeds. Keep the trunk, crown and graft union clear; add nothing if the existing layer is sufficient.
How do you harvest walnuts?
