How to Grow Nut Trees from Seed
by Edward M. Sticht

  Over the years I have tried to grow black walnuts, Carpathian walnuts and
the European sweet chestnuts. I have succeeded in growing all three. I now
have two large black walnut trees about 40 years old started by the method
I will describe below. The trees are about 1 1/2 feet in diameter. About
ten years ago, I was given ten Carpathian walnuts of which nine were grown.
Two years ago the best one started to produce its own seeds.

  In the case of the European sweet chestnut, I found that they germinated
well enough, but died off in early autumn. I dug them up and found that the
germinating area was a ball of mold. The following year I planted again,
and, as soon as they grew out of the can, I removed the can by carefully
cutting it out with a snipper. I now have two plants about 2 feet high. I
had a lot of failures with chestnuts because I was trying to raise them
within the root system of the large black walnut trees. The advice of all
gardening experts is: do not attempt to grow anything near a black walnut
tree or throw its leaves in a compost pile.

  The nuts that I select for seed are put in a sealed container and kept in
an unheated garage until early spring. They are planted about Easter time.
Look for sprouts about the middle of July.


How to Grow

  Take a coffee can and make a 5/8 inch hole in the bottom. Tamp in 2
inches of potting soil. Place the walnut or sweet chestnut in the center
of the can with the top or stem end pointing toward the hole and in line
with it. Fill the rest of the can with potting soil, rather compact. Plant
the entire can, bottom side up, one inch below the ground level. The sprout
will grow out through the hole. Your nut and future seedling is now safe
from the squirrel above and the wall of the can is deep enough to keep out
any underground rodents.

  In time the can will rust away. If you decide to transplant a walnut
early, do not remove the can.
