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Fruit & Orchards

Growing Anything Under A Black Walnut Tree

9 years ago

Hi Gang.....maybe someone here has a solution or idea, but my Strawberry Patch has faded away from healthy to barely there, come to find out you can't grow anything under a Black Walnut tree because of the chemicals it releases from the tree and roots....sadly my patch is on the property line and neighbor has a Black Walnut right on line.......doesn't seem to be any sense in me trying to start up the patch this year because of the dieback that will get worse as the Walnuts keep coming, poisoning the soil.

Outside of moving the patch elsewhere , any ideas ?...........don't really have room anywhere else for a new patch.

Featured Answer

glib

9 years ago

here is what grows under my black walnut: mint, sorrel, sage, oregano, chives, parsley, nettles, fennel, various flower bulbs (asian lily, daffodil), various daisy type flowers (echinacea, black eye susan, regular daisy, cosmos), delphinium, iris. what does not grow: tomatoes, potatoes. grew poorly: several types of cucurbita, garlic and onions.

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Comments (7)

Dan Liptak
9 years ago
I am new to this. However I do know about BW. I researched it cause I have walnut trees near my newly planted apple trees.

If you can get out from under the drip line. Maybe a raised bed with good drainage will suffice.

Good Luck

Dan
Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
9 years ago
Some time ago there was a thread about a woman who grew strawberries in rain gutters. You could do that and attach them to your fence. The whole thread with photos is somewhere on garden web. Not much you can do about the neighbor's tree.
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http://www.ext.vt.edu/departments/envirohort/factsheets2/tree/dec94pr1.html The Virginia Coop. Ext. Serv. used to have a publication titled "What grows under black walnuts?" cited above. Unfortunately, the link no longer works. Try to contact them directly or use the Wayback Machine.
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Sure, there are many websites that list those that can be grown successfully. I don't have personal experience because I planted a native plant garden under mine, not edibles. Here are a couple of those websites, good luck! http://www.americanplant.net/index.php/gardening-tips/plant-care-and-gardening-information/13-resource-library/plant-care-sheets/60-plants-to-grow-under-black-walnuts http://www.groworganic.com/organic-gardening/articles/companion-plants-that-tolerate-black-walnut-tree-toxicity http://www.edgewaterhomeandgarden.com/pdf/black_walnut_trees_.pdf (this one says black raspberry and grapes--I know wild grapes thrive under mine) two25acres--that is just horrible, I really feel for you!
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alan haigh
9 years ago
Yes, you will need to grow your plants in containers anywhere near the BW.
dirtydan
9 years ago
One of my Feijoas is quite happy under an English walnut and produced a lot of fruit last year.
liamkelly Zone 6b Rhode Island / 5b Massachusetts
9 years ago
A lot of aromatic plants do well under black walnut, because they're used to storing and releasing volatile compounds that are similar to juglone, the stuff that bw trees secrete that snuffs out major competition.
lellaby
8 years ago
I've found that alpine strawberries grow very well under our BW. We grew 'Alexandria' from seed this past year and have a strong patch now.

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