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Black Walnut Trees: Facts About the Infamous Black Walnut | The Old Farmer's Almanac

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Become a better gardener! Discover our new Almanac Garden Planner features for 2024. It’s easy, fun, and free to try! The black walnut tree (Juglans nigra) is one of North America’s most valuable and beautiful native trees, but it does have a “dark side.” Here’s what you should know before planting a black walnut in your yard—and how to harvest and eat the tasty black walnuts, too! Although the black walnut has many uses and benefits, the tree does come with a caveat: the black walnut’s roots, which may extend 50 feet or more from the trunk, exude a natural herbicide known as juglone. This substance is also found in the tree’s leaves and fruit husks. Juglone does serve a purpose, though. It inhibits many plants’ growth under and around the tree, thereby limiting the tree’s competition, leaving more water and nutrients for itself. Tomatoes, potatoes, apples, pears, berries, and some landscape plants such as rhododendrons, azaleas, and lilacs may be killed or stunted if grown close to b

The black walnut tree (Juglans nigra) is one of North America’s most valuable and beautiful native trees, but it does have a “dark side.” Here’s what you should know before planting a black walnut in your yard—and how to harvest and eat the tasty black walnuts too! Facts About the Black Walnut Tree The easily worked, close-grained wood of the black walnut has long been prized by cabinet- and furniture-makers for its attractive color and exceptional durability. Black walnut logs are in such demand for veneer that “walnut rustlers” have made off with trees in the dead of night and even used…

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