Q&A – I have heard you can’t grow a garden near black walnut trees. Is this true?
Question:
Our land has several large black walnut trees that provide welcome shade. However, we can’t grow a garden, it seems to be too much for land weakened by years of cotton farming. We've tried the usual fertilizing, mulching, even built raised beds to no avail. I have heard you can’t grow a garden near black walnut trees, that the roots put something into the soil that ruins it for gardens. Is this true? Is it the Black, walnuts, the soil, or something else?
Answer:
Walnut trees do not like to have competition and produce a chemical called juglone that kills many other plants. Black walnuts release the most juglone of any walnut variety. The chemical is in the roots, and also the leaves and twigs that fall from the tree. Many plants are adversely affected by the juglone, especially tomatoes and potatoes. Some plants are not affected.
See this Kansas State Extension Publication for a list of resistant plants.
Related Resources:
Landscaping and Gardening Around Walnuts and Other Juglone Producing Plants
Black Walnut Toxicity
Our land has several large black walnut trees that provide welcome shade. However, we can’t grow a garden, it seems to be too much for land weakened by years of cotton farming. We've tried the usual fertilizing, mulching, even built raised beds to no avail. I have heard you can’t grow a garden near black walnut trees, that the roots put something into the soil that ruins it for gardens. Is this true? Is it the Black, walnuts, the soil, or something else?
Answer:
Walnut trees do not like to have competition and produce a chemical called juglone that kills many other plants. Black walnuts release the most juglone of any walnut variety. The chemical is in the roots, and also the leaves and twigs that fall from the tree. Many plants are adversely affected by the juglone, especially tomatoes and potatoes. Some plants are not affected.
See this Kansas State Extension Publication for a list of resistant plants.
Related Resources:
Landscaping and Gardening Around Walnuts and Other Juglone Producing Plants
Black Walnut Toxicity