How to Grow Walnuts

By the SoilCommander Editorial Team, under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder · · How we check our facts

On this page
  1. Walnut (Juglans regia)
  2. Quick Facts
  3. At a Glance
  4. Diseases
  5. Pests
  6. Soil & Growing Conditions
  7. Growth Stages
  8. Harvest & Storage
  9. Plan your Walnuts planting
  10. Growing Walnut in another region
  11. Sources
  12. Frequently Asked Questions

Walnuts are usually grown from a grafted cultivar rather than raised from seed, and the tree is only partially self-fertile — planting two different varieties nearby improves nut set, since a tree's own pollen is often shed before its own female flowers are ready to receive it. Walnut roots and fallen leaves also release juglone, a natural compound that can suppress many nearby plants, so give the tree its own open ground well away from other beds.

Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.

Walnut (Juglans regia)

A walnut tree in golden autumn colour — “Juglans regia autumn 2009” by JLPC is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

2 sources cited · Verified

Quick Facts

A walnut tree in golden autumn colour — “Juglans regia autumn 2009” by JLPC is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
“Juglans regia autumn 2009” by JLPC is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Factor Value
Drainage Deep (at least 5-6ft/1.5-1.8m), well-drained, permeable, fertile, moisture-retentive soil (UC ANR; RHS). RHS separately favours alkaline loam -- a broadly tolerant range from neutral to alkaline rather than a strict conflict with UC ANR's 6-7 figure.
Lifecycle Deciduous nut tree. Wind-pollinated, monoecious with separate male catkins and female flowers on the same tree, but RHS describes it as only partially self-fertile -- cropping improves with a second, cross-compatible cultivar nearby. UC ANR (Marin Master Gardeners) gives the underlying reason: pollen is often shed by a tree's own catkins when its own female flowers are not yet receptive, so two different varieties planted together set a more reliable crop.
Edible parts nuts
Documented problems 5 diseases, 3 pests

At a Glance

A walnut husk splitting open to reveal the shell — “Juglans regia Echte Walnussfrucht 1” by Böhringer Friedrich is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5.
“Juglans regia Echte Walnussfrucht 1” by Böhringer Friedrich is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5.
Juglans regia Walnut Walnut leaf blotch Walnut anthracnose Walnut leaf gall Crown gall Walnut blight Scale insects Codling moth Squirrels DISEASES PESTS

Diseases

A single walnut leaf against the sky — “Juglans regia 014” by H. Zell is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
“Juglans regia 014” by H. Zell is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Walnut leaf blotch
low

Named directly by RHS as affecting leaves; RHS does not specify a single named pathogen species so this is recorded at unspecified-fungus level rather than inventing one.

Walnut anthracnose
low

Named directly by RHS alongside walnut leaf blotch, affecting leaves; again no pathogen species is specified by RHS. Controlled the same way -- collecting and disposing of diseased leaves.

Walnut leaf gall
low

Named directly by RHS: pouch-shaped galls on the leaves, described as insignificant to tree health.

Crown gall
moderate

Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Named directly by UC ANR: bacterial growths (Agrobacterium tumefaciens) that reduce nutrient flow through the affected tissue.

Walnut blight
moderate

Xanthomonas arboricola pv. juglandis

Named directly by UC ANR: black lesions on catkins, nuts, leaves or shoots, worse in wet springs.

Pests

Developing green walnuts among the leaves — “Juglans regia - Walnut 01” by Zeynel Cebeci is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Juglans regia - Walnut 01” by Zeynel Cebeci is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scale insects
low

Diaspididae / Coccidae

Named directly by UC ANR, which recommends a dormant oil spray as treatment.

Codling moth
low

Cydia pomonella

Named directly by RHS as damaging the nuts.

Squirrels
high

Sciurus spp.

Named directly by RHS, which calls squirrels the single biggest threat to a crop and recommends plastic tree guards and raising lower branches to 1.8-2.5m; UC ANR notes trees "can live for centuries" but does not name…

Soil & Growing Conditions

Walnut trees in a woodland setting — “Walnut forest in Arslanbab” by surrealpenguin is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
“Walnut forest in Arslanbab” by surrealpenguin is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Water: Young trees: 4-12 gallons/day; larger trees: 20-40 gallons/day; water every 3-4 weeks through summer, or drip-irrigate May-October kept away from the trunk (UC ANR). Avoid frost pockets and exposed, windy sites -- both damage foliage and flowers (RHS).

Growth Stages

Walnut male catkins hanging on the branch — “Blooming walnut (Juglans regia)” by Ввласенко is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
“Blooming walnut (Juglans regia)” by Ввласенко is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Stage BBCH Notes
Planting and establishment 0 Plant young trees under 3m (10ft) tall during late autumn to winter, spaced 12-18m apart (RHS); UC ANR gives an overlapping 30-60ft spacing figure. Avoid pot-bound stock -- tap root damage is a real risk in young trees (RHS; UC ANR). Dig a hole twice the container's diameter with the root ball sitting about 2in proud of the soil, untangle roots and remove shoots within 6in of the soil, then mulch 3in clear of the trunk (UC ANR). Stake, water in dry spells (RHS). Caution: walnut roots and fallen leaves/husks release a natural growth inhibitor (juglone) that can suppress nearby plants -- do not plant sensitive species close by (UC ANR).
Establishment care: watering and feeding 3 Young trees need 4-12 gallons of water a day, larger trees 20-40 gallons a day; water every 3-4 weeks through summer, or drip-irrigate May-October kept away from the trunk (UC ANR). Feed with compost in the first two years; from year three, apply 5-7lb urea or 90-150lb manure in early spring (UC ANR).
Pruning and training 3 Train with either a central leader, or by removing the leader to restrict size; pinch side shoots at the 5th or 6th leaf; avoid hard pruning (RHS). Prune only between mid-summer and early autumn -- walnut is prone to heavy "bleeding" from cuts made at other times of year (RHS). UC ANR's seasonal task list separately names winter as a time to thin crowded areas; the two sources are not reconciled here and both are given as stated.
Flowering and pollination 6 Wind-pollinated, with separate male catkins and female flowers on the same tree. RHS describes the tree as partially self-fertile but says cropping is improved by cross-pollination -- cv. Broadview is given as an example. UC ANR explains the underlying reason: a tree's own pollen is often shed when its own female flowers are not yet receptive, so two different varieties planted together set a more reliable crop.
Fruiting and harvest 8 Nuts ripen in autumn -- UC ANR gives mid-September to early November -- splitting from their fibrous husk. Harvest daily: very vulnerable to birds and squirrels once ripe (RHS). Remove the fibrous casing with a wire brush before storage and dry in a cool oven at maximum 40°C (RHS); UC ANR dries hulled nuts for 3-4 days and stores them airtight, with frozen shelled walnuts keeping up to a year.

Harvest & Storage

A pile of dried walnuts in their shells — “Juglans regia 009” by H. Zell is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
“Juglans regia 009” by H. Zell is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

When to pick: Nuts ripen and split from their fibrous husk in autumn -- UC ANR gives mid-September to early November. Harvest daily: RHS warns nuts are very vulnerable to birds and squirrels once ripe.

Storage

Remove all traces of the fibrous casing with a wire brush before storage, then dry in a cool oven at maximum 40°C (RHS). UC ANR: dry hulled nuts for 3-4 days and store in airtight containers; frozen shelled walnuts keep up to a year.

Plan your Walnuts planting

Timing for Walnuts follows soil temperature and frost, not the calendar date. The Global vegetable planting calendar explains the method. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.

Growing Walnut in another region

Planting dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.

Sources

The full list of 2 sources behind this guide (Royal Horticultural Society, UC ANR / Marin Master Gardeners) is in the references of our UK guide to walnuts; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.

Frequently Asked Questions

What problems affect walnuts?

Our data links 5 diseases and 3 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.

Plan next season before the problems start

This page gives you the thresholds; the planner turns them into your own calendar. It works from what you can observe and measure in your garden rather than from dates written for somebody else’s latitude.

Get the Global Garden Planner →

Instant PDF download · Works in either hemisphere

SoilCommander Editorial Team — under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder

Every growing guide is checked against RHS, USDA Cooperative Extension, and other named horticultural authorities before publishing. How we check our facts.

How this guide is put together

The growing data on this page — planting windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against international horticultural research and extension sources. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.

Vegetable Growing Guides

Crops With the Same Problems

Last verified 2026-09-04

Related guides

More from the same group (nuts):

Relevant next steps

Where To Go From Here

Take this crop from reading into a written plan for your own beds.

Global garden plannerTurn this crop guide into sowing dates, bed layouts and a harvest record. All growing guidesBrowse every crop we cover for your region, A to Z. Planting CalendarSee how this crop fits alongside everything else you are growing.

Keep going

This guide in another region
Global UK USA Canada
Top tips for October
  • Plant garlic before hard frosts
  • Protect late salads with fleece
  • Store squash somewhere dry
  • Mulch empty beds
Free Tool
soilcommander.com/pages/vegetable-garden-layout-planner-tool
1 · Shape
2 · Crops
3 · Conditions
4 · Plan
Choose your garden shape
🍅
Bed 1
Tomatoes
🍌
Bed 2
Legumes
🥦
Bed 3
Brassicas
🥕
Bed 4
Roots
🥥
Bed 5
Alliums
🌿
Herbs & More

Free planning tool

Plan your veg garden before you dig a single inch

Sketch your exact plot shape, pick your crops, and get a spacing-accurate bed layout with companion pairings and a rotation plan. Spacing, companion pairings and rotation are the same in every climate and both hemispheres — pair the layout it gives you with when to plant to set your own timing from soil temperature.

Garden Layout Planner Tool

Free to use. Nothing to install.

Plan the next step

Use the printable SoilCommander planner for your region to turn this guide into sowing dates, bed layouts and weekly garden tasks.

Get Planner