Black Walnut Trees on our property are such beautiful trees! But the nuts require cold stratification in order to sprout. That means the nuts must go through an extended cold period to start the growing process.
We have been fascinated with Black Walnuts growing around Van Slyke House since we realized what they were. At first we did not know what they were, the dropped fruits were an annual frustration to me when mowing the lawn in autumn. There were so many fruits on the ground it made cutting the grass very difficult.
But one day someone told me what those fruits were and we have been on a journey of discovery ever since!
In order for black walnuts to germinate new trees, they need to go through a process called cold stratification. This basically tells the walnuts when to grow which is after they have gone through a cold period.
As many of you know, Black Walnut trees can provide some of the most sought after hardwood lumber due to it’s rich, dark color and wonderful grain patterns. Black Walnut trees also produce hundreds of Black Walnuts every year that you can harvest and eat – food grown right on your land! Also, Black Walnut trees also can be tapped for its sap and can be evaporated down and made into into Black Walnut Syrup – just like Maple Syrup only with a nice nutty flavor!
So, here is a quick video showing my initial steps attempting to grow our own Black Walnut trees here on our Mohawk Valley farmstead at historic.
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The Palatine Germans in Search of a Land to Call Home
In our first experiment, we put newly collected black walnuts in a bucket with drainage holes. We alternated layers of peat moss, sand and garden soil with the black walnuts. After filling up the bucket, we added water. We closed the bucket with a lid (to keep our friendly squirrels out) and placed it outside where we can keep an eye on it. We’ll be checking on it periodically through the winter.
In this experiment, we placed the collected walnuts in resealable plastic bags with a moist mixture of peat moss, garden soil and sand. We then poked a few holes in the baggie for air before placing them in the refrigerator.
