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View from within the orchard, looking south. |
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The northern half of my one acre had been cut for hay until I arrived and since I had no need for hay, I let it grow, cutting occasionally to keep it under control. I couldn't decide what I wanted to do with it, but I quickly came to realize that I didn't want to cut it for the rest of my life. Then during one cutting I came upon a nice Black Walnut sapling that put the idea in my head to develop an orchard. The sapling, First Tree, is now over thirty feet tall and dropped over 500 fresh walnuts this year. The image to the left is not that tree, but one that looks as much like it as I remember. The Black Walnut Orchard was begun with the idea that I would one day have my own source of carving wood here on the homestead. If that happens, it's stll a ways off, but in the meantime the orchard provides me with a small amount of firewood from thinning and fresh walnuts, two perks I didn't consider at the outset. And there is yet another benefit from this enterprise, which should eventually free me from the chore of cutting the field every year. The scientific name of Black Walnut is juglans nigra. In Latin, nigra means black. Juglans is the scientific genus for walnut trees, derived from Latin, meaning "Jupiter's acorn," signifying a nut fit for a god. Can't argue with that. |
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The word juglone is derived from juglans and is the name for a chemical produced by black walnut trees. It acts as a natural herbicide, inhibiting growth in nearby plants, causing wilting, yellowing leaves, and death. A precursor to juglone is present in black walnut roots, buds, and nut hulls, which converts to active juglone upon exposure to air and soil. Juglone is not harmful to humans and in this case is beneficial to an aging homesteader who already has too much to do. Once the walnut trees get big enough they will manage the field and free up some of my time for other projects. |
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