Walnuts

Scribus

Member
Location
Central Atlantic
We have a single walnut tree that was planted out last year. After a bit of frost nip this spring it's decided it likes it here and has shot away, standing at over six foot from something we were given in a pot. Now we are thinking that perhaps we could plant some more so is there a recommended spacing for them or any other tips?

Edit: It was two years ago the good lady tells me and since peace and harmony are hard enough to come by as it is I'll go with that.
 
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Exfarmer

Member
Location
Bury St Edmunds
Once you have a walnut tree they will be sprouting up everywhere as the squirrels plant them like made. Neighbour has a big tree and The think I pull up 40-50 a year!
At last farm I planted a walnut and that was cropping well in 5 years, so am surpried at comment suggesting may take 15 - 20.
 

Danllan

Member
Location
Sir Gar / Carms
I planted two here about 25 years ago and they have grown well but nowhere near ready for timber. The biggest one is maybe a foot thick. They have nuts on but the squirrels always beat me to it.

We had a Kania trap at about head height on ours at the old place, they were far enough apart that they had to be climbed up; the traps worked well but weren't cheap.

Have you tried pickling them

Pickled rook sounds revolting. :yuck:

Once you have a walnut tree they will be sprouting up everywhere as the squirrels plant them like made. Neighbour has a big tree and The think I pull up 40-50 a year!
At last farm I planted a walnut and that was cropping well in 5 years, so am surpried at comment suggesting may take 15 - 20.

I think it depends upon variety and locational luck. A friend planted a lot, maybe a couple of hundreds, of several varieties, and some did extremely well very quickly, while the same type a few hundred yard away was a long way behind.

1 of the 3 things you should beat!

I dare you to do it... :devil:
 

Exfarmer

Member
Location
Bury St Edmunds
We had a Kania trap at about head height on ours at the old place, they were far enough apart that they had to be climbed up; the traps worked well but weren't cheap.



Pickled rook sounds revolting. :yuck:



I think it depends upon variety and locational luck. A friend planted a lot, maybe a couple of hundreds, of several varieties, and some did extremely well very quickly, while the same type a few hundred yard away was a long way behind.



I dare you to do it... :devil:
Never took you for a coward :):)
 

Danllan

Member
Location
Sir Gar / Carms
Never took you for a coward :):)
I refer you to the late great W. M. W. Fowler's recipe for cormorant:

Having shot your cormorant, hold it well away from you as you carry it home; these birds are exceedingly verminous and the lice are said to be not entirely host-specific. Hang up by the feet with a piece of wire, soak in petrol and set on fire. This treatment both removes most of the feathers and kills the lice.

When the smoke has cleared away, take the cormorant down and cut off the beak. Send this to the local Conservancy Board who, if you are in the right area, will give you 3/6d or sometimes 5/- for it. Bury the carcase, preferably in a light sandy soil, and leave it there for a fortnight. This is said to improve the flavour by removing, in part at least, the taste of rotting fish.

Dig up and skin and draw the bird. Place in a strong salt and water solution and soak for 48 hours. Remove, dry, stuff with whole, unpeeled onions: the onion skins are supposed to bleach the meat to a small extent, so that it is very dark brown instead of being entirely black.

Simmer gently in seawater, to which two tablespoons of chloride of lime have been added, for six hours. This has a further tenderising effect. Take out of the water and allow to dry, meanwhile mixing up a stiff paste of methylated spirit and curry powder. Spread this mixture liberally over the breast of the bird.

Finally roast in a very hot oven for three hours. The result is unbelievable. Throw it away. Not even a starving vulture would eat it.
 

Hawkes

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
devon
We used to tap birch trees to make birch sap wine and I am sure the old recipe said walnut was an alternative. A gallon overnight when he sap is rising, plug it and use the same hole the following year. Birch sap was powerful stuff. A glass of wine, handful of nuts and a squirrel kebab what could be better?
 

flowerpot

Member
We planted a walnut tree about 6 years ago and it has hardly grown at all. Someone told me we had planted it too deep. Every spring it takes ages to come into leaf, although I think it is one of the last . I put some blood and bonemeal around it last autumn and it did look a bit better this spring but it really hasn't got going at all is disappointing as I thought we might be picking walnuts by now. I'll take note about the squirrels.

We used to have a huge one and my mother-in-law used to pickle them every year, but unfortunately my OH chopped it down to make the field larger and I'm not sure he was ever forgiven for that.

Walnuts are very popular as they are constantly being promoted as being very healthy.
 

Roy_H

Member
I refer you to the late great W. M. W. Fowler's recipe for cormorant:

Having shot your cormorant, hold it well away from you as you carry it home; these birds are exceedingly verminous and the lice are said to be not entirely host-specific. Hang up by the feet with a piece of wire, soak in petrol and set on fire. This treatment both removes most of the feathers and kills the lice.

When the smoke has cleared away, take the cormorant down and cut off the beak. Send this to the local Conservancy Board who, if you are in the right area, will give you 3/6d or sometimes 5/- for it. Bury the carcase, preferably in a light sandy soil, and leave it there for a fortnight. This is said to improve the flavour by removing, in part at least, the taste of rotting fish.

Dig up and skin and draw the bird. Place in a strong salt and water solution and soak for 48 hours. Remove, dry, stuff with whole, unpeeled onions: the onion skins are supposed to bleach the meat to a small extent, so that it is very dark brown instead of being entirely black.

Simmer gently in seawater, to which two tablespoons of chloride of lime have been added, for six hours. This has a further tenderising effect. Take out of the water and allow to dry, meanwhile mixing up a stiff paste of methylated spirit and curry powder. Spread this mixture liberally over the breast of the bird.

Finally roast in a very hot oven for three hours. The result is unbelievable. Throw it away. Not even a starving vulture would eat it.
But why bother with cormorant when you can have a shag ?

"The common cormorant (or shag)
Lays eggs inside a paper bag,
You follow the idea, no doubt?
It's to keep the lightning out
But what these unobservant birds
Have never thought of, is that herds
Of wandering bears might come with buns
And steal the bags to hold the crumbs"
.
Christopher Isherwood
 
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Danllan

Member
Location
Sir Gar / Carms
But why bother with cormorant when you can have a shag ?

"The common cormorant (or shag)
Lays eggs inside a paper bag,
You follow the idea, no doubt?
It's to keep the lightning out
But what these unobservant birds
Have never thought of, is that herds
Of wandering bears might come with buns
And steal the bags to hold the crumbs"
.
Christopher Isherwood
Changing the subject abruptly, what are your views on the LBW rule? :)
 

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