Off season project - Nut Trees · Backyard Gardening 101

Off season project - Nut Trees

My last order of nut tree seeds has finally arrived. I thought I would share my process for those that are interested.

Most cold climate nuts require cold stratification before they will germinate, 90-120 days of damp cold. To achieve this I bury the nuts in layers of wet sand in buckets over the winter.

The buckets have holes drilled in the top and bottom to allow drainage but also to prevent critters from getting in.

I soak the nuts overnight inside the house the night before I'm ready to bury them.

I alternate layers of wet sand and nuts, making sure that the layers have good contact with each other. Don't mix varieties in the buckets if at all possible.

Once the buckets are filled it's simply a matter of putting them in a hole in the ground and covering with soil.

I'll pull these out of the ground in mid to late April and lay the seeds out in root pruning boxes. At that point they just need to be watered and grown on for a season. The seeds I plant this winter will be saleable in the fall once they go dormant as bareroot plants.

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