British Columbia: Does Vancouver BC have a good climate for walnut trees?

Hi,

I'd like to plant a walnut tree (the type that makes walnuts that we eat) in Vancouver BC. The summers are usually sunny and up to about 25-30C, and the winters are usually cloudy, there's a fair amount of rain and temperatures go to about freezing level, sometimes a bit below. Is this a good climate for walnut trees? I've seen some around, but I haven't really followed how well they are doing.

Thanks!

 

Walnuts of all main kinds, including butternuts seen throughout the region - including large specimens. However, these days the kind most often planted is Juglans regia. Walnuts purchased at the store under normal circumstances are this kind. Pest and disease issues are not unknown with plantings of these, same as with other orchard crops.

 

Yep, close to ideal. If you get a cool summer the nuts may not ripen, but they should in most summers.

Where I am (55°N with cooler summers around 17° to 20°C) the trees grow well but the nuts only ripen in exceptional hot summers.

 

my grandmothers house had a very very large tree in Victoria. they were great fruiters, but the squirrels did a big number on them!

 

The last place we lived at here on north Vancouver Island had several Walnut trees, the largest was *huge*.

Once we figured out what it was (the fruit look nothing like the nut inside, more like some kind of alien pod or something) we were quite excited to try them out, it took a *lot* of effort to get the seed out of the fruit and unfortunately they were all much smaller than the store bought kind. I don't know if it was the variety of the tree, if it was a bad year or if the conditions just weren't right but it was a *lot* of effort for next to no reward.

Interestingly I was looking at a site just now and they recommended "heartnut" trees in the walnut tree section. Apparently they come from Japan and are quite hardy even to grow in Ontario. Some info here:
http://www.millernurseries.com/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=1028
and here
http://www.songonline.ca/nuts/heartnut.htm

Something from Japan sounds like it would be happier here on the west coast than in Ontario. I'm tempted to try one out, they are very unique looking nuts.

 

Black walnut (Juglans nigra) used to be a popular choice among early settlers from the east coast. According to Wiki, the nuts are extremely nutritious and very useful. You can still see a few examples tucked away around the Lower Mainland, including a cluster under the northwest corner of Clark Dr & E.1st (aka Grandview Hwy)... assuming they're still there.
I don't know how that info helps you, but it's all I know ;)

 

My mothers house in Vancouver has a large walnut tree that must be over 70 years old. This is a true test for a walnut tree or any other tree having be through all kinds of weather and natural preditors. Tent caterpillars being particularly troublesome when the tree gets taller. I have planted a tree from one of the nuts at my house in Langley and was surprized to learn how fast they grow. From a seeding of 1 ft. high to over 15 ft. in four years but only one nut which the squirrels pilfered this fall along with most of our hazelnuts. Yes walnut will do well here and are very vigorus, give them lots of room unless you intend to do a lot of prunning.