Finding Trees with Large Green Nuts for Your Backyard

If you love snacking on nuts but don’t want to rely on store-bought varieties, consider growing your own nut trees! Some nut trees produce large green nuts that are perfect for harvesting right in your own backyard. In this article, we’ll explore some of the best options for trees with large green nuts that can thrive in many climates

Shagbark Hickory

One of the most common trees with sizeable green nuts is the shagbark hickory tree. This tree is easy to spot thanks to its shaggy peeling bark. Shagbark hickory is native to the eastern and central United States. The nuts fall from the tree inside a thick green husk the size of a golf ball. When ripe the husk splits open allowing the nut to fall free.

Inside each green orb is a tasty, wild-harvested nut that tastes like a mix of walnut and pecan. The nuts are quite large, up to 2 inches long! However, shagbark hickory nuts have hard shells that make it labor intensive to extract the nutmeat. For the enterprising homesteader though, the sweat equity pays off in delicious, gourmet nuts straight from your backyard.

Shagbark hickory trees start producing nuts after about 6 years. They thrive in zones 4-9, even tolerating arid climates when irrigated. Plant your shagbark away from your garden beds since it releases a chemical that inhibits other plant growth.

Black Walnut

Another backyard nut tree with golf ball-sized green orbs is the black walnut. Inside the thick green husks are large, rough-shelled nuts with a bold, earthy flavor. The black walnut tree grows up to 100 feet tall and hails from the central and eastern United States. However, it tolerates a wide range of climates from zones 4-9.

Black walnut trees produce juglone a compound toxic to some plants, so avoid planting them in your vegetable or flower beds. They begin bearing nuts after about 7 years. You’ll know the nuts are ripe when their husks split open. The drooping limbs also lose many nuts simply from the impact of hitting the ground.

Extracting the kernel requires patience and elbow grease! Use a hammer or vise to carefully crack the shell then pick out the pieces. Wear gloves when handling the husked nuts since they can stain your hands. The work is well worth it for the unique, rich walnut flavor.

Butternut

Similar to black walnut but slightly smaller is the butternut tree. It produces oval nuts nestled inside fuzzy green husks the size of a lime. As the nuts ripen, the husks split open releasing the nuts. Butternut trees reach a mature height around 40-60 feet tall.

The nuts have a sweet, buttery taste and smooth hard shells. Butternut thrives in zones 3-8 across the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. Trees start yielding nuts after 4-6 years. Provide ample room since butternut trees also release juglone like black walnut and hickory.

Heartnut

Heartnut is actually a hybrid of Japanese walnut and butternut. As you may guess from the name, heartnut produces large, heart-shaped nuts encased in a solid green husk when immature. The husks split as the nuts ripen in the fall.

Inside is a thin-shelled nut with a mild, sweet flavor reminiscent of butternut. Heartnut trees reach 30-60 feet tall at maturity. They produce nuts just a few years after planting. Heartnut tolerates cold winters in zones 4-8.

While the nuts are smaller than black walnuts, the thin shells make heartnuts much easier to crack and enjoy. Plant heartnut trees in full sun and fertile soil for best production.

Pecan

Move further south and you’ll encounter towering pecan trees loaded with oblong green nut husks. Pecan originates from the southeastern and south central United States. Luckily, new cultivars extend the growing range into zone 5 for those in northern climates.

Pecan nuts have a smooth, thin shell with rich, buttery nutmeat inside. The trees produce nuts just 3-5 years after planting. Allow ample room for these large trees that easily clear 100 feet tall. Pecans thrive in zones 6-9. Plant more than one for best pollination and nut production.

When the nuts mature in fall, the husks split and the nuts drop free. The fallen nuts are easy to gather and shell. You can find improved pecan cultivars but also forage wild trees. Just be sure you have permission from property owners before gathering nuts.

Buartnut

Here’s a lesser known option – buartnut is a hybrid between butternut and heartnut. It combines the best traits of both parents. You get sweet, thin-shelled nuts that ripen inside fuzzy green husks. Buartnut trees have an oval shape and mature around 30-60 feet tall.

The lightly furrowed nut shells resemble butternut while the rich flavor is more reminiscent of heartnut. Trees begin bearing nuts just 3-5 years after planting. Buartnut tolerates cold winters from zones 4-8. Plant in full sun for heaviest nut production.

Hazelnut

For a smaller backyard nut tree, consider growing hazelnuts. These multi-stemmed shrubs produce clusters of nuts wrapped in frilly green husks. Common hazelnut varieties thrive in zones 3-8 across most of North America.

There are also hybrid hazelnut cultivars bred for larger nut size and cold hardiness. The nuts have a smooth brown shell and rich nutty flavor. They ripen in late summer to early fall. Harvest promptly before squirrels and birds steal them all!

Hazelnuts rarely exceed 15 feet tall making them a great option for small yards. You’ll get a small early crop but production increases as the shrubs grow. Pruning and fertilizing helps boost nut yields.

Chestnut

Chestnuts were once a popular nut tree across eastern North America until chestnut blight wiped out most mature stands in the early 1900s. Today, blight-resistant cultivars offer hope for reviving American chestnut. These stately trees produce spiny green burrs packed with nuts.

Inside the prickly husks are shiny tan nuts with a mild, sweet flavor. Chinese and European chestnuts fill a similar niche with larger nuts and greater blight resistance. Plant chestnuts in zones 4-8 in a sunny spot with well-drained soil. Avoid windy areas that may blow down the shallow-rooted trees.

Planting and Harvesting Green Nut Trees

When planting any nut tree, be sure to give it plenty of space to mature. Nuts trees have extensive root systems. Resist the urge to trim the taproot before planting. This often kills the young tree. Plant grafted or named cultivars for the best nut production.

Water regularly until your sapling is established then let nature take its course. Control weeds and rodents until the tree is 4-5 feet tall. Then sit back and wait for your first nut harvest! This varies from 3 years for hazelnuts to up to a decade for oak and hickory.

Harvest nuts promptly once the husks split open. Dry the nuts briefly before cracking the shells and enjoying your backyard bounty. With so many varieties to choose from, you can grow your own gourmet nuts even with limited space. Just select the tree with large green nuts best suited for your climate and property.