The Biggest Obstacles I Have Faced While Gardening

These are the biggest obstacles I have faced while getting started: Juglone

I’mfortunate enough to live in a historic home in the village of Pittsford, built in 1870 (if anyone local needs recommendations for plumbers, handymen, etc- after buying this house I have plenty).

There is a gigantic black walnut tree next to the house. In the fall when the walnuts drop on the roof it feels as if we are under siege. There are also a few black walnuts along the border of the back yard, although it took me a few years to realize what they were. They only drop a few walnuts and I had assumed those had come from the monster sized tree next to the house.

Black walnuts produce juglone, which can inhibit the growth of several plant varieties. It gets into the soil through the dropped walnuts, leaves, and is even secreted through the roots of the tree. Gigantic trees like the one next to my house have an extensive root system. In order for certain trees to survive, they need to be planted dozens a feet away from black walnuts.

Interestingly, when we first moved in I had a ground mount array solar panel system installed. As part of the installation, a huge trench was dug in order to connect the panels to the house underground. This trench was between the biggest tree and most of the area where I ended up planting my trees. My hope is that it cut through enough of the giant roots that they will be less of a concern in terms of spreading juglone through the yard. This was five years ago now and the old roots should be decomposed. I am still trying whenever possible to only plant varieties of trees that are tolerant to juglone.