Making Peace with the Black Walnut

Not only did we decide to challenge ourselves this year with attempting to grow a vibrant vegetable garden, but we also decided on a plot that lies just beside a Black Walnut tree.  It is a beautiful spot, but this meant that we had to find Black Walnut-friendly plants that could survive the chemical Juglone that Black Walnuts contain.

Apparently awareness of Black Walnut toxicity dates back to Roman times when the ancient scientist Pliny discovered its poisonous effects on all plants and herbs.  Upon reading about this, my heart sank, but with a little more investigation I found that NOT ALL PLANTS ARE AFFECTED BY JUGLONE!  YAY!  The symptoms of Juglone poisoning include foliar yellowing, wilting, and eventual death.

There are many on line sources that will give you comprehensive lists of plants sensitive and tolerant of Juglone, but I am only including those fruits and vegetables tolerant of Juglone.

Here they are:
-squashes
-melons
-beans (lima & snap)
-carrots
-corn
-beets
-onions
-parsnips
-fruit trees: peach, nectarine, cherry, plum
-black raspberry bush (ours is doing great!)

Only part of our garden is under the drip line of the Black Walnut, so we're crossing our fingers that the tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, cucumber & horseradish thrive since they're just outside of the drip line.  But apparently the soil can become toxic based on the roots of the tree, which most likely extend beyond the drip line.  Still crossing my fingers, but the tomatoes look great so far!

These are pics of the veggie garden plot in the early spring.  I guess the wild grass is Juglone-tolerant?  More recent pics to come soon!