All nut trees are going to leave debris, so I'm not sure that there is a
nice nut tree "for the yard".

For a tall hedge-type or accent bush, American hazelnut and Turkish
trazel are growing very well for me. (They leave very little debris,
mostly because they still aren't fruiting regularly, but there is no
husk on a hazelnut.) Both spread out from the main plain over time, but
slow enough to control through mowing or trimming.

Chinese chestnut grows very well too. For the first six years there were
no pests at all, but now there are some black catapillars that are going
after the leaves. The debris is nasty dangerous to bare feet and
ungloved hands, and the nuts have a more gamey taste than the European
varieties, but they grow well and are palatable. The European, and
Korean varieties don't survive the spring here, and probably wouldn't
take the blight that killed the American variety off.

I've got two American chestnuts too, but don't have great expectations
for them.

The two pecans I have in the back have been there for about 10 years,
and don't show any signs of fruiting. I may need to fertilize with zinc
and water, but they are way back on the property with the chestnuts.
Twig girdlers seem to have an affinity for pecans, and any nibbled-off
branches must be policed (and burned or transported off site) to control
the pest. The trees can get large, and the former homeowner spaced them
relatively close when they were planted, so the top growth may end up
crowding.

The two Italian Stone Pines in the front are doing reasonably well, but
haven't produced a crop yet. They look like an ordinary pine, but just
larger than Christmas tree height and stocky. The cones are a source of
pignolas. One is crowded by an oak (bad placement choice on my part) and
thinning to one side, the other is growing in true to form in full
sunlight.

Another South American nut I've had growing in pots is Monkey Puzzle.
It's a very Jurassic Park looking tree - I think classified as a pine
relative - with nuts about an inch long growing in cones. In pots they
get root bound quickly and stop growing. In this area, the temperature
may get close enough to their killing temperature to do them in, like
figs, every several years unless somehow protected by proximity to a
massive structure.


Figs can grow into trees in this area. Mine haven't... they get killed
back to the ground every couple of years, except for a few next to my
house, which will eventually need to be moved. So mine happen to be more
like bushes or a short spindly tree than a shade tree.


Richard Addy wrote:

I would like a nice nut tree for the yard, but I'm not real clear as to
what sort of tree would do well in this area. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Richard