Does anyone know if I can grow Pecans in

[Ecumenist]

the northern Sacramento valley? I'm thinking of getting a tree or two and seeing what happens.. Anyone's input in welcome...

[NMDemDist2]

1. almonds for sure, but i'm not so sure about pecans

almonds and walnuts both do well there

[Ecumenist]

2. Hi NMDem,

I know that those two nuts do well. Alot of almond and walnut trees have gone wild. I was wondering if Pecans,(which grow in Texas in a zone VERY similar to Tehama county), would grow with added water. I was wondering this especially since they grow so well in New Mexico, why shouldn't they do well here? I read your post about the Cavalini(sp?) Farms in NM and started thinking about the feasibility of planting a few trees in the south pasture's deep loam.

[NMDemDist2]

3. i think they need cold winters though to really do well

and you don't have those

[Ecumenist]

4. Thanks for the info--

The county y property is in gets REALLY cold. It's about 15 miles from the coastal range and get's regualr hard freezes and a few snow flurries every winter. I should have enough chilling to make a go. I think I'm going to invest in a few trees and see what happens. I'm thinking that placing them in a cold sink area of the property should do it. After all, I can grow Lilacs easily in that area and they bloom beautifully.

[NMDemDist2]

5. in that case, they may do fine

good luck! and I hope things are well for you and your DearHeart

:hi:

[Gormy Cuss]

6. What does Sunset say?

I don't know which Sunset zone your property is in (or more importantly, which one it acts most like) but I know that some of the cooler Nor Cal Sunset zones can support pecan trees with supplemental water during the dry season. I'm in Sunset zone 14 and they'll grow here as nut-bearing trees. I buy pecans from farmers in the Brentwood/Oakley area (the Delta)and that area gets frosts but only an occasional hard freeze.

[Ecumenist]

7. I did some research and it seems that

the two prime areas in the great Valley is an band that is roughly from Bakersfield to about 30 miles north and in a band that includes the area where my property is-- a band the runs from Orland in the west, (Glenn county) to Chico in the east, (Butte County). The property is about 20 miles north-northwest of Orland, which seems to place it in an area where I can successfully grow Pecans. For supplemental water, we are installing a greywater system so that we don't have problems with chlorinated water and other chemicals being discharged into the Septic system, complete with a 600 gallon septic tank and 4 drywells. So, there'll be water for that part of the property on a regular basis. The greywater system will include all the tubs and sinks in the house, the washer, dishwasher and the kitchen, (food disposal). We're installing a rather large septic tank, (3000 gallon) but we don't want to have a problem with tank or the leachfield by having surges and disinfectants flowing into the septic tank. The greywater will be installed near the southern border of the property in the deepest loam of the property. This area needs very little soil amendment, other than some infusion of micronutrients and fertilisers, (organic, of course). We'd already been planning to plant a small orchard on that 3 acres so this will work just fine. The only thing is I wonder if pecan trees are allopathic like walnuts. I want to incorporate the orchards into the landscaping in a decorative way, with shrubs, perennials and annuals. I'm also looking at rare fruits like Jujubes, Paw-paws, Chinese pomelos, rare berries and pomes, etc.