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Product Information
| Latin Name | Carya ovata |
| Hardiness Zone | Zone 4b |
| Height | 80 ft |
| Spread | 30 ft |
| Sun Requirements | Full Sun to Part Shade |
| Average Time to Bear Fruit | 10-30 Years |
| Harvest Time | Fall |
| Soil | Prefers moist soils but tolerant of most if there’s adequate nutrition |
| Flower Time | May-June |
| Pollination | Self fertile |
Growing Tips
They prefer moist soil that drains well, but are tolerant of most soils. Shagbark Hickory is self fertile but will produce more nuts if there are multiple Hickory trees in proximity to one another. We sell our Shagbark Hickory trees small because they grow a long tap root early on that can be damaged if they're transplanted beyond 2-3 years old.
More about Shagbark Hickory
Shagbark Hickory is a beautiful long lived tree, with exfoliating bark. They produce some of the finest tasting nuts around. The nuts are similar to pecans in flavour. They don’t get very much attention as a food crop simply because their nuts are somewhat difficult to extract, but with the proper tools this becomes an easy task! These trees also produce some of the strongest wood around that is used for bows, axe handles, and furniture. Shagbark Hickory can begin to produce nuts as early as 10 years old depending on care, sunlight etc producing much more as they get older. They are not found in our general area but are quite hardy to zone 4b and have a lot of potential to be a perennial source of proteins and oils. With climate change, this species is in need of assisted migration, and is a great choice for planting in northern landscapes.
Nut Processing Tips
Shagbark Hickory nuts can be tough to crack and extract the nut meats, but there are several ways of processing to get over this hurdle. You can smash up the shell and nut meats into small pieces and then boil them in water which creates one of the heartiest nut milks to sip on. The nuts will also float to the top of the water and the shells will sink. You can also use a hard shelled nut cracker, like the duke nut cracker to crack them out which makes this process efficient. Use the nuts in any recipe that you use pecans in. They are such a treat from a truly amazing native tree that will produce food for hundreds of years.