Please go to Google and enter Walnut juglone and look for the article from Purdue.

I can't get it to transfer here.

But they say that the only thing that can help is to use raised beds and make sure no walnut roots are beneath the bed, if you can.

Adding organic material is not going to help b'c as they point out, juglone remains active for many years in an area even after the tree might be taken down.

In addition they discuss that experimental evidence has shown that Juglone inhibits the respiratory apparatus of a sensitive plant and is active in very small amounts.

Just a few things to think about and it's best if you read the whole article yourself. ( smile).

Carolyn

I am growing some tomatoes in pots this year, they are unaffected, but plants in pots never grow as well for me as the ones in the ground.

I also tried raised beds, however, the plants are now 4 feet tall, and they are showing the walnut wilt badly. I am sure the tomato roots go deep into the ground under the beds, which are open to the ground underneath. There is nowhere on my property that I would think would not have walnut roost in the soil, now that I have read how much farther the roots extend beyond the canopy.

Sigh, it is so depressing. My yard is full of walnut trees, and there is a very large one on the neighbors yard very close to the only place on my property that gets full sun.

I was thinking of saving seeds from whatever plants do the best each year, and maybe I can develop some resistance?

You have my sympathy! I have never had trouble growing maters in my life until I moved here.

I was thinking of saving seeds from whatever plants do the best each year, and maybe I can develop some resistance?

****

It would nice if you could but I don't think you can b/c as I mentioned above from the article I referred to juglone inhibits the respiratory capacity of the plant.

That's a lethal event.

Carolyn

I'm not sure that Walnut trees aren't getting a bad rap.

Not saying there is no problem but in the post linked below there are 5 (actually 6) tom plants shown doing fine inground, about 12 yards from a 100 tree Walnut grove.

You could root prune the trees but the positve effect on your soil will take a long time. Unfortunatly, negative effects on the tree could be rather immediate and potentially permanent if done too harshly.

Here is a link that might be useful: Check this

My tomato plants are usually much bigger than the ones in that photo when they start showing the walnut wilt.

I say go with the containers. 5 gal with good potting soil works well. If you want bigger plants then you can always go a little bigger but in Northern zones smaller plants that fruit earlier makes more sense.

Also I noticed you are a zone 4. The other advantage to this is you can start the Toms in these containers in a green house and then move them to a permanent location.

I currently SFG. I think its a great system but I have been considering 5 gal containers sitting on bricks for the next section. This way I can take them as is from a green house to a permanent location. My experiment this year gave me 8 foot pole beans by mid June in zone 5a and that was during a cold spring. I just moved the 9 inch or so pole beans to a trellis in May. This is especially important for me since the village does no care for a green house in the front yard and my back yard is shaded by mid-May.

Have a look at this system. Black Walnuts would be moot here.

http://www.el34world.com/Misc/Garden/Garden.htm

Good luck finding something resistant to the walnut. That would be great!

I wonder if roots are much closer to the surface in some places. It does seem that in a patch of tomatoes, 2 or 3 or 4 plants will be affected almost immediately, and they are right along side others that are perfectly healthy. I have wondered if squirrels burying the nuts could make a plant wilt. Maybe some plants end up planted right on top of a buried walnut.

Yeah, I need to map out where the tomatos do better and see if that is consistent year to year. I have had the same experience of some doing terrible next to others that are doing well.

Damn those walnuts!

Why not build your raised beds on top of plastic sheeting - garbage bags, empty mulch bags, etc. That would prevent the juglone from getting into the bed. (except for leaves and nuts that land on the bed in fall - which should be raked off)

raybos earthtainers?

With good soil, the plant size can be astounding.
I made some for my parents and their plants are thus far bigger than mine. 6.5' is my guess.
they're getting ripe toms every day. 32 gallon containers.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tomato/msg0716445011078.html?2

If I get the motivation up, I will build some raised beds with some kind of plastic or impermiable barrier.

Thing is, it is just a case of having the time to do it. I would want them to be quite deep, otherwise I may as well just use pots.

Right now, I make up for poor producing plants by planting a lot.

If I can share my walnut "superstition" with fellow walnut afflicted, I always feel like deep soaking the plants with water helps them when they are having walnut wilt symptoms. Maybe it just makes me feel better to do something??? But I often see them look much better the next day after I do that. Could it flush the juglone down?

Yes, tomatoes are one of the crops adversely affected by jugalone. For possible solutions, check out the section headed "Implications for Horticulture" in this fact sheet: Black Walnut Toxicity

I am posting this here because I can't find a better place to post it. I just signed up today.

I am searching for a source of Black Walnuts fresh from the tree with green still on the hull. I need to make a tincture with these. I am paying a fortune for the tincture now and making it would be a lot cheaper, but I can't find anyone with the walnuts. I bought some from ebay and the postal service dropped the box in water then wrapped it in plastic, by the time I got it,it was full of mold.
I know growing them can be a problem but there are a lot of herbalist out there that use these for tincture.
Thank you, Lisa