Walnut shells as mulch

[roosky]

Hi,
Can anyone tell me if I can use walnut shells as a mulch, in much the same way as a bark mulch ? I eat a lot of walnuts, and would like to use the shells on the garden if I can. Otherwise, are they too hard to put in the compost bin ?

[rainbowgardener]

They will not break down any time soon in a compost pile (think years!). English walnuts (what you are probably eating), like black walnuts, emit a substance called juglone that has growth suppressing properties although black walnuts have a higher concentration of it. All parts of the tree emit this substance to varying degrees, including the shells. So probably not great as a mulch either.

Suggestions I've seen for not wasting them: use them to "pave" a path. Fill a waxed milk carton with them and use it for a fire starter. They can be used to make a brown dye or used as an abrasive for polishing things. Spray paint them and use as Christmas tree ornaments.

[MysticGardener67]

you could glue them back to gether and prank squirrels with them

[roosky]

Problem - no squirrels here !

[The Helpful Gardener]

Great ideas RBG...

Of course no squirrels, but the Shetlands don't have walnut trees either, roosky. Where are you getting all these walnuts? Enough for a heavy mulch might be allelopathic (killing off plants besides walnuts in this case), but I doubt you are getting enough to make much difference mixed with other mulch items, and RBG is right, they will stick around for a long while...

HG

[roosky]

Thanks for that. No, we don't have walnut trees - although you might be surprised to see just how many other trees we've managed to grow in our garden in the last 20 years ! I think I'll just mix them with other stuff to keep the weeds down. ( I may keep one or two for when I see squirrels on the mainland, though .......... !)