HelpfulGardener.com

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 ?

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.

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

Problem - no squirrels here !

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

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 .......... !)