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Fruits · Nut tree

Growing walnut

Juglans regia · also called akhrot, doon (Kashmiri)Walnut is a large, long-lived nut tree of the temperate Himalaya, grown across the Kashmir valley and the hills of Jammu. It needs deep soil, a spring free of frost and no extreme summer heat, so it does not suit the warm plains or coasts.

Gangetic plains: eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal plains

Our team has checked this guide against the sources at the end of the page.Walnut is a hill tree of cool climates, grown from about 900 m up, and is sensitive to extreme summer heat. The plains are too low and hot.Includes AI suggestions where no published guide covers a detail
Green walnuts in their husks on a walnut tree branch among the leaves
Photo: George Chernilevsky · PDM
Not suited here

Not a crop for this region

Walnut is a hill tree of cool climates, grown from about 900 m up, and is sensitive to extreme summer heat. The plains are too low and hot.

Where it grows nearest

Across India

When to sow it

Twelve growing regions, January to December. Your region comes first.

Not suited here

  • Nursery
  • Transplant
  • Harvest
  • Today
  • Not suited here
Gangetic plainseastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal plainsNot suited hereNorth-east hills and valleysAssam, Meghalaya, SikkimCentral plateauMadhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, VidarbhaNot suited here
Compare all 12 regions
Temperate HimalayaKashmir valley, Shimla, KulluCold desertLadakh, Lahaul and SpitiNot suited hereSub-tropical foothillsJammu, Kangra, DehradunNot suited hereNorth-west plainsPunjab, Haryana, DelhiNot suited hereNorth-east hills and valleysAssam, Meghalaya, SikkimArid westRajasthan, Kutch, north GujaratNot suited hereCentral plateauMadhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, VidarbhaNot suited hereDeccan plateauinterior Maharashtra, Telangana, north KarnatakaNot suited hereSouth interiorBengaluru, Mysuru, interior Tamil NaduNot suited hereWest coastKerala, Goa, KonkanNot suited hereEast coastcoastal Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, coastal AndhraNot suited here
Today
See the dates as a table
RegionSowNurseryTransplantHarvest
Gangetic plainsNot suited here
Temperate HimalayaDecemberEarly spring (about March)September to October
Cold desertNot suited here
Sub-tropical foothillsNot suited here
North-west plainsNot suited here
North-east hills and valleysLate December to FebruaryLate August to early October
Arid westNot suited here
Central plateauNot suited here
Deccan plateauNot suited here
South interiorNot suited here
West coastNot suited here
East coastNot suited here

What it needs

Soil, sun and warmth

  • Soil pH1,3

    6 to 7

    Deep, well-drained silt loam or loam with plenty of organic matter, 2 to 3 m deep. The subsoil must be free of rock, hard clay and gravel layers so the roots can go down evenly. Avoid alkaline and sandy soils, and any spot where water stands.

  • Sunlight3

    Full sun. Plant in an open site with no shade.

  • Temperature1,2Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.

    Grows best at 18 to 30 °C

    Takes light frost.

    Monthly temperatures for the Gangetic plains aren't in the library yet.

Good neighbours3Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.

Grows well with

Seed and the season's end

Saving seed1

Take seed nuts from vigorous, high-yielding trees with big, bright brown nuts, shells that crack well and bright yellow, well-flavoured kernels.

When the seed is ready

The green hull splits open and the nut drops or comes away easily, in September and October.

Cleaning the seed

Wash the seed clean in water and dry it in the shade.

Keep dry seed in airtight containers in a cool, dry place. Walnut seed keeps for 1 to 3 years.

After the last pickingNo published guide covers this for the Gangetic plains, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

Rake up fallen leaves and hulls in autumn and compost them in a pit away from the trees, since the leaves carry leaf blotch to next spring. Burn diseased wood rather than leaving it in the orchard.

Rotation

Walnut stands for many decades. When an old tree is removed, grow a few seasons of fodder grasses or legumes before replanting, and do not set a new tree back into the old pit.

Sources

Where this comes from

Our team has checked this guide against the sources at the end of the page.Reviewed by our team on 13 November 2026.

These published guides are the sources. Where none of them covers a detail for this region, the page shows an AI suggestion and labels it.

  1. 2Chip budding techniques for walnut (Juglans regia): enhancing propagation efficiency (Indian Farming 75(06): 08-12)ICAR (Indian Farming); authors at KVK Chamba and Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, SolanRead the source
  2. 3AESA based IPM package: walnutDirectorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage and National Institute of Plant Health Management, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of IndiaRead the source

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