Tree & Me: Pecan, Keepin' On
A 35-year quest for pecans.
Welcome to the 6th edition of Tree & Me, a new storytelling series from Leaf & Limb. In each issue, we feature a personal story about trees from one of our readers. This month, our story comes from Lyle Estill, cofounder of the Plant. This was published in a longer form on his blog, The Tree Museum.
Pecan, Keepin’ On
When I moved to Chatham in 1990, the farmhouse came with “a sick walnut” that sat tangled in wisteria and poison ivy. A couple years later, I cleared the vines and discovered the truth. It a was sick pecan tree, not a walnut at all.
I love pecans. My dad loved pecans. Shelling them together at the kitchen table is one of my fondest childhood memories. So I gave this pecan a chance and then planted a few more for company. Thus began my thirty five year quest to get a pecan harvest.
Decades passed. Those trees grew into adolescence, started producing catkins, and handfuls of nuts. The big tree, however, did not participate. It dropped nothing but wormy, runted fruit. After a conversation with an arborist, I decided to take action and added compost tea to the soil around the pecans.
The first year: nothing.
The second year: an explosion of catkins, but then as fall approached, the tree looked tired again. There was no fruit to be see. Until one night after the leaves had fallen, I spotted movement — a baby squirrel, way out on a twig, happily eating pecans. Not one for me. Not yet.
But we will keep caring for that old pecan tree. And maybe next year, after the squirrels take their share, there will be enough for all of us. My perseverance will pay off and my dream of a pecan harvest will come true.
Have your own tree story?
Do you have a tree that holds a special place in your heart? Maybe it’s a childhood climbing tree, a backyard favorite, or one you planted in memory of someone you love.
Please share your story with us to celebrate the powerful connection between people and trees. You can do so by filling out the form below. Each month, we will select a new story to be featured in this “Tree & Me” series.
