Pecan

Pecan is a large native hickory of the Mississippi River valley and south-central United States, growing naturally along rivers and bottomlands from Illinois and Iowa south to Texas, Louisiana and into Mexico. It is the state tree of Texas and the source of almost all pecans sold. A mature tree reaches 70 to 100 feet with a broad crown, and it can live and bear for over a century.

It needs room, full sun, and deep, well-drained soil. It grows a long taproot, so plant young trees while dormant and do not move them later. Pecans need a long, hot growing season to fill their nuts: they grow well in colder areas but may not ripen a crop there, so choose northern cultivars if your summers are short. Most cultivars need a pollination partner, a different variety whose pollen sheds when the first tree's flowers are receptive, so plant at least two. Grafted trees bear in 6 to 10 years, seedlings much later.

The nuts drop in autumn as the husks split. Gather them promptly, before squirrels and crows do, and dry them for about two weeks before storing. Pecan scab, a fungal disease, is the main problem in humid regions. The tree's leaves turn yellow in autumn.