First, thanks for this resource. I have been locally sourcing food for several years and growing my own of course. I have a mature pecan tree and don't know how to harvest the fruit. Any help would be great.
Welcome to permies. I've always waited until they fall to the ground to collect them. That might not be the best method so I added this to the nuts forum for better advice.
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I had a huge old pecan tree at my last home and I picked them up off the ground. It was too big to climb, and too old to shake, and having never been shook it wouldn't have done well. The nuts come down in their own time. I'd pick up every few days.
I don't see the reason to do extra work to get them down when they'll do it on their own.
A tarp laid on the ground will help make picking the up easier. Just let them fall for several days then carefully gather up the tarp loaded with pecans.
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My family has always just picked them up off the ground, and the tarp sounds like a good idea if you're not getting rain. One low tech tool I've seen used is the":pecan picker upper" or nut roller. Here's an example at Home Depot: Nut Roller
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