Anyone growing butternuts?

I'm curious if anyone is trying to raise butternuts.  I understand there's been a fungus infection killing many of the butternut trees here in Iowa, and I was wondering if anyone was having any luck growing them.

my black walnut, carpathian walnut and butternut trees are in their third year, no problem yet but they aren't much over knee high.

there is a field of black walnut trees (nursery) down the road from us and they all seem fine

I have a large collection in my edible wetland because they can handle occasional innundation.Im in the PacificNW so fungus/ disease isnt here yet.Buartnuts are a hybred with heartnut that are more drought tolerent and productive.

Hi,

I'm new here, and fairly new to veg gardening. This year I grew some butternut squashes (I was planting seeds and they happened to be lying around still from the previous night's supper...). I didn't expect much from them but was overjoyed to get two very nice squashes.

I've just discovered that one of the plants has set another two fruits, currently about 3 inches long, but look to be doing well. My question is - is there any chance that I will be able to keep them alive long enough to ripen, and if so, what's the best way to help them. They are in a fairly sheltered, but not very sunny at this time of year spot.

Thanks!

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KMK MSDS Authoring

the thread was about the tree butternut not the squash, but yes, if you cover them with plastic such as would make a tiny greenhouse over them, you might get them to ripen up faster ..make sure they get water though

PLanted one here 8a but it died- as did some pecans even in my yard. Heart nut a few feet away doing brilliantly 4 years out. So this year planted another heartnut and a buartnut from oikos.

Jenn, do you have any idea what the pecans died of?  I have not been able to get any started here because of drought.    If heartnut is more drought tolerant, maybe it would do better...

I think pecans (and maybe butternut) died from underwatering or too close to larger tree roots. The drainage and tree cover on my property is very variable and I can't conclude any definite cause but those that didn't make it were closer to large trees, and were not in the area the house or septic drains toward  or where I pay more attention and water more. Lost maybe 25% of my pecans first year, rest continue growing but none so well as the heartnut.

Thanks Jenn.  I think I will try planting some heartnuts as well. 

i too had pecans and hickories die here, just think we are too cold.

I had been eyeing the Buart and Heartnut trees in the catalogs coming for this 2011 spring planting..and am thinking that I might want to go that direction ...maybe one of each?

that would round out my carpathian walnut, black walnut and butternut collection that I have going.

I thought I had lost some of my baby walnuts when the neighbors tramopline landed on them in a wind storm this past month, but they seem to be OK..not sure how long it will take for them to bear but they are very young and very very small.

we are in zone 4/5 here so nuts are tricky

Badgersett (the source I mentioned on another thread for chestnuts and hazelnuts, also has butternuts they've selected for canker resistance. I haven't planted any butternuts personally, however. They are a tree in need of restoration if these are truly resistant types.

http://www.badgersett.com/info/publications/Bulletin8v1_0.pdf

Here in NH we are zone 4b and I have several butternuts growing on our land, one of them is a monster with a huge trunk. That said, I've never managed to beat the squirrels to the nuts!