Nut Trees
Nuts are the one staple crop you can grow on trees: real protein and fat, storable for a year without processing. The 7 species here — from American hazelnut (a 12-foot shrub that crops in 3–4 years) to pecan and shagbark hickory (60-foot giants worth a 10-year wait) — cover USDA zones 3–10, and 3 of them are North American natives.
Almost every nut tree is wind-pollinated and partially or fully self-sterile, so the standing rule is: plant two, and not two grafted copies of the same cultivar. Give them room — a mature walnut or pecan wants 40+ feet — and read the guide's notes before siting: black walnut secretes juglone, which kills tomatoes, apples and many ornamentals inside its root zone.
Squirrels, not diseases, are the main harvest competition; chestnut is the exception, where blight history decides which species you can plant. 3 of the 7 currently have verified in-stock nursery listings — the terracotta price tags on the cards below link to a checked product page, not a search.
From $65 at a third-party nursery — not a Story Thyme Farms price.AlmondPrunus dulcis
Full Sun
Moderate water
Moderate growth
Excellent edible
From $83.95 at a third-party nursery — not a Story Thyme Farms price.ChestnutCastanea mollissima & hybridsFull Sun
Low water
Fast for a nut tree growthExcellent edible
HazelnutCorylus americana
Full Sun
Drought-tolerant · low waterModerate growth
Native to North America
From $64.95 at a third-party nursery — not a Story Thyme Farms price.PecanCarya illinoinensisFull Sun
High water
Slow-Moderate growthNative to North America
PistachioPistacia veraFull SunLow waterSlow growthExcellent edible
Shagbark HickoryCarya ovataFull Sun to Part ShadeLow waterSlow growthNative to North America
WalnutFull SunModerate growthExcellent edible