A nut tree is the slowest, surest investment a landscape can hold: a decade of patience buys fifty years of protein, shade, timber value, and wildlife food. Our nut trees are grown in Nova Scotia for real Canadian winters — black walnut, butternut, hazelnut, heartnut, and more.

Food that keeps
Nuts store for months without processing — the most practical protein a home landscape can produce.
Cold-hardy genetics
Our selections fruit reliably in short seasons — many are comfortable to Zone 4, several to Zone 3.
Legacy value
Walnut and other hardwoods appreciate for decades — shade for you, timber value for the next generation.
Wildlife anchors
Mature nut trees feed birds and mammals through winter and anchor a food-forest canopy.

Match the tree to your zone first

Hazelnut and black walnut handle Zone 4 with ease; butternut and some hickories push colder. Start from your hardiness zone and choose from what thrives there — not the other way around.

Nut trees for Zone 4

Plan for pollination — most nut trees want a partner

Hazelnuts and most walnuts set far better crops with a second tree nearby. Plant in pairs (or check the pollination notes on each plant page) and give big species 10–15 m of spacing; hazelnuts are happy at 3–5 m.

See self-fertile options

Starting out? Start with hazelnut

Hazelnuts stay shrub-sized, bear in 3–5 years instead of 10, tolerate pruning, and double as a hedge — the friendliest first nut by a wide margin.

Beginner-friendly nut trees

Nut Trees questions, answered

How long until a nut tree produces?

Hazelnuts typically begin bearing in 3–5 years. Black walnut, butternut, and heartnut usually take 7–12 years to meaningful crops — plant them for the decades, and plant hazelnuts for the meantime.

Do I need two nut trees for pollination?

Usually yes. Hazelnuts require a genetically different partner nearby, and walnuts crop far better with company. Each plant page lists its pollination requirement and good partners.

Which nut trees survive Zone 3?

Butternut and some hazelnut selections handle Zone 3 sites, especially with shelter from wind. Check the zone badge on each plant — we list the honest range, not the optimistic one.

Can I plant a walnut near my garden?

Give it distance. Walnuts release juglone, which suppresses tomatoes, apples, and some other plants. Keep vegetable beds and sensitive species 15–25 m from the mature dripline — plant pages list companions that tolerate it.

How far apart should nut trees go?

Full-canopy species (walnut, hickory) want 10–15 m between trunks. Hazelnuts are content at 3–5 m, closer if you're growing them as a hedge.

Ask a Grower

Zone-matched plants
Every plant shows the zones where it thrives.
Grown in Nova Scotia
Raised for Canadian winters, shipped across Canada.
Not sure what fits?
Tell us your land and goals — we'll match you.

Need help choosing?Talk to a Plant Expert