Description
Howard came out of the University of California walnut program in 1979, from the same Pedro cross that produced Chandler. Between them, a handful of these UC releases account for most of the walnut acreage planted in California, and Howard earned its place on kernel quality: the nut is large and round, the shell is smooth and seals properly, and the kernel inside comes out light coloured and mild at a rate few older varieties match.
What makes it a good garden tree rather than only a good orchard tree is its habit. Howard is semi-upright and noticeably less vigorous than Chandler, so it does not run away from you the way a seedling walnut will. It also bears laterally, meaning nuts form along the length of the wood rather than only at the branch tips, which is why young trees start carrying real crops sooner than gardeners expect from a walnut.
Howard leafs out late. That single trait does a lot of work in a wet spring: the tender new growth is not standing in the weather during the window when walnut blight and codling moth do their damage, so the tree carries less disease pressure without any help from you.
One walnut on its own will set a crop, since walnuts carry both male and female flowers on the same tree. It will not set the crop it is capable of. Planting a second walnut within pollen range is the single change that most improves yield, and Cisco and Franquette are the two partners named for Howard in commercial practice.
Overview
- University of California release, 1979, from the Pedro cross that also produced Chandler.
- Large, round, smooth, well sealed nut.
- Very high percentage of light, mild kernels.
- Laterally fruitful, so it bears young and heavily.
- Semi-upright and less vigorous than Chandler, easier to keep in scale.
- Late leafing, with reduced blight and codling moth susceptibility.
- Partially self-fruitful; plant a second walnut for full crops.
Growing Details
Latin Name: Juglans regia ‘Howard’
Site and Soil: Full sun; deep, well-drained soil with room for a large root system
Hardiness: USDA Zone 5–9
Bearing Habit: Laterally fruitful, so crops begin young and build quickly
Size at Maturity: Semi-upright and less vigorous than Chandler; smaller than a standard seedling walnut and responsive to pruning
Leafing Time: Late, which shortens the tree’s exposure to spring disease pressure
Ripening Time: Mid-season; mid to late September in California, later in cooler summer climates
Pollination: Partially self-fruitful; crops improve substantially with a second walnut nearby, with Cisco and Franquette named as suitable partners
Pests & Diseases: Late leafing reduces walnut blight and codling moth susceptibility, though wet-climate growers should still expect to watch for blight in a bad spring
Additional Notes
- Grower’s Insight: Lateral bearing is the trait to plant for here, because it is what gets nuts on a young tree; the tradeoff is that Howard sets more than it can size in a heavy year, so keep it fed and watered while the crop is filling.
- Regional Insight: Howard was selected in California’s Central Valley and is at its most productive in regions with hot, dry summers that finish the crop cleanly, including inland California, the Columbia Basin and the interior Northwest; it will crop in cooler maritime and Upper Midwest gardens, later in the season and with more attention to blight in a wet spring.
- Ripening dates given here are the California standard and run later in cooler summer climates.
- Explore more nut trees in our collection: Nut Trees
