Oh nuts! I need a walnut sweeper

lhfarm · Oct 11, 2005

We have 20 some-odd black walnut trees in our yard and it has been a bumper crop year. I hand raked for a couple of hours this past weekend and I think only about half the nuts have fallen. Has anyone ever used a pull type sweeper to gather walnuts? Other "powered" suggestions?
Thanks,

Farwell · Oct 11, 2005

I have not used a sweeper but I have used tarps under the trees and leaf blowers to get rid of the leaves. Works great if you get the tarps down in time. Fill plastic milk cartons with sand or water to weight down the tarp edges.
When I was a kid we would put the black walnuts in the drive way so they could be run over to help loosen the outer husk and my Mother would finish the job by hand. She would have brown stained hands for quite some time. Never did find an easy to get to the nut meats.
Farwell

MossRoad · Oct 11, 2005

A friend of mine uses a hockey stick and a basket... GOAL!!!! But he only has one tree. 20 would make me tired.

Put an ad in the paper... free walnuts, u-pick-up. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

But seriously, have you tried a lawn sweeper or vacuum? We use to use a push type broom sweeper on acorns and it worked very well. Don't know about walnuts, though.

beenthere · Oct 11, 2005

I found that a sweeper is not strong enough to work on walnuts. Maybe mine was just too weak, and others have found differently.

I drive on them to knock the soft husk off and pick the nuts out the next day. I put them in a 5 gal plastic pail, and wash them with a stream of water, tumbling them around until the water is clear. Then lay them out on newspaper to dry (inside if the squirrels are around /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif ).
After drying, they store pretty well. I crack them in a 4" vise and find that offers good control. However, using a hammer on a solid steel surface like an anvil works good too. My grandmother cracked hickory nuts and walnuts until she was 95 years old.
Using rubber gloves will keep the stain off your fingers. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

lhfarm · Oct 11, 2005

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( ...Then lay them out on newspaper to dry (inside if the squirrels are around /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif )...
)</font>Interestingly, there has been a squirrel "crash" in southern Indiana this year that resulted from last year's nut crop being damaged by the cicada eruption. At least that was what the local paper is reporting. Most years, I happily share the wealth with the squirrels. They aren't around.
So I have never had this many nuts to deal with. In the past I have just mowed over them. I don't own a sweeper or a vac. This is a shopping opportunity. I've also considered a landscape rake w/ wheels.

beenthere · Oct 11, 2005

I have been mystified about the lack of squirrels this year, and have heard of a couple others and you about the 'shortage' due to winter kill or as you have mentioned.

I thought maybe it was my 'war' I raged last year on the gray squirrel population. They were everywhere, and I reduced the population, but didn't think I did such a good job. Now there are two or three fox squirrels around, and they are bigger than the ratty-like gray's.

Super nut year.

gizmo · Oct 11, 2005

I have hickory nuts, acorns, sweetgum balls, and pecans in addition to the usual leaves and fallen sticks. I discovered a clean up method that works so well that I considered trying to make some money with it. I have a 4GPM, 3500 psi pressure washer that I use to rake the yard with. I use the "zero" nozzle at a low angle to the grass and it pulls EVERYTHING except the grass blades up. When the job is finished the grass actually looks like it has been combed.

I've never tried to salvage any of the nuts, and I do have the luxury of being able to drive it all into the adjacent woods instead of picking it up.

beenthere · Oct 11, 2005

That would make a great picture to see that operation. Any chance?

I'm not familiar with the setting on the pressure washer, but a pic would help explain it (that is unless you have patent ideas /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif )

Farwell · Oct 11, 2005

No shortage of squirrels in my area of Mid Michigan. I live trapped around 40 this year and took them to the forest and released them. I keep a few around for the pine cones and entertainment.
Farwell