How Are Pecans Grown?

If you’ve ever wondered why Louisiana pecans are so good, it’s all because of how they are grown. The combination of time-tested techniques, established pecan orchards, and soil nutrients help produce the finest quality pecans in the world. If you’ve never had the chance to visit a pecan orchard like Little Eva Orchard, we definitely recommend it. Until then though, here’s how pecans are grown.

Pecans Grow On Trees

It’s probably not surprising that pecans are grown on trees, but what is surprising is that once mature pecan trees will produce nuts for a hundred years. However, it takes around 7-10 years to establish a pecan tree before it starts producing nuts. Pecans are a type of hickory tree, so they get very large. Once mature pecan trees can grow up to 144 feet in height and can produce around 50 pounds of nuts each.

Cultivating Pecans On An Orchard

Pecans are grown in groves on large pecan orchards. They are primarily grown in the Southern states, because they thrive in hot, humid summers. Louisiana pecans are especially good because the state has an abundance of fertile soil with nutrients like nitrogen and zinc that pecan trees love. Harvest season in Louisiana because usually in October and lasts right up to Thanksgiving. That’s why pecan pie is such a celebrated holiday dessert, the pecans are at their freshest right in time for the holiday table.

Pecans Are Actually A Fruit

What’s really interesting about pecans is they are not a traditional tree nut. They are in fact a drupe like a peach or prune. They grow inside of a husk which produces a seed. Pecans are green but as they mature they become brown and are ready to harvest. These seeds are the delicious buttery pecans that we enjoy today.

If you ever get a chance to visit a pecan orchard, we highly recommend it. Not only will you learn more about your favorite nuts, the groves of majestic pecan trees are really beautiful. Also, if you’d like to experience why Louisiana pecans are considered the finest in the world, check out our selection of Natchitoches Pecans. Grown and shipped right from the Little Eva Orchard, our pecans are so delicious you’ll wish you had your own orchard.