By PAUL WHEATON
You can spot where the old homesteads are in Montana as you will likely find a stand of black locust trees. I’m surprised we don’t see more black locust here as they have to be one of the most useful trees ever.
They are famous in permaculture circles as a “nitrogen fixer.” Another way of looking at this is that they provide free fertilizer to neighboring plants.
They have tiny leaves which create a dappled shade under the tree – perfect for other plants that choose to grow near a black locust. Plus the leaves come out late in the season, allowing time for the sun to warm the soil in the spring. In other words, this tree is excellent at caring for other plants.
The wood from the tree may very well be the best wood that can grow in our area for anything outdoors. Fence posts, patio furniture, sheds, trellises, animal shelters … they can all last for a hundred years without any paint, stain, or other wood preservative – far longer than cedar.
As this video points out, black locust provides excellent bee fodder, grows rapidly, and even makes excellent tools (isn’t Brian’s hay rake awesome?). Note, because it doesn’t rot quickly, I don’t recommended it for the inside of hugelkultur beds but I have used it for the borders.
When folks ask me about what to use for a raised bed border, I always say “stone.” And if that is in short supply, I have a long list of what not to use: railroad ties, treated wood, cedar, black walnut …. but in this scenario black locust is the mystery jewel.
In fact, because it lasts so long, farmers called it “stone wood.” I use it for my raised beds. We know it contains 4% fungicide by weight so often the concern is whether it is safe for whatever is growing in one’s beds, but the natural fungual component is pretty tightly locked up inside of the wood, keeping the growies happy.
Missoula’s Mark Vander Meer says that black locusts are under-appreciated trees. Yes, they are exotic and invasive though not too invasive here. He shares that they are tougher than hickory (so use the wood when half green, too aged and you won’t be able to drive a nail through it) and, black locust makes great firewood, buring clean and hot.
It is certainly known to have several toxic components that affect the gastrointestinal and nervous systems, which is why concerns over animal safety often accompany this tree. In my experience, if critters have lots of other things to choose from, they will eat that which is best for them so having black locust trees in the area isn’t a huge problem.
Our friends at Inspiration Farm have managed their goats, exposing them to small amounts of the black locust tree leaves, bark and branches, to no ill-effect. This is one of those complicated things where it has been proven to be toxic and at the same time, it has been proven to be an excellent feed source to certain animals. Identical to another legume, alfalfa – alfalfa has been proven to be toxic but is also one of our primary feeds.
I strongly suggest that people collect a handful of black locust seeds and plant them on their land.
Paul Wheaton is is the tyrannical ruler of two on-line communities. One is about permaculture and one is about software engineering. There is even one for Missoula. Paul has written several permaculture articles starting with one on lawn care that he presented at the MUD Project 17 years ago, including articles on raising chickens, cast iron and diatomaceous earth. Paul also regularly uploads permaculture videos and permaculture podcasts. In his spare time, Paul has plans for world domination and is currently shopping for a hollowed out volcano in the Missoula area, with good submarine access.
See all of Paul’s contributions to Make it Missoula here.
Joseph and I went back and forth over the use of black locust for awhile. He wanted them because they’re so useful for coppice, fenceposts and nitrogen fixers. I complained about the thorny bark. He won the discussion and I begrundgingly backed down. Then I read about how many flowers they put out and that they are a HUGE source of nectar and pollen for honeybees (and other pollinators).
I’m a woman. I get to change my miind. Now I’m a big fan of the black and honey locusts.
A few years ago Joseph saw a huge locust with a recent split down the middle. It had been hit by lightning the previous day so he stopped in and offered to the elder farmer to help him take it down in exchange for removing the wood. Both of them thought it was a great deal.
Joseph cut the trunk and limbs into 8′ straight sections and then split them to make fence posts. He painted the ends so they didn’t dry out too fast and check, then stuck them aside in a shed for a year to dry out. Before we put them in the ground as fence posts, he made a fire and charred the bottom of each post. That is a non-toxic way to further prevent the bottoms from rotting out. Now that they’re acting as fence posts, we figure they’ll last a few decades.
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Whats awesome is that the fear of thorny bark is from the honey locust! So you both have nothing but positives to think of when it comes to this great great tree. There are thornless varieties of honeylocust but Ive read that 25% of their seedlings will come up as thorny. I plant both though because those HL pods are great for animal food. Congrats on the great find.
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“You can spot where the old homesteads are in Montana as you will likely find a stand of black locust trees. ”
I grew up in eastern MT and can’t ever remember seeing a locust tree. Russian Olives though were very common homestead trees.
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Although a legume, ive heard they tend to be a greedy feeder. never grown any here. The thorns might be a danger for horses. I like the idea of pollen and nectar. Good wood is always a plus, and an edible-ish.
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Just one question. Who can supply true black locust seed? My family home had a honey locust tree in El Paso, Texas when I was a young child. Mom got tired of the huge thorns and cut it down. As I recall, it thrived in the dry hot desert.
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Just one question. Who can supply true black locust seed? My family home had a honey locust tree in El Paso, Texas when I was a young child. Mom got tired of the huge thorns and cut it down. As I recall, it thrived in the dry hot desert.
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My understanding is that shipmast locust is a variety of black locust.
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