After the acorn germinates, it is still very tasty so leave the enclosure over the seedlings for the entire first growing season. Oak seeds germinate in May. Make a fully screened, 30 cm high enclosure with half inch mesh chicken wire so that the mice, squirrels, chipmunks, and human feet can't get to them (ensure that the mice and chipmunks can't dig under the enclosure by burying a 2x4 frame that the screened enclosure fits on). Plant them on their side at a depth of twice the thickness of the seed (a guide for virtually all seeds). Locate a lightly shaded part of the garden and plant healthy seeds within a few days of gathering them. Pick acorns from low branches or from the ground in September when they are starting to change colour from green to reddish-brown and some of them are starting to drop. Growing Oak Trees: Most oaks produce seed only on alternate years.Do not let acorns dry out for more than a week. Healthy seeds will sink after soaking for 12 hours in water while dead, weeviled seeds tend to float. Acorns that are still on the tree when others are on the ground tend to be weevil-free seeds. Sometimes weevils (an insect) eat the insides of the acorns and produce a partly or entirely brown, powdery interior. Also, look for the tiny embryo at the pointed end. You can pick some up for growing at home or plant some at the edge of the woods but first break a few open to look inside. During light crop years, the squirrels will consume the crop by mid-September.
During heavy crop years, acorns can be found on the ground from mid-September to early October. Perhaps native peoples also planted acorns in centuries past. The acorns of white oak were eaten by early peoples as a food staple. Perhaps the squirrel is instinctively planting some trees for future generations of squirrels. If the squirrel forgets where it buried all of the acorns, some acorns may grow into trees that could live for up to 300 years. Acorns: In nature, squirrels gather acorns to eat and some will be buried or cached for later.
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