Tom Glasgow
As any gardener knows, fruit, vegetable and nut crops don’t develop overnight.
Some develop faster than others, but in all cases it’s a process, and a lot of things have to play out “just right”. Or at least reasonably close to just right.
Development of a pecan crop is a particularly lengthy process. According to an article from New Mexico State University (Growth and Development of Pecan Nuts,
Herrera, 2005), there are two phases to this process. Phase I occurs from pollination in the spring to shell hardening sometime in the summer. Phase II occurs from shell hardening until the mature shuck splits. Kernel development takes place during this second phase.