Growing pistachio trees in France: the climate, soil and water they need
Cold winters, long dry summers, free-draining soil: what it takes to grow pistachio trees in France, with the key thresholds and their sources.
The orchard journal
The journal
What seven years in the orchard have taught us about pistachios, and what we are still finding out. For those who plant, and for those who taste.
Growing
For growers
Climate, grafting, varieties, yields: what to know before planting pistachio trees in France.
Planting a pistachio orchard: timing, spacing, cost and grants
When to plant, how far apart, how many males and on what budget: the figures for planting a hectare of pistachio trees in France, grants included.
Grafting pistachio trees: terebinth or UCB1, when and how
Terebinth or UCB1? Summer budding or nursery-grafted trees? Pistachio rootstocks compared, when to graft, and the success rates actually achieved.
Male and female pistachio trees: telling them apart, choosing varieties
Pistachio trees are either male or female. How to tell them apart, how many males to plant and which varieties to pair: Kerman, Sirora, Larnaka.
How long does a pistachio tree take to bear, and what does it yield?
First harvest after 5 to 7 years, full production around 10, 1 to 2.5 t per hectare depending on water: what a pistachio orchard yields, year by year.
The pistachio harvest: when, how, and the 24 hours that follow
Pistachios are harvested from late August to late September by shaking the trees. Signs of ripeness, same-day hulling, drying and sorting, step by step.
Understanding
French pistachios
Where they come from, why they are rare, and what their colour and price tell you.
Are pistachios grown in France? Where things stand in 2026
Yes: over 600 hectares planted since 2018, mostly in Provence, and about ten tonnes harvested in 2026. Regions, figures, history and limits.
Why are pistachios so expensive?
Seven years before the first harvest, a poor crop every other year, demand driven up by Dubai chocolate: what really sets the price of pistachios.
Why pistachios are open, green, pink or sometimes red
The shell splits on the tree, chlorophyll makes the kernel green, and the red was a dye: what a pistachio’s looks tell you about its quality.
Tasting
From the cupboard to the plate
Choosing, storing, cooking: the questions we are asked most often.
Provence pistachios: where to buy them, what they cost, how to check the origin
French pistachios sell mostly direct, at €50 to €120 a kilo, and almost only in autumn. Where to find them, how to read the label, what to check.
Storing pistachios: in the shell, shelled, as a cream
Cool, dry and airtight: how long pistachios keep in the shell, shelled, roasted or as a cream, in the cupboard, the fridge or the freezer.
Pistachio cream, paste, purée and praline: the differences and how to use them
100% pistachio purée, pastry paste, spread with 20% pistachio, praline: what each product contains, how to read the label and how to use it.
Pistachios: calories, portion size, health benefits, and what the evidence says
About 170 kcal in a 30 g handful, or around fifty pistachios. Nutrition facts, recommended portion, measured effects and who should be careful.
In the garden
For gardeners
A pistachio tree at home, in the ground or in a pot: what works and what doesn’t.
Growing a pistachio tree in your garden or in a pot: is it realistic?
Possible in the south of France, hard elsewhere: climate, soil, male and female trees, pots, growing from a nut. What works in the garden and what doesn’t.
Pistachio tree, mastic tree, terebinth: how to tell them apart
Three trees of the same genus, and only one bears pistachios. Leaves, size, fruit, uses: how to tell the true pistachio from the mastic tree and the terebinth.
Restocks and new products
The orchard letter
A product is back in stock, a new one comes out, the next harvest is near: you hear it first, by email. Nothing else.