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A Beginner’s Look at Growing Hazelnuts in Your Backyard Orchard

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Jonathon Engels, a long-time vegetarian turned vegan, is currently on a trip from Guatemala to... Read More

Of the nut-producing options for edible landscaping, hazelnuts are one of the best options for rural, suburban, and even urban lawns. Unlike other nut trees, they don’t require a lot of space, and they are also relatively quick producers. They are also attractive shrubs with serrated leaves, pretty catkins, and valuable wood.

But, the big draw to putting hazelnut is the food. Hazelnuts are nutrient-dense food with quality fat, protein, and fiber. They are also a great source of vitamin E, as well as minerals like manganese and copper. Lots of evidence suggest hazelnuts are a heart-healthy food, too, and they lower cholesterol levels.

As for plants, hazelnuts are known to be easy-growers, with the potential to propagate them from seeds or runners from existing plants. They are tolerant of most soil types as long as it is well-drained, and they grow in most places in the contiguous US, most compatible from USDA Zone 4 through 9.

Doesn’t that sound great? Doesn’t it seem like the perfect time to learn a little more about growing hazelnuts in the backyard?

Source: Freedom Cooking/YouTube

Hazelnuts as the Plant

Hazelnuts are members of the birch family, and there are several species of the genus Corylus which are considered hazelnuts, or filberts. European hazelnuts, American hazelnuts, and giant filberts are among the ones commonly grown.

Hazelnuts, depending on the species, tend to grow somewhere between 10 and 20 feet tall with a full fifteen-foot spread. They naturally grow as a shrub, with several smaller trunks, but they can be pruned to form a tree. Once established, a hazelnut plant will send out runners and for new shrubs to start.

They put out dangling yellow catkins (male part) and little red flowers (female part) in the spring with nuts to follow in the late summer/early fall. Because they flower so early, before insects are out and about, they are wind pollinated and produce much more prolifically when cross-pollinated with a supporting species.

Hazelnuts as the Nut

Shrubs can start providing harvests in as little as three years. Other nuts, like walnuts and pecans, can take up to ten years to get a harvest. They are typically harvested in August or September, about the time the leaves and burrs begin to change color.

Due to their relatively compact nature, hazelnut shrubs are also easy to harvest from. The mature nuts are quite cooperative about letting loose their grip and falling to the ground. Some growers simply go out and rake them up off the ground every few days.

Mature hazelnut plants will yield up to 20 pounds of nuts a year, between one and two gallons. After shucking them, the nuts should be left to dry for several days so that they store well. Fresh hazelnuts can be stored in the freezer for six months, or they can be roasted and stored for up to two years.

Source: Burnt Ridge Nursery/YouTube

Hazelnuts in the Orchard

Hazelnuts need at least 4 hours of sunlight to perform well. They are small, agreeable plants that work well as companions with the semi-dwarf and dwarf fruit trees found in most suburban backyard orchards.

Hazelnuts are resilient enough to be kept smaller, as a sort of understory if necessary. Because of their size, they are the best shot at adding a nut tree to the fruit orchard, and that means adding some protein and quality fat to home production.

They can also be good companion plants with smaller edible perennials like garlic and asparagus, and they’ll benefit from dynamic accumulators like comfrey and pollinator plants like clover.

Hazelnuts with Versatility

Aside from the food-giving qualities, hazelnuts are good three-season plants with early blooms, nice green leaves in the summer, and red-orange foliage in the fall. Because they expand via runners, they make great hedge plants—living fences—for the orchard.

Hazelnut wood has a deep history in forest craft. The coppiced branches are great for making wattle fencing. They can also be used in basket weaving. And, they make great walking sticks. Most nut trees make decent firewood as well.

Hazelnut leaves have been used medicinally for treating diarrhea and sore throats (leaf extracts), as well as applied topically for treating rashes, sunburns, and eczema.

Hazelnuts in Your Future

Farmers always say that the best time to plant a tree was ten years ago, so there’s little time to waste. Hazelnuts are a friendly addition to the orchard whether on the periphery or mixed amongst the fruit trees. They are going to be a winning choice for home orchardists.

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