Selfsufficientish.com

I want to grow hazelnuts or cobnuts and am looking for help before I buy a tree (or two??).

We have a small backyard with one border as yet without much in it. Also an allotment. The allotment rules say no trees except fruit trees on dwarf stock (aiming to be no taller than 10 ft at most) - but I'm hoping that we could get away with a nut tree as being quite like a fruit tree!

Our local 'green' garden centre (Hulme Community Garden Centre in Manchester) has ordinary hazel trees, Kentish cobs and another called Pearson's Prolific (or Nottingham Cob). They have a coppiced Kentish Cob in their garden which looks v nice and produced nuts for the first time in this, its sixth year. It is grown with its roots restricted, inside rubber tyres.

So my questions are:

Is it right that coppicing doesn't deter (or in fact encourages) nut production?

How tall will a coppiced tree grow?

Is a standard hazel (i.e. corylus avelana) bigger than a Kentish Cob or the Nottingham Cob?

Are they equally suitable for coppicing?
Will they both produce plenty of nuts?
Are the cobs more suitable than the hazel for growing in a restricted space?
How long can you store cobnuts for? Am I right in thinking you don't dry them as you do hazels?
Is it easy to dry hazelnuts for storing?

What a lot of questions. Will carry on my internet searching for guidance, but anything that anyone knows will be very gratefully accepted.

thanks and best wishes

and another question!

Do I need more than one tree for pollination - saw this somewhere in relation to hazels, but can't remember where

I'm not sure about the cobs, but the hazelnuts I've seen have always been bushes, not trees.

-Ellendra

I just have wild hazel trees. One we coppiced 2 years ago is now about 12 foot high and wide! They do grow quickly when they are cut.

Hi
I have never grown hazel or cobs trees as we are lucky enough to have them growing wild around us. However although I have been eating them for more than 50 years it wasn't until a few weeks ago watching some TV programme (can't think of the chaps name) that I realised they can be roasted. I tried a few in a chestnut pan over in the woodburner and was amazed at how good they taste.

I have recently purchased 7 acres on the West Coat of New Zealand. I am now researching a suitable main crop for 5 acres and am favouring hazelnuts or cranberries. Any information or suggestions would be appreciated.

I can't help you there but would just like to say welcome to the forum!

Welcome to Kiwiland! Give the hazels a go mebee, cranberies need a lot of water by all acounts - i'll ry find beta info to give you at a later date. Try googling "natural food hub" and you might get some helpfull info