Our Hazelnut Orchard
ESTABLISHING THE ORCHARD
Our 1200 hazelnut trees were mostly planted in 2008. We carefully planned the orchard, considering the best hazelnut varieties for this location.
For reasons of biosecurity, and to avoid monoculture, we opted to plant the trees in two separate orchards about 500m apart.
For reasons of biosecurity, and to avoid monoculture, we opted to plant the trees in two separate orchards about 500m apart.
Every tree was hand-planted in a hole dug by spade. It was provided with great care for the first five years of its life, hand-weeded, and mulched in summer. The suckers were manually pruned.
CARING FOR THE TREES
We are intentionally small-scale. Our small number of trees allows us to care for each one individually.
We conduct regular soil and leaf tests to determine if any essential nutrients are lacking, and we take remedial action if needed. We also apply lime to adjust the pH to the hazelnuts' preferred level.
We have never used herbicides to kill the grass growing under the trees. Instead, we allow it to grow, keeping it manageable via frequent mowing in spring and summer.
We conduct regular soil and leaf tests to determine if any essential nutrients are lacking, and we take remedial action if needed. We also apply lime to adjust the pH to the hazelnuts' preferred level.
We have never used herbicides to kill the grass growing under the trees. Instead, we allow it to grow, keeping it manageable via frequent mowing in spring and summer.
As hazelnuts do not grow well in windy conditions, we've planted many other kinds of trees as protection for the hazels. Oak trees, for instance, have been planted along the perimeter of the north orchard to shield the nut trees from warm, northerly winds. Hazelnuts traditionally grow as under-story plants next to large oaks. Native species have been planted in both orchards for additional wind protection.