Hawthorn, Hackberry, Hazelnut

[Suilleabhain]

Anyone have any experience with how well these grow, how fast to fruit and so on.

I have a large clearing with some apples and I want to jack it up a bit with berries and maybe these.

Already have a plot with rye, clover and turnip

Thanks

[wdswtr]

I read a few months back that the chestnut is also a great option. By the sounds of it the produce quite alot of crop. The way it sounded they will start producing nuts around the 5 year mark. Supposedly they are the go to nut for deer but since they got wiped out in the US many years ago not too many around unless they were planted. I will be ordering some for the spring myself.

[Suilleabhain]

That works for me. Thanks I'll look into them as well.

[wdswtr]

http://www.chestnuthillnursery.com/Dunstan-Chestnut-Trees-1918.Category.html?gclid=CJjjtv6P0KwCFcp65QodHxQdqg

Look here lots of info on the chestnut. Mature in 15 to 20 years produce in 5 over 1000 pounds of nuts per acre of trees.

[Suilleabhain]

Thank you again

[Joeambro25]

I purchased some chinese chestnut trees this year they produce sooner then the american(as soon as 4 years). i planrted them in buckets for this year and they grew over 2'. i will plant them in my plot next spring. http://edwardfortnurseries.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=56

[Fantail]

Chestnuts, interesting. Good links.

[burmjohn]

Yeah great idea, have to keep this in mind.

[G-Man]

Hazelnuts are good if you can keep the squirrels away from them, i prefer chestnuts myself, the are many varietys available, look for crosses with american though as it is truly a forest tree,while pure chineese are an orchard tree. The American chestnut foundation, wild turkey federation also have and sell seedlings as well. You can get pure american fron your countys soil and water conservation district as well. these will eventully die in 15-20 years but will produce and grow back from stumps readilly.

[scobar]

I have good luck with Hazelnut and bad luck with American chestnut. The American chestnut is very difficult to get established. I lost all 50 I planted to disease. Never tried the china ones but may give them a try. I still like apples as the favorite

[Suilleabhain]

I'm liking this the more I read. Squirrels! They taste as good as deer, I'll take it.

[wdswtr]

If you buy Chestnut trees you need to make sure they are blight tolerant. Remeber Blight is what wiped them out in the first place. Make sure you do your homework before just running out and getting them. I believe most need 2 different varieties to pollinate and produce the nuts. I will be going with the Dustan myself its a cross between teh american and chinese chestnut. Got to do a tad more homework yet to make sure whether this variety needs another to pollinate.

Edited December 2, 2011 by wdswtr

[bowhuntersully]

@$%%&@ squirrels... who cares about those tree rats. They'll be great for my kids to plink with the 22. What matters to me are which produce better and are easier to grow hazelnuts or chestnuts?

[Suilleabhain]

Sully, we related by chance?

[Lever action]

Consider planting sawtooth oaks,they grow fast and are supposed to produce acorns in less than 10yrs and deer and turkeys love them.

I planted some 3yrs ago and there are 8ft tall already.I havn't seen any acorns yet but hopefully soon.

[wdswtr]

I planted Sawtooth oaks about 8 years ago. Problem I have is unlike a Chestnut that produces nuts every year oaks are inconsitant crop bearing.

[G-Man]

Hazelnuts need alot of sun and great growing conditions ex..ph ballance..the deer and squirrels wiped most of mine out. i like the chestnut, were once considered a weed tree,as the grew in every hedge row. i have about 10 that have sprouted from squirrel planted nuts and at 4 years old? maybe 5 or 6 as i didnt plant them but noticed them 2 years ago produced some nuts this year, best of all they perfer acid soil so no extra soil prep! planted mine in an old pine plantation and they took off! Oaks can and do lose bud to from nuts due to a late frost besides being cyclical... most people think oak because they never saw or read up on chestnuts..in the 1800's 1 in every 4 trees was a chestnut!! oaks were only able to compete due to the loss of chestnut to blight... Maybe the passenger pigion wasn't just hunted to extinction but loss off food/ habitat..... lot of food dissapeared with the chestnut...

[bowhuntersully]

Sully, we related by chance?

Hmmmm... we might be rabbit, we might be

[G-Man]

back to topic, i have a easier time with chestnut as they are a tree and grow out of deer's eating hight, while the hazelnnut is a bush 10' high if they get a chance to grow.. deer eat mine down all the time.. Hawthorn are like an apple deer browse and need time to mature again sm tree needing sunlight. tought to compare tree's vs shrubs as most shrubs require full sun.