Hazelnut

Plant family

- others -

Season Overview

Details

Seeding distance

300 cm

Row spacing

300 cm

Seeding depth

Not specified

Instructions

Description

Hazelnuts are shrubs that can grow to the size of a tree. The native common hazel is quite vigorous and soon reaches heights and widths of 10 meters. However, there are also smaller forms such as the corkscrew hazel. The leaves of some varieties are also dark red in color and can therefore be visually striking. Most sources describe the hazel as a shallow rooter, some as a heart-rooter. Apparently, it also sprouts a taproot with lateral shoots up to 4m deep into the ground under its plate-like root network (closest to 30-40cm below the ground). In addition to the tasty nuts, the several meter long canes are also useful in the garden, as their robust wood can be used to make compost heaps, trellises and fences or simply perfect skewers for stick bread. The light-colored wood is tough and can be bent very easily. It is easy to split and very homogeneous and is therefore often used for woodturning. The young leaves are edible and can be found in some tea blends. In the past, it was also cut for animal feed. The autumn leaves decompose quickly and are therefore well suited for leaf compost. Truffles and porcini mushrooms are also likely to be found in the vicinity of hazelnuts. The hazel is the first native deciduous plant to flower and is therefore an important source of food for insects. Many butterfly caterpillars also like to eat them and birds and squirrels feel at home in the dense foliage. Unless you live as a hermit, it is worth talking to your neighbors before planting, as many people are now allergic to hazel pollen. The hazel produces plenty of it. If a dry wind blows through the shrub at the right time, the drooping catkins release veritable swathes of yellow pollen.

Growing tips

Hazel bushes are very easy to cut (even down to the stem) and are therefore often used in hedges. It can be propagated very easily by freshly cut cuttings, which is an additional advantage for planting in hedges. However, you should bear in mind that the unbranched annual shoots can grow several meters long over the year. If space is limited, e.g. in an allotment, you should therefore think carefully about the choice of variety. Ideally, hazel grows in fresh, humus-rich, loamy to stony, preferably calcareous soil in sunny locations. However, it is also happy with partial shade and normal soil.