Growing Nuts At Home

Nuts are a very healthy food.  They are a pure source of protein as well as several trace vitamins and minerals. Eating a variety of nuts is good for practically everyone in the family. For example, studies show that eating a few walnuts every day considerably improves heart health.

However, nuts can be quite an expensive food item and they tend to go fast when you buy them. Fortunately, there is an answer and that is to grow your own.

This article is all about doing just that. Here we tell you about nut trees that are easy to grow. What you can grow depends a little on your climate, but you will be pleasantly surprised at how many nut trees will grow in a domestic garden.

Almonds

Almond trees do not like the frost. You need to plant them in a sheltered position. As well as producing a yearly crop of nuts these trees produce beautiful blossom and are a good source of food for bees. The Prunus Dulcis variety produces the best yield in a domestic setting.

Cob Nuts

Cobnuts are by far the easiest nut to grow domestically. They grow in most conditions. In fact, the only soil they will not grow well if the soil is too rich. Filberts and cobnuts can be grown as a hedge as well as a tree. They do best when planted in a sunny position.

There are several varieties all with subtle differences in taste. If you want something that looks a little different the purple leaved filbert bush Corylus Purpureus is a fantastic looking plant.

Sweet Chestnuts

These trees are stunning to look at. Once mature the trees take up quite a bit of space, so you need to bear this in mind. You will not get a good harvest every year, but if the summer is hot you will be inundated with nuts, but they can easily be preserved for use throughout the year.

Walnuts

Many people are surprised to find out that they can grow walnuts in their garden. You usually have to buy two trees to ensure pollination, but there are some self-pollinating varieties available.

Given that you need to plant walnut trees around ten feet apart you need quite a large garden to enjoy your own walnuts. They like fertile soil that is well drained.

You have to wait a few years before the tree produces fruit. Speak to the nursery you buy from to find out how long you need to wait for your first harvest.

You can buy all of these trees online from websites like chrisbowers.co.uk. It is best to plant your trees quickly when you get them, so you should time your order to reflect this.

Bare root fruit trees can be planted during the winter months. They need to be in a dormant state when they are planted.

Pot grown fruit trees can be planted from late autumn through to early May. These trees can be kept in the pot until you are ready to plant them, but you need to take care of them if you plan to do this.