Nut Trees - Walnut, Sweet Chestnut; which variety

Rebecca

I'd like to plant a few nut producing trees along the boundary of my field. I'm interested in Walnut and Sweet Chestnut but are there any particular varieties I should be looking for to suit our climate? Will I find them in most garden centres?

Are there any other trees that give an edible crop (besides the usual orchard and soft fruits).

birdie · Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 9:58 am Post subject:

You seen this post Rebecca http://www.gardenplansireland.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1426&highlight=black+walnut

greenman · Hazel Tree Joined: 28 Apr 2008 Posts: 3

I don't know about the sweet chestnut but a friend had a walnut tree and found it easily damaged by frosts

BlackBird · Ash Tree Joined: 25 Jan 2007 Posts: 208

cooler · Ash Tree Joined: 15 Jun 2006 Posts: 239

I see a good few Sweet Chestnut trees in gardens on my travels. Never really seen any fruit on them. I know for a fact though that you can easily order through garden centres Sweet Chestnut trees with a trunk girth up to 18 cms and a height of 16ft. This is in autumn and winter.

Rebecca · Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 10:32 am Post subject:

Thanks everyone.
I've discovered that there are several varieties thought suitable for our climate and I'd like to give it a go. I'm interested in creating a forest garden, using permaculture design theory which is why I'm researching edible crops.

We already have tons of wild elderflower .... I've 3 demijohns of elderflower wine brewing beside me as I type, 10 bottles of elderflower champagne (one exploded in the scullery thismorning!) and 20 bottles of elderflower cordial! Elderberry wine is next on the list. Hazel also grows well around here and I know of some in particular that crop well near a local lake. I'd be interested in planting a couple of bought varieties though that give larger nuts.

I've also heard about various nut trees that can be sold with truffle spores at the base ... perfect, I could use my pigs to hunt them out.

James Kilkelly, was GPI. · Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 3:09 pm Post subject:

Rebecca · Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 8:49 pm Post subject:

Let me see, I'll have to dig out the permaculture design course notes I got at the organic centre recently ... ok, here it is ... no actual variety named, it says grafted varieties give bigger nuts and that at the moment the jury is still out as to which ones will suit Irelands climate the best. Trials are ongoing and anybody wishing to experiment and feed back results are encouraged (that will be me then) but feedback to where exactly isn't explained. I would start by getting in touch with Graham Strouts who gave the course at the organic centre and who teaches full time at the practicable sustainability course in Kinsale further education college.
http://www.kinsalefurthered.ie/permaculture_course_level2.htm

I'll let you know in 15 years time which variety is doing best!

James Kilkelly, was GPI. · Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 8:54 pm Post subject:

Thanks for that Rebecca.

cobnuts · Hazel Tree Joined: 30 Jul 2009 Posts: 4

The latest trials on walnuts and chestnuts in Dartington in Devon ( SW England )suggest that Buccaneer and Broadview (walnut) are not particularly good choices for Ireland, in spite of them being the cultivars most often planted. Buccaneer in particular would be a poor choice. Some of the traditional varieties grown in the west of France are far better - cropping more heavily and showing much greater disease resistance in wet conditions. Re chestnuts, Marron de Lyon would NOT be an especially good choice either, there are better (French) varieties available. Also, it is important to realise that all nuts pollinate much better when there is a diversity of pollinators. I would recommend at least 3 different cultivars of each type of nut, and preferably 4 or 5 as some nut cultivars do not produce viable pollen.

For further info on the trials in Devon, see
http://www.agroforestry.co.uk.

The details of the trials can be found in some of the Trust's newsletters. The Trust also sells very detailed booklets on chestnut and walnut cultivation - recommended reading for all nut enthusiasts.

Rebecca · Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 12:23 pm Post subject:

Cobuts, top tips, thanks a million.

cobnuts · Hazel Tree Joined: 30 Jul 2009 Posts: 4

No worries Rebecca! We are fortunate that the Agroforestry Research Trust is doing such great work. on nuts There is also some valuable on-going research in Ireland but not as far advanced.

Based on the Dartington research , the best chestnuts for Ireland would probably be Bouche de Betizac, Bournette, Marigoule, Marlhac, Belle Epine (good pollinator), Vignois, and Rousse de Nay.

Best walnuts include Corne de Perigord, Ronde de Montignac, Franquette, Mayette, Fernette, Fernor and Ferjean, with Meylanaise and Parisiennne also worth a try.

On the same subject, cobnut trials by the Agroforestry Research Trust show Hall's Giant out there in front, with Pearson's, White Filbert, Webbs, Corabel and Cosford some distance back. Butler and Ennis were disappointing. Some recently popular cultivars such as Longue de Espagne and Fertile de Coutard were not included in the trials.

Pollination is a big issue with all nuts but. the outcome can be greatly improved by making sure there are bees or other insects around at flowering time: plant lots of flowers with similar flowering periods to the nut trees!

Rebecca · Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 1:07 pm Post subject:

Thanks again
We have a 13 acre oak wood plantation now 9 years old and doing well. It came with the house we bought 4 years ago and we intend to add some more species to increase the biodiversity. We'd also like to manage the woodland for charcoal production, fencing posts, etc and start a forest garden approach on the edges.
Hence the nut tree interests.
Been reading Ben Law with great interest too.
I lived in devon in the 90s and went to uni of Plymouth where I studied envtl sci.

cobnuts · Hazel Tree Joined: 30 Jul 2009 Posts: 4

Slight correction: On checking through the Dartington results, I found the walnut Ferjean had not done well - very poorly actually. Soleze was another good performer.

Rebecca, if you are interested in trialling nuts, you might find this of interest:

http://www.fruitandnut.ie/research.html

CW12CAT · Hazel Tree Joined: 09 Feb 2009 Posts: 17 Location: Wexford

I have a walnut tree about 6 years old, grown from seed. It is about 3.5ft tall. Mid spring to early summer it grows at a great rate and the leaves are beautiful and the tree is very healthy however mid summer the leaves start getting large brown spots and curling inward. This is ruining the look of the tree. I have tried spraying with malathion one year and a fungus spray the next year. Neither appears to be working. Try as I might I cannot find any bugs in the leaves. Anyone got any ideas?