WHAT TO DO NOW

Now is a good time to order nut trees to plant over winter. The most reliable croppers are walnuts, chestnuts and hazelnuts, and you’ll find plenty of choice at the Agroforestry Research Trust (agroforestry.co.uk), including the Japanese walnut, called the heart nut because its nuts are heart shaped in cross section. For smaller gardens, hazelnuts or cobnuts are best. They can be grown as individual open trees for increased nut harvest or as useful sheltering hedges. For an edible but ornamental garden plant, ‘Red Filbert’ is a fast growing, heavy cropper with reddishbronze leaves, or ‘Kentish Cob’ is another good cropper, with medium-sized nuts. Pollination of hazelnut trees is not that straightforward so be sure to plant at least two cultivars that are compatible pollinators.