How to Grow Hazelnut Trees

How to Grow Hazelnut Trees Corylus spp.

One of the things I was most eager for when I became a homeowner was finally having the space and time to grow my own fruit and nut trees.

I was especially excited when I learned that hazelnut trees (also known as filberts) only take three to five years until the first harvest comes in.

Hazelnuts are relatively quick and easy to grow, they don’t require as much space as other nut trees, and they produce sweet, delicious nuts each summer.

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Ready to grow your own? I bet you are!

Read on to learn the ins and outs of growing hazelnut trees.

There are several different species in the Corylus genus, many of which produce the edible nuts we know as hazelnuts or filberts.

Hazels are typically categorized as members of the birch family, Betulaceae, though some botanists have further split them into a subfamily called Corylaceae.

C. avellana, the European or common hazelnut, C. maxima, often referred to as the giant filbert, and C. americana, the American filbert or hazelnut, are a few of the most commonly grown varieties.

Depending on species, hazelnuts typically range from eight to 20 feet tall with a 15-foot spread, and can be grown as shrubs or small trees in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 9.

Since they are fairly compact and can be pruned easily, these are a great choice if you don’t have a ton of space for growing trees.

They have fuzzy, heart-shaped, serrated leaves that are a few inches in length, and produce showy yellow catkins in the early spring, followed by large nuts encased in papery husks in the late summer or fall.

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