Would anyone happen to know of a nursery in MA/NH/VT/ME that sells filbert trees ready to plant? All I've been able to find is online bare root stuff, and there are specific shipping dates for those since they have to ship them dormant. I'd like to plant a bunch of them along the border to grow some protein. (I have no idea what the deer are going to think of them.)
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Having trouble finding filbert trees for sale and other uncommon trees
- Thread starter Prepper
- Start date
Yes, I mentioned that in the original post. I don't want bare root stuff that only ships when there's snow on the ground. I want an actual plant with a root ball and leaves on it. I'm pretty sure only a nursery would have something like that. But, every place I checked just has boring stuff like apples and peaches. I plan to get a few fruit trees, but what I really want are nuts since they can store a long time and are an unusual thing to grow. Everyone grows fruit... usually with lots of defects if not well cared for.
You may get lucky, and I hope you do, but edible filberts are not usually carried by nurseries. I just checked the catalogues of three largest wholesale suppliers in the NE and they only offer contorted filberts (Harry Lauder's Walking Stick) and purple leaved filberts (which are quite beautiful, but not what you want).
You may try giving Weston Nurseries a call. They have locations in Hopkinton and Chelmsford. They often have things that are hard to locate elsewhere. I tried to check their availability online, but their availability link is broken.
Whatever you do, please buy filberts/hazelnuts that are specifically selected to be resistant to Eastern Filbert Blight. If you don't, they will likely catch the blight and die (In my experience, usually just when they are getting to a productive size). There are many improved cultivars of filbert/hazelnut that are resistant to the disease. Do a web search on this and learn about the disease so you know what varieties to look for. It would be a real disappointment to go through the effort of establishing a planting for nothing.
It is likely that you are going to have to wait a year and mail order some plants for spring delivery. In the past, I have mail ordered resistant filberts/hazelnuts for clients from Oikos and Raintree Nursery.
You may try giving Weston Nurseries a call. They have locations in Hopkinton and Chelmsford. They often have things that are hard to locate elsewhere. I tried to check their availability online, but their availability link is broken.
Whatever you do, please buy filberts/hazelnuts that are specifically selected to be resistant to Eastern Filbert Blight. If you don't, they will likely catch the blight and die (In my experience, usually just when they are getting to a productive size). There are many improved cultivars of filbert/hazelnut that are resistant to the disease. Do a web search on this and learn about the disease so you know what varieties to look for. It would be a real disappointment to go through the effort of establishing a planting for nothing.
It is likely that you are going to have to wait a year and mail order some plants for spring delivery. In the past, I have mail ordered resistant filberts/hazelnuts for clients from Oikos and Raintree Nursery.
Try Fedco (http://www.fedcoseeds.com) in Waterville, Maine
Mail order plants are shipped in the early spring after the snow melts, but before everything leafs out. So you missed your ordering window by about a month. In general, nut trees are not carried by local nurseries because they have a long tap root that doesn't lend itself to being grown in a container for any length of time. They are usually grown in narrow but deep rooting pots and sold very young and very small. Filberts being somewhat of an exception because they are more like a bush.
I forgot to add "One Green World" to your mail order nursery list for next year. https://www.onegreenworld.com/Filbert/377/ They offer three of the latest blight resistant filbert varieties, as well as other unusual edibles.
Nurseries usually carry only the most popular items. So you might have to go with something online. Most places guarantee their plants.
There are some wild filberts in the woods near our house. Seems like the squirrels get to them before I do.
Also look into some native nut trees. I had someone find some butternuts for me. I planted them in pots to get a good start and got 6 little trees last year.
There are some wild filberts in the woods near our house. Seems like the squirrels get to them before I do.
Also look into some native nut trees. I had someone find some butternuts for me. I planted them in pots to get a good start and got 6 little trees last year.
I hate to be a downer, but I lost four large (30+ year old) butternuts last year to Butternut Canker. My one remaining tree is infected and will die within a year. The disease is wiping out all the native butternuts in MA. These introduced diseases and pests are a very serious threat to our native plants. There are currently no resistant butternut strains offered in the trade. Elms and native chestnuts are effectively gone. Ash are dying by the thousands in my town. With a twenty plus year timeframe before the first real nut harvest for butternut, I would suggest something else. I have had good luck with Chinese Chestnut, which is resistant to the Chestnut Blight. The OP should have reasonable nut production within five years.
They are sweet nut and taste like every edible chestnut. They are slightly larger than the native chestnut. They have a pretty white bloom, which is a bonus. Their nut husks are spiked. They are another plant you will likely only find through mail order, so you might want to stick to the filberts or do both.
All nuts will need a pollinator, so if you end up with named clones be sure to buy at least two varieties since the named clones can't pollinate the same clone.
Good luck and have fun fighting the squirrels for pole position come harvest time.
From the New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands Forest Health Section webpage: http://www.nhdfl.org/forest-health/butternut-restoration-roject.aspx
"Most butternut dies within 15 years of infection and virtually all known populations of butternut are now infected." (Their map suggests a 99% infection rate)
This is kind of why I am pushing blight resistant filbert varieties on the OP. Basically the same sort of thing is wiping out the native non-resistant filberts. It is only a matter of time...
Around here it would be filbert-fed squirrel & chipmunk - mmmmm.
They stand there by the shrubs just waiting for each nut to be perfectly ripe - then make off with it.
The birds do the same thing with my blueberries.... Green, still there. Ripe, they are gone.
Looks like I am out of luck for filberts this year. Oh well. I got some elderberries today and will get some fruit trees in the next couple weeks.
FYI Chinese Chestnut trees are on sale at Gurney's today. http://www.gurneys.com/product/supe...2987093&utm_source=em&utm_medium=spec&lm=gurn
A lot of other fruit trees are on sale until June 2. If you want to start your orchard for low $$ this might be the way. Especially if you don't mind waiting a year or two for the plants to mature.
A lot of other fruit trees are on sale until June 2. If you want to start your orchard for low $$ this might be the way. Especially if you don't mind waiting a year or two for the plants to mature.
mousegunguy
NES Member
OKIOS tree corp., edible landscaping and Raintree all carry specific variatials that will produce much better than the wild ones. You need ones that are resistant to filbert blight.
MetalgodZ
NES Member
Try Sylvan in Westport. - http://www.sylvannursery.com/
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