Dwarf... nuts?

I have a dwarf lemon tree, a dwarf orange tree, two dwarf apple trees... but is there a dwarf nut tree?

I am in a wheelchair and like being able to care for these trees, as well as harvest the fruit, myself. I am not 'dwarf-obsessed' but I was wondering if there is such a thing as dwarf nut tree with edible nuts (or should I hang my head in shame for asking a truly stupid question?)?

Hazel nuts come to mind.

And, there is a dwarf variety of hazelnut? Do you know how big they get? Where I can get more info?

BassetMom,
Raintree lists "Reliable" as an almond that "is easily maintained at about 12' tall". It is also self-fertile, USDA 5-9. It's not a 'true' almond, but a seedling hybrid of peach and almond.
Suzi :)

I'm looking for a TINY dwarf tree. My apple trees don't grow more than 6ft and can be kept in a pot. Anything that small?

http://www.naturehills.com/new/product/productdetails.aspx?proname=Hazelnut&ovchn=GGL&ovcpn=Trees&ovcrn=Hazelnut&ovtac=PPC I have never had the bushes get over 10 feet, but I let them spread out. If pruned to a single trunk they may get taller.

I wonder, if I kept it potted, would it stay small but still bear the nuts for me?

Your hubby can prob keep the hazelnut that Farmerdill found, trimmed back to 6'. ~ Suzi

I think I'll give it a try (thanks to both of you). I am really enjoying my new little trees (and my potted blueberry). Give accessible gardning a whole new meaning for me!

BassettMom,
I know, you could get help from family, BUT, I know it is more fun to do it yourself! Maybe that is why every tree I plant is a dwarf one! I can't see having to have someone climb it for me, and can't climb them myself anymore! Besides, like someone else said on one of these threads here, smaller trees are easier to net + keep the birds away! LOL ~ Best of luck w/yours! ~ Suzi :)

Another possibility is the Chinquapin. This site has some great pictures but a bad service rep. http://www.aaronscanna-amaryllis.com/chinquapin/index.shtml These have traditionally been 4 -5 foot bushes, but I have only dealt with wild ones. Better flavor than modern chestnuts and I have been told that they are similar in flavor to the native American chesnut which was wiped out by the blight just before I was born.

Thanks, FarmerDill!

And, yes, briarrose, it is always better when I can do it myself! That is the point of all this, after all, is finding ways to stay independent.

Has anyone had success with the hazelnut trees in zone 8? How long before they start producing? Is it too late to order and plant one? Thanks for any help.

If your zone 8 is anything like mine, You will need to plant them in the late fall or mid winter. Usually takes three or four years for Hazelnuts.

Barb,
Saw this and thought of you!! It is a 1986 article on miniature fruit and nut trees from Mother Earth News. Since then, I am SURE there has been a ton of advancement, but thought this article might still be of interest to you. Did you get any min nut tree? ~ Suzi :)

No minis. But, I did get a pecan tree and we are going to see if we can't grow it in a container to control its size a bit...

Barb

Good luck, let me know how it works out... Suzi :)

BassetMom,

Before it was chopped down last year due to hurricane damage, a pecan tree at Mount Vernon was 140 feet tall. Pecan trees spend the first 2 or 3 years establishing their root system. Then growth is several feet a year. Trying to contain a tree whose ultimate height is 70' to 100' feet will only result in the tree's death. Will you have room in you yard for a tree that big?

Our native pecan trees are close to 100' tall. They were here when we bought the ranch and too far from the faucet to water, but they don't need extra watering as I'm sure the tap root reached the ground water ages ago. Our water table averages 40'

140' Tall??!! WOW!! I sure hope Barb got a dwarf! ~ Suzi :)

Well, now, that is NOT good news. Yes, I could put a tree that tall in but I didn't really want to... Then, again, gardening is about what the plants need, not what I want...

Barb

Hazels probably come closest to fitting the bill of a 'dwarf' nut tree. However, unless you're limited for space, since you'd be harvesting the nuts from the ground after they drop, you needn't limit yourself to a 'dwarf' nut tree. If you've planted a species or variety that requires much in the way of pruning or spraying, a non-wheelchair-bound person doesn't really have much in the way of an advantage over you - they'd still have to have a substantial spray apparatus!

There are a couple of dwarf hickory selections - Chetopa and Casey - the original Chetopa shellbark was only about 8 ft tall and producing heavily when discovered, but has since been destroyed by development.
Garfield Shults, of Homedale, Idaho, has selected a seedling strain of Carpathian walnuts that are genetic dwarfs. I have one seedling that is about 7 ft tall after being in the ground nearly 9 years - more of a vigorous 'bush' than a tree.

LuckyPittman
That is interesting!! Would be able to be grown in so many more places! Where would you get them?

I had a choice here, plant only 1-2 bigger or lots of dwarf fruit trees... picked lots of littles, of course! ~ Suzi :)

OIKOS Tree Crops (www.oikostreecrops.com) offers a number of seedling hazels (and hybrids), as well as seedling nut trees - they used to have the Shults dwarf strain of Carpathian walnut available, but I've not checked lately. I'd forgotten all about the chinkapins - OIKOS also carries some of those.
You might be able to contact Garfield Shults direct and get seedlings or stratified seednuts from him - I don't have his contact info handy, but you might be able to find it somewhere at the Northern Nutgrowers Assn. website (www.northernnutgrowers.org).
Nolin River Nut Tree Nursery (www.nolinnursery.com) has the Chetopa dwarf shellbark hickory - might also have Casey , but they don't list it, and it looks like they're sold out of a bunch of their stuff until 2008.

LuckyPittman,
Thanks! I just sent Barb a D-mail letting her know, but doubt that she is up to monitoring that either.

Will try to call her again in near future. Her MS has been keeping her down, bigtime! ~ Suzi :)

AAACCCKKK!
As I was scrolling back up the thread, I noticed Farmerdill had linked "Aaron's Canna's" - avoid these folks like the plague - they're merely an incarnation of the god-awful, infamous Nursery at TyTy - may the fleas of a thousand stray dogs infest their underwear!

Farmerdill might be OK if he/she visits the nursery in person and picks out a live plant, but if you order something by mail from these folks, be prepared to be disappointed - if you get anything more than a dead stick with no roots. Refunds? Forget about it - They'll want you to return the dead plant with a copy of your invoice, pay the freight to get it to them, and then, you can still forget about a replacement(another dead stick?) or refund.

However, the TyTy online catalog is fun reading if you're into really cheesy doctored photos, outlandish claims, and outright lies.

Chinkapin is an excellent suggestion. I went out and rolled an empty wheelchair around the ones here and found that lots of bearing branches are at eye level. Trees grown in the open seem to be more upright, so if you have a part shade area they stay more flat.

One problem I have is that the critters watch them closer than I do. I don't expect any nuts on the ground, if they fall at night they aren't there in the morning. But some bird has also learned to like them, I don't know what for bird it is, but it is the only explanation. As soon as the burr opens to allow for passage of a thin dime, the nut vanishes. I have resorted to going out every morning and every evening and wresting them from their spiney burr with needle nose pliers. Even then my take is somewhat less than 50%.

Since the limbs are too flimsy to support a squirrel, and deer can't suck them out of the burr, raccoons would not leave the burr on the tree and other mammals can be excluded, the thieves must be airborne. Maybe a Blue Jay? Mockingbird?, although the nuts are plenty big for a mockingbird.