Pruning the hazelnuts

A couple of weeks ago, my husband's brother Ari was here to stay. We were lucky with the weather, and took advantage of two sunny days to prune and tidy up our 70+ hazelnut trees in the hazelnut orchard.


Neatly pruned hazelnuts, all ready to grow their leaves - and, hopefully, their nuts!

Before the pruning, you could hardly walk between them. This was a problem for nut collection, and a danger for the kids, who like to run between them on sunny days, and may have ended up with a branch in the eye!


One of five piles of hazelnut cuttings. The smaller stuff will be composted, the larger will go to the Guy Fawkes bonfire we're planning.

Now the branches are all tidy and the trees are easy to access.


Looking across the hazelnut orchard, to a flock of very spoiled free ranging hens, all out enjoying the evening. Click on the photo for a larger image, to see if you can spot them!

Of course, then Mother Nature had to go and throw a huge storm at us, which blasted almost all of the catkins off the trees. I'm not sure if we'll have much crop at all this season, if any.

Luckily we're not dependent on the hazelnuts for our livelihood - if we were, the storm would have been disastrous. As it is, it's just a big disappointment.

We're also just thankful we didn't get injured, and that everyone in Christchurch who suffered with the storm and with earthquakes is, as far as we know, safe and alive.

Sometimes it takes a little problem to help you realise what is really important.


Ari and I also tidied up the "swingle tree". Now I just need to adjust the swing, ready for summer fun for the kids.

Hazelnuts will grow again next season for us. But the people in Christchurch will take a lot longer to rebuild their homes and lives.

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