Are you growing anything "unconventional" for the

CountingDown · Post by **CountingDown** » 26 Mar 2009, 21:03

RenewableCandy wrote:I just heard today that there exists such a thing as small-rootstock walnut trees...(Ferna and Lara) and chestnuts (Maraval)WANT WANT WANT (there doesn't seem to be a toddler-having-screaming-tantrum emoticon)

oooh - small sweet chestnut trees - I'd be up for that.

CountingDown · Post by **CountingDown** » 27 Mar 2009, 09:38

Here is Sweet Chestnut "Regal" - only gets to 5m

And "Maraval" is available here, here, and here - although no details on height.

sam_uk · Post by **sam_uk** » 27 Mar 2009, 10:52

Not cheap, but I just found this site

They sell Lara
http://www.graftedwalnuts.co.uk/lara.ihtml

Personally I like the look of Rita.
http://www.graftedwalnuts.co.uk/rita.ihtml

Or perhaps Broadview
http://www.graftedwalnuts.co.uk/broadview.ihtml

RenewableCandy · Post by **RenewableCandy** » 27 Mar 2009, 18:09

Walnut warning: apparently like rhododendrons they suffuse the surrounding soil with something that stops owt else from growing (said a friend of mine who found this out from experience). We've therefore had to kick them into touch as a possibility here at Chateau Renewable.

CountingDown · Post by **CountingDown** » 27 Mar 2009, 19:59

Was just watching "Farm for the Future", on which they said that we should be growing nuts rather than cereals, and said that a Sweet Chestnut has about the same nutritional value as rice. - Interesting!

RenewableCandy · Post by **RenewableCandy** » 27 Mar 2009, 20:06

Yes apparently the "calories per Ha" are about the same for chestnut trees as they are for things like wheat (I mean before that supersuper 12Tonnes per Ha lark). And none of that faffing about with ploughs, diesel, and topsoil blowing away.

"Nuts...you'd be nuts not to!"

CountingDown · Post by **CountingDown** » 27 Mar 2009, 20:23

Now I've just got to find some non-20m varieties that'll work in our spot.

Have just been writing a post about cooking with Acorns - apparently makes really nice, sweet flour. (After lots of soaking)

JohnB · Post by **JohnB** » 27 Mar 2009, 20:33

RenewableCandy wrote:Yes apparently the "calories per Ha" are about the same for chestnut trees as they are for things like wheat (I mean before that supersuper 12Tonnes per Ha lark). And none of that faffing about with ploughs, diesel, and topsoil blowing away.

"Nuts...you'd be nuts not to!"

And you can grow other crops and/or graze animals between the trees, giving an even greater yield off the land

CountingDown · Post by **CountingDown** » 27 Mar 2009, 22:09

JohnB wrote:
RenewableCandy wrote:Yes apparently the "calories per Ha" are about the same for chestnut trees as they are for things like wheat (I mean before that supersuper 12Tonnes per Ha lark). And none of that faffing about with ploughs, diesel, and topsoil blowing away.

"Nuts...you'd be nuts not to!"
And you can grow other crops and/or graze animals between the trees, giving an even greater yield off the land

Very true - anybody know a good book on forest gardening?

JohnB · Post by **JohnB** » 27 Mar 2009, 22:47

andrew-l wrote:Very true - anybody know a good book on forest gardening?

83 results on DODGY TAX AVOIDERS. I've got Patrick Whitefield's "How to Make a Forest Garden". You want to read up on agroforestry too.

greengauge · Post by **greengauge** » 28 Mar 2009, 17:35

Patrick Whitefield's Book (How to make a forest garden) is really informative and well worth the read.

Has anyone got any experience of forest gardening?

Post by **kenneal - lagger** » 29 Mar 2009, 03:37

greengauge wrote:Patrick Whitefield's Book (How to make a forest garden) is really informative and well worth the read.

Forest Gardening by Robert Hart is the original in this country.

Has anyone got any experience of forest gardening?

Yes, but the deer trashed all our plantings. So now we've eaten some of the deer we're going to try again.

CountingDown · Post by **CountingDown** » 29 Mar 2009, 07:59

kenneal wrote: Yes, but the deer trashed all our plantings. So now we've eaten some of the deer we're going to try again.

Doesn't that just mean that you have venison as one of the outputs of your forest garden

Catweazle · Post by **Catweazle** » 29 Mar 2009, 12:37

Ben Laws book " A permaculture approach to woodland management" has helped me a lot. He manages Sweet Chestnut coppice and harvests other nuts and fruit from within his woods. The list I posted at the start of this thread came largely from his work plus a couple of suggestions from English Nature.

The Chestnut yield varies in the UK, some years a tree can apparently produce 200kg but I haven't seen anywhere near that much from a single tree since I bought the woods in 2006. Our "native" (read common) Sweet Chestnuts produce 2 or 3 smallish nuts per fruit but they're very tasty, just a bit more effort than the Marron type with one large nut.

With an eye on nut crops I am subtly altering the makeup of my woods to favour more large "standards" and slightly less coppice, the balance is quite important if you want a good mix of food and timber.

chris25 · Post by **chris25** » 29 Mar 2009, 15:35

I have planted 2 grafted sweet chestnut trees this year and plan on grafting 5 more trees (whether this works or not I dont know!).

Apparently they are fantastic yielders.

*only trouble* is the flour from them won't rise at all.

I tried bread... no luck at all, even 60/40 with whole wheat was poor
Pasta does not work, even 70/30 with wheat:chestnut was very hard to work, 80:20 just about does it.
Biscuits were mediocre
Pancakes were fantastic though, in actual fact it made the best pancakes I have ever tasted

. Wheat flour was not even required.

*oh and to add, you can make "survival bread" with chestnut flour. It requires no kneading or rolling (as when you roll 100% chestnut dough it crumbles apart entirely), all you do is make your dough and press it against your fingers to make a thin sheet, cook at a very hot temperature quickly (this stops it crumbling). You will have something resembling piter bread.

PowerSwitch

Are you growing anything "unconventional" for the

Grafted walnuts 2-3 year fruiting