I bought a hazelnut....

[nickdub]

If you can find someone with a purple one, I'd recommend either layering or quite possibly you will be able to dig a sucker from near the base, as they often throw these from roots.

[It never rains..it pours]

Any tips on varieties. Planning to buy three and my research has listed Butler, Corabel, Nottingham (pearsons prlific), Gunslebert. My main criteria is yield along with taste but the later will probably be better than shop brought whatever variety. No squirrels here but clay soil and rain. Will improve the clay with manure, seaweed, compost, lime, gypsum, sharp sand

[nickdub]

my main tip would be not to plant them too close together, as they are liable to grow bigger than you expect them to - in fact it might be worth growing other crops between them for a few years to use the ground which would otherwise be empty.

[It never rains..it pours]

Thanks Nick, they are replacing 20ft conifers that are taking over too much food growing space, hopefully wont get to that size and at worst I believe they can be coppiced ?

[nickdub]

Coppicing is a well tried method for hazels but be aware that is for growing stakes, so wouldn't be appropriate for nut production - my hazel is about 25' tall but I don't bother pruning as the squirrels are too big a problem to over come anyway (so far).

Best bet I reckon for you would be to research how growers who do have orchards of hazels manage their trees - my guess for what its worth is that they bend some of the main branches down and thin out the centers of by pruning out new growth to keep them open

A few things will help I guess :- one is to get the trees in the ground as it will be a few years before you have to worry about details like fruiting plans; another is that hazels reproduce easily from layering, so once you have a certain variety it will be a quick job to grow more from that parent plant.

[It never rains..it pours]

Thanks Nickdub, "one is to get the trees in the ground as it will be a few years before you have to worry about details like fruiting plans" you have said this before on other threads and now having been at this game for a couple of years agree 101% that there is no beating getting things planted or potted as it a very good investment vs the cost of waiting and buying older ones. Now wish I had brought more things two years ago

[nickdub]

Yep - when I was starting planting trees about 40 years ago I use to spend ages and worry a lot over details - now as long as money is not ultra-tight, I'd say buy stuff you fancy especially trees and get them in the ground asap, then go from there - anything you find over the years is in the wrong place can be moved and other things you don't like can be given to friend/enemies, but you can never get back any lost growing years due to hesitating over what to do.

[Hereford fruit grower]

If anyone has Corabel, Gunslebert or other moderate/small growers and can layer them for me I'd appreciate it. Or even cuttings from summer pruning would be welcome if they root as easily as blackcurrants.

I've been layering Webb's Prize Cob and Nottingham and can gladly offer plants of those two this year if they're of use to others. Also I think Butler.

I culled Cosford and another vigorous one. They grew far too big.

Hazels are one of the crops where I seem to get 'commercial' yields and it actually 'pays' me to grow them, assuming that I'm valuing my time at a normal rate. Also cultivated hazels taste spectacularly better than the Turkish imports. Surprisingly they also improve on the wild ones.

I defeat the squirrels totally by growing small trees near the kitchen window and just picking the nuts when the squirrels arrive on their annual tour. It's very satisfying to see puzzled squirrels the following day desperately looking for nuts and not finding (m)any. If they do find some I missed, they usually drop half of them on the path which further increases my harvest.

If picked at this time, the nuts ripen off well indoors.

[It never rains..it pours]

Hereford fruit grower, may I ask what other variety you removed as well as cosford as too vigerous, thank you

Rhs comments below

https://apps.rhs.org.uk/planttrials/...nut%202016.pdf