Cam and Dursley go Nuts

Most of us would agree that trees are good for our environment and give towns and cities a chance to breathe. They provide shade and are beautiful on the eye. So much better if they also produce a crop that we may need in the future.

The Chantry Centre Community Garden Group are asking the people of Cam and Dursley to plant Hazel trees in their gardens. Hazel has been chosen because of its versatility. If uncut it can grow to thirty feet but it can be coppiced to form a smaller tree or hedge. It was used by fishermen to make the frames for their Coracle boats and Hazel rods were used in the building of Lathe and Plaster walls. The nuts can be used in muesli, salads or blended into a milk drink, birds and squirrels also like them.

If you want nuts then you need more than one tree as the hazel produces male and female flowers that are sterile on one tree but pollinate others. The garden group would like neighbours to get together to each plant a tree (or two) and grow a Nuttery. They particularly would like to focus on the new developments in and around Cam and Dursley where people have smaller gardens and may not think they have room for more than one small tree, they want them to lean over the fence and talk to their neighbours.  If you have a Mansion, Farm or Park, then Walnut trees would also do well here, although take a little longer to mature and need plenty of space.