A comprehensive guide to growing, harvesting and processing nuts, written by forest gardening expert Martin Crawford. Nut trees are perennials, requiring little maintenance or soil cultivation, so it is no surprise that nuts are such a popular forest garden crop. A crucial source of protein and a delicious snack, nuts also have a number of surprising health benefits. They lower blood pressure, are full of antioxidants, and decrease the risk of heart and neurodegenerative diseases. Filled with gorgeous illustrations of trees and nuts, How to Grow Your Own Nuts contains old favourites like hazelnuts and walnuts alongside less common varieties such as hickories and butternuts and the exotically named chinkapin. It considers how nuts can be planted in a variety of ways: singly in a small area, in an orchard or nuttery, as silvopasture around grazing animals, in alley cropping between cereal crops or intercropping between fruit bushes. This beautiful guide also features a handy A-Z, which details nut trees' many secondary uses from timber, oil, dyes, fodder and cosmetics to medicines and honey. Martin also discusses how the beautiful spring blossom is attractive to bees, particularly from almond and sweet chestnut trees, making them excellent for supporting pollinators. Whether you are planning to grow nuts at home or commercially, this book is essential reading.

This is the definitive book on growing your own nuts written by leading forest gardening expert Martin Crawford.

About the Author
Martin Crawford is a garden writer and founder of the Agroforestry Research Trust. He teaches courses on Forest Gardening and Growing Nut Crops. His book Creating a Forest Garden is considered the forest gardening 'bible' and his How to Grow Perennial Vegetables, is highly popular among practical gardeners.

Reviews
All who have room for a tree should grow nuts - serious nutrition with huge gastronomic potential. In yet another beautiful book, one of our most accomplished forest gardeners shows how. * Colin Tudge, biologist, science writer, broadcaster and founder of The Campaign for Real Farming *
How to Grow Your Own Nuts is the best guide I've seen to home and small-farm nut growing for the temperate climates, featuring species selection, cultivating, harvest, and processing. It includes many lesser-known species alongside standards like walnut, chestnut, and hazel. This is an essential guide to production of these perennial staple crops. * Eric Toensmeier, permaculturist, author and Yale University lecturer *
Martin Crawford is a one-man wonder! In this grand and beautiful book on nut culture he has assembled decades of practical insight to help gardeners and orchardists grow 'bread from trees.' From planting to harvesting, selection to storage, and pruning to pest control, you'll find the answers here. Complete with a thorough and lovingly illustrated guide to 19 species of nuts for the temperate world, this book sets a new standard for a vital but little-known field. If we must transform our agriculture to build soil and store carbon, then nut trees belong in all our futures. * Peter Bane, author of The Permaculture Handbook *
A beautifully presented, clear, comprehensive bible from the man who knows more than anyone about growing nuts. Full of inspiration and information. It's a great book. * Mark Diacono, gardener, food writer and broadcaster *



Book Information
ISBN 9780857843937
Author Martin Crawford
Format Hardback
Page Count 320
Imprint Green Books
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC