After we taste test the hazelnuts, and look at all its various characteristics (non-suckering, thin-shelled nut, good taste ect.), we choose the best ones and plant them.
To grow hazelnuts from seed, they need to be stratified (undergo a period of cold temperature) in order to germinate. This can be done in two ways. You can just plant the hazelnuts outside in the fall and let nature do the work for you, or to get a jump-start on growing, you can store the nuts in the fridge for about 1-2 months and plant them indoors. There are many ways to store them. Recently we have tried putting the nuts in ziploc bags with damp moss and stored them for about 2 months. That seemed to work fairly well. After a period of cold termpatures, the nuts can be warmed up and planted. All the nuts were planted in a sandy potting soil mix and set under grow lights.
