How to Grow Hazelnuts in Missouri and the Eastern United States

Hazelnuts are one of the most promising tree crops for Missouri, the lower Midwest, and much of the eastern United States. They are compact compared with many nut trees, they can fit into small orchards and diversified farms, and their kernels are used for roasting, baking, confections, nut butters, and direct eating.

In the eastern United States, the main challenge is eastern filbert blight (EFB). For decades, this disease limited the possibility of commercial hazelnut production outside the Pacific Northwest. Today, new disease-resistant cultivars from Rutgers University, Oregon State University, and the Hybrid Hazelnut Consortium are making eastern hazelnut production more realistic for growers in Missouri and surrounding states. Rutgers began its hazelnut breeding program in 1996 with the goal of overcoming eastern filbert blight, and released its first cultivars, including ‘Raritan,’ ‘Somerset,’ ‘Monmouth,’ and ‘Hunterdon,’ in 2020.

Bullrock Nursery grows and sells bareroot hazelnut trees for growers interested in disease-resistant hazelnuts for production orchards, edible landscapes, homesteads, and diversified farms.

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Can hazelnuts grow in Missouri?

Yes, hazelnuts can grow in Missouri, but cultivar choice matters. Missouri growers should focus on hazelnuts selected for the eastern and midwestern United States rather than standard Oregon or old European varieties.

Most commercial hazelnuts in the United States have historically been grown in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. That region has a milder climate and a different disease environment than Missouri.

For Missouri growers especially, plant eastern-adapted, EFB-resistant or EFB-tolerant hazelnuts, and plant multiple compatible cultivars for pollination.

The main challenge: eastern filbert blight

Eastern filbert blight is the major reason hazelnuts have not historically been a common commercial crop in the eastern United States. The disease is caused by the fungus Anisogramma anomala. It is naturally associated with American hazelnut, which usually tolerates it, but susceptible European hazelnuts can become infected, decline, and eventually die.

This is why cultivar selection is the first decision in a Missouri hazelnut planting. A hazelnut tree that performs well in Oregon, Italy, or Turkey may not be appropriate for Missouri. In the East and Midwest, resistance or strong tolerance to eastern filbert blight is not optional; it is the foundation of the planting.

American hazelnut, Corylus americana, contributes useful disease resistance and cold hardiness, but it generally produces smaller nuts with thicker shells than European hazelnuts. Modern breeding efforts aim to combine the kernel quality and productivity of European hazelnuts with the disease resistance and adaptability of American hazelnuts and other resistant sources.

Why Rutgers and hybrid hazelnuts matter

Rutgers University, Oregon State University, and other collaborators have been working to develop hazelnuts suitable for eastern North America. This effort is an attempt to bring together the nut quality of European hazelnut with the disease resistance of American hazelnut, resulting in cultivars suitable for midwestern and eastern production, including ‘Raritan,’ ‘Somerset,’ and ‘The Beast.’

For Missouri and eastern US growers, this is important because hazelnut production here is still an emerging crop. The best approach is to plant cultivars with known disease resistance, use compatible pollinizers, protect young plants, and observe which cultivars perform best on your site.

Bullrock Nursery currently offers bareroot hazelnut cultivars including ‘Monmouth,’ ‘Grand Traverse,’ ‘Somerset,’ ‘The Beast,’ and ‘Raritan.’

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Choosing hazelnut cultivars for Missouri and the eastern U.S.

A good hazelnut planting should include both production cultivars and compatible pollinizers. Some cultivars are selected mainly for kernel quality and yield. Others are especially valuable because they provide pollen at the right time for other cultivars.

Do not plant a single hazelnut cultivar by itself and expect reliable crops. Hazelnuts are wind-pollinated and self-incompatible, meaning pollen from one tree generally cannot fertilize female flowers on that same tree or its own clones. Rutgers recommends a diverse mix of compatible plants, including early, mid, and late pollen-shedding types, to improve pollination reliability. This includes Monmouth, The Beast, and Grand Traverse/


Recommended cultivars

Rutgers describes ‘Raritan’ as a high-yielding, vigorous tree with an upright growth habit, medium round kernels, and a very high level of EFB tolerance. Its nuts typically fall in the second half of September in New Jersey.

‘Somerset’ is described by Rutgers as a high-yielding, compact tree with small to medium round kernels, thin shells, and strong EFB protection from the Spanish cultivar ‘Ratoli.’ Rutgers notes that it tends to produce good crops even on young trees.

‘Monmouth’ produces medium round kernels that blanch very well after roasting, and Rutgers describes it as a moderately vigorous tree with a very high level of EFB tolerance.

‘The Beast,’ also known as OSU 541.147, is a hybrid hazelnut released by the Hybrid Hazelnut Consortium. Rutgers describes it as vigorous, high-yielding, strongly EFB-resistant, and useful primarily as a pollinizer, although some growers may value it for production where smaller kernel size is acceptable.

‘Grand Traverse’ is described by Rutgers as compatible in both directions with the listed Rutgers and hybrid cultivars, but Rutgers also notes that its late maturity and lower yields in New Jersey suggest its greatest value may be as a pollinizer.

Cultivar Best Use Notes


‘Raritan’


Main production cultivar

Upright, vigorous, high-yielding tree with medium round kernels and strong EFB tolerance.


‘Somerset’


Main production cultivar


Compact, productive tree with small to medium round kernels, thin shells, and good early cropping potential.


‘Monmouth’


Production cultivar and pollinizer


Medium round kernels with very good blanching; useful in mixed orchard plantings.

‘The Beast’ / OSU 541.147


Pollinizer and possible production cultivar


Vigorous hybrid hazelnut with strong EFB resistance and smaller kernels; valuable as a compatible pollen source.


‘Grand Traverse’


Pollinizer

Useful for pollen compatibility and orchard diversity; often used more as a pollinizer than a primary production cultivar.

Hazelnut pollination: plant compatible cultivars

Pollination is one of the most important parts of growing hazelnuts. Hazelnuts have male flowers called catkins and small female flowers on the same plant, but they still usually require pollen from a genetically compatible cultivar to set nuts.

The three key pollination rules are:

  1. Plant at least two compatible cultivars.
    One cultivar alone is not enough.
  2. Use more than two cultivars when possible.
    Three or more compatible cultivars improve the odds that pollen is available when female flowers are receptive.
  3. Pollen compatibility matters too.
    Hazelnut compatibility is controlled by S-alleles. If the pollen is genetically incompatible with the female flower, nut set will be poor even if bloom timing overlaps. Rutgers explains that the S-allele expressed in the pollen must differ from the S-alleles expressed by the female flowers for nut production.
  4. Disperse pollinizer cultivars throughout the field.
    Dispersing pollinizer cultivars throughout the planting will ensure there is adequate pollen in the orchard at bloom time. This could be planting pollinizers within the rows every 5 to 10 trees or alternating full rows of pollinizers with production cultivars.

For small plantings, a practical mix would be:

Option 1: ‘Raritan,’ ‘Monmouth,’ and ‘The Beast’

Option 2: ‘Somerset,’ ‘Monmouth,’ and ‘Grand Traverse’

Option 3: ‘Raritan,’ ‘Somerset,’ ‘Monmouth,’ and ‘The Beast’

Option 4: A five-cultivar planting with ‘Raritan,’ ‘Somerset,’ ‘Monmouth,’ ‘The Beast,’ and ‘Grand Traverse’

For production plantings, use a diverse mix rather than long blocks of a single clone. Place pollinizers throughout the planting so pollen can move through the orchard by wind.

Site selection for hazelnuts

Hazelnuts are adaptable, but they establish and produce best when given a good site from the beginning.

Choose a site with:

  • Full sun
  • Good air movement
  • Well-drained soil
  • Low perennial weed pressure
  • Access to water during establishment
  • Protection from deer and rodents
  • Enough space for mowing, harvesting, and maintenance

Avoid sites with standing water or chronic waterlogging. University of Wisconsin Extension states that hazelnuts can grow in many soil types but not in poorly drained soils that experience waterlogging. It also notes that hazelnuts are most vigorous on well-drained loamy soils with good fertility.

For Missouri growers, slope position matters. A slight slope can help cold air drain away from the planting, reducing frost-pocket risk. Avoid low, enclosed areas where cold air settles in winter and early spring.

Wildlife pressure also matters. Hazelnuts are attractive to deer, squirrels, jays, turkeys, and other wildlife. If nut production is your goal, avoid planting directly against woodlots unless you are prepared for higher wildlife pressure. Plantings near woodlots or wild areas are likely to experience more browse and nut loss.

Soil preparation before planting

The best time to prepare a hazelnut planting is the year before planting. Do not wait until the week your trees arrive.

Before planting:

  • Take a soil test.
  • Correct major phosphorus, potassium, pH, or micronutrient issues.
  • Remove perennial weeds.
  • Loosen compacted soil if needed.
  • Prepare planting strips.
  • Plan irrigation or emergency watering.
  • Order compatible cultivars early.

Preparations for hazelnut production include preordering plants to ensure available inventory, eliminating perennial weeds, correcting compaction, soil testing, amending deficiencies, building organic matter, establishing alley vegetation, and preparing planting strips.

Weed control is especially important. Young hazelnuts do not establish well when planted directly into heavy sod or perennial weeds. A clean planting strip, mulch, landscape fabric, or another weed-control system can make the difference between strong establishment and poor survival.

Spacing hazelnut trees

Spacing depends on your goal, cultivar vigor, equipment, and whether you are growing hazelnuts as shrubs, hedgerows, or as single stem trees.

For hedgerow-style hybrid hazelnuts, 15 feet between rows and 6 feet between plants, while tighter spacing may be used on marginal sites or in colder northern areas.

In more traditional orchard plantings using vigorous cultivars such as ‘Raritan,’ ‘Monmouth,’ ‘The Beast,’ and ‘Grand Traverse,’ consider your long-term maintenance plan. Recommended orchard spacing is 20 x 20 feet or 18 x 18 ft. Some growers will plant more densely within the row at 20 x 10 ft spacing with the plant to thin the trees when they begin to crowd each other. Some of these cultivars such as ‘Raritan,’ ‘Monmouth,’ and ‘The Beast’ can reach over 20 feet tall at 15 years of age.

When to plant bareroot hazelnuts

Bareroot hazelnuts are typically planted while dormant in early spring. Dormant bareroot plants avoid the stress of moving a leafed-out plant, but they must be handled carefully. Bareroot plants must be kept cool and moist before planting and that roots should never be allowed to dry out.

When your bareroot hazelnuts arrive:

  1. Open the box immediately.
  2. Check that roots are moist.
  3. Keep plants cool, shaded, and dormant.
  4. Do not let roots dry in the wind or sun.
  5. Plant as soon as soil conditions allow.
  6. Keep roots covered or in water while planting.

If the field is too wet to plant, store trees cool and moist until conditions improve. Do not force planting into saturated soil.

How to plant bareroot hazelnut trees

Planting depth and root placement matter.

  1. Dig a hole wide enough to spread the roots naturally.
  2. Make the hole deep enough that roots are not bent upward.
  3. Set the plant so the crown is near the soil surface.
  4. Spread the roots outward.
  5. Backfill with loose soil.
  6. Gently firm the soil around the roots to remove air pockets.
  7. Water thoroughly.
  8. Mulch, but keep mulch away from direct contact with the stem.
  9. Protect from deer, rabbits, voles, and mower damage.

Do not cram roots into a narrow slit if you are planting by hand. Holes should be wider and deeper than the root system, ensure good root-to-soil contact, and carefully handle the trees so roots do not dry out or bend upward in the hole.

After planting, water the trees in with the goal to settle soil around the roots and remove air pockets.

FAQ

Do I need two hazelnut trees?

Yes. Hazelnuts are generally self-incompatible and require genetically compatible pollen from another cultivar. A single clone by itself will not reliably produce nuts. Rutgers recommends compatible cultivar diversity and pollen shed timing overlap for good crops.

Can I plant only ‘Raritan’ and ‘Somerset’?

It is better not to rely only on those two. Both are valuable production cultivars, but a planting should include compatible pollinizers such as ‘Monmouth,’ ‘The Beast,’ and ‘Grand Traverse.’ A three- to five-cultivar planting is safer than a two-cultivar planting.

Are Oregon hazelnut varieties good for the eastern US?

Usually not as a first choice. Many Oregon cultivars were selected for the Pacific Northwest, and these cultivars have often failed or underperformed in the Midwest because of winter injury and eastern filbert blight.

Are Rutgers hazelnuts immune to eastern filbert blight?

These cultivars are “resistant” or “tolerant,” not “immune.” Rutgers describes several cultivars as having strong EFB resistance or tolerance, but still recommends scouting and removing infected branches if cankers appear.

When should I plant bareroot hazelnuts?

Plant dormant bareroot hazelnuts in spring when soil is workable. Keep roots cool and moist before planting and plant as soon as conditions allow.

Are hazelnuts good for wildlife?

Yes. Hazelnuts can provide food and habitat value, but wildlife can also reduce nut harvest. Deer, squirrels, jays, turkeys, and other animals may browse plants or eat nuts, especially near the woods.

How many hazelnut trees should I start with?

For a home planting, start with at least three compatible cultivars. For a production orchard, consider a small trial block before planting large acreage. This lets you observe survival, vigor, catkin hardiness, disease pressure, and harvest timing on your own site.

Buy bareroot hazelnut trees from Bullrock Nursery

Bullrock Nursery offers bareroot hazelnut trees selected for eastern filbert blight resistance, orchard performance, pollination compatibility, and suitability for Missouri and much of the eastern United States.

Current hazelnut offerings include:


For larger plantings, orchard planning questions, or bulk pricing, contact Bullrock Nursery before ordering.

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