All Natural Oregon Hazelnut Shells

At Evergreen Orchards the only we things we love more than eating our hazelnuts is hearing the satisfying crunch of walking on the shells in our gardens!

What are the experts saying about hazelnut shells?

"...Incorporating Oregon’s most popular crop [hazelnuts] into his garden in a unique and resourceful way."
-Martha Stewart on Gregg Higgins (Higgins Restaurant in Portland, OR) use of hazelnut shells for pathways between his raised garden beds.

"I’ve had good success with the shells [in my own garden], they provide good drainage and crunch! It is a neat way to recycle an Oregon product, I really like them!
-Mike Darcy from his T.V. Show "Gardening the Natural Way"

"OK, gardeners, time to go nuts. Finally, hazelnut shells are available bagged and ready for pathways, mulch and more.
-Oregonian’s Homes and Gardens of the Northwest, April 4, 2002

What do you do with all those leftover hazelnut (filbert) shells after cracking?

Good question! We get calls everyday from people wondering what we do with the thousands of pounds of hazelnut shells created when we crack the nuts for their kernels. In past years the hazelnut industry has primarily sold them to be burned for fuel. However, over the years many avid gardeners have found a new use for them in their gardens, using them for pathways and top dressing, some creative folk have even used them in drive-ways and in horse arenas. And for those of you who remember hazelnuts as filberts, we grow filberts and sell hazelnuts!

Wow! Why are they so good for my garden?

First off, they are an environmentally friendly renewable resource. There is one word that will explain all the benefits. DENSE, DENSE, DENSE. Hazelnut shells are so dense that they provide three major benefits:

1. Quick Draining: The shells are so dense that they don’t absorb very much water (unlike bark dust). This helps in areas of your pathway that are prone to standing water, keeping mud from splashing on you and your plants!!

2. Slow to Decompose: Because the shell does not absorb very much water the shells are able to retain their composition and are slow to decompose.

3. Weed prevention: The shells are nice and heavy keeping weed seedlings from germinating. If you do get a pesky weed coming through the shells they are easy to remove, weak roots = easy weeding!

Sounds good, but what exactly do I do with them?

Hazelnuts shells are perfect for natural looking pathways, top dressing for garden beds and container plants. Try them around your herb garden to bring out the green colors, and soon you’ll want them all over! If you are in need of pebbles for the bottom of your container plants (for drainage) try the shells!

They seem more expensive than bark dust, why do I want to buy the shells?

We hate to even compare the hazelnut shells to other mulches, but if you must.....hazelnut shells will be around long after your bark dust has been returned to the earth as soil and another tree has grown in its place.

Hazelnut shells have been excavated in Scotland and found to be 6,000 years old! They have also been found at Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, perhaps those theater patrons 400 years ago were cracking hazelnuts and leaving them on the ground like present day peanuts at baseball games!

How often do they need to be replenished and do they get all goopy like bark dust?

NO! Hazelnut shells keep that beautiful chestnut brown color over the years. They get lighter in the sun, so we recommend that you top them off once every five years for color. They will compact slightly into the earth like any stone or gravel.

How far will the 50lb Bag spread?

We recommend 3 inches deep and the bag will cover 8-10 square feet.

The squirrels must go crazy in the yard!

Yes, we love to confuse the squirrels with all the shells and no nuts! There is some residual nut meat in the shells but once the birds and squirrels come through they will be gone in a jiffy. If you have a particularly bad squirrel problem we don’t recommend leaving the bags out in your yard. Squirrels are particularly fond of hazelnuts and will rip the bag to check out the contents.

O.k. I’m sold on them, where can I buy some?

They are sold in Retail Nurseries throughout Oregon and Washington. Please click on the icon below for a listing. If you are in an area outside OR/WA please call us toll-free for more information at (866) 434-4818.

Evergreen Orchards Hazelnut Shells are located at the following quality retail nurseries:


		At Evergreen Orchards the only we things we love more than eating our hazelnuts is hearing the satisfying crunch of walking on the shells in our gardens! What are the experts saying about hazelnut shells? "...Incorporating Oregon’s most popular crop [hazelnuts] into his garden in a unique and resourceful way." -Martha Stewart on Gregg Higgins (Higgins Restaurant in Portland, OR) use of hazelnut shells for pathways between his raised garden beds. "I’ve had good success with the shells [in my own garden], they provide good drainage and crunch! It is a neat way to recycle an Oregon product, I really like them! -Mike Darcy from his T.V. Show "Gardening the Natural Way" "OK, gardeners, time to go nuts. Finally, hazelnut shells are available bagged and ready for pathways, mulch and more. -Oregonian’s Homes and Gardens of the Northwest, April 4, 2002 What do you do with all those leftover hazelnut (filbert) shells after cracking? Good question! We get calls everyday from people wondering what we do with the thousands of pounds of hazelnut shells created when we crack the nuts for their kernels. In past years the hazelnut industry has primarily sold them to be burned for fuel. However, over the years many avid gardeners have found a new use for them in their gardens, using them for pathways and top dressing, some creative folk have even used them in drive-ways and in horse arenas. And for those of you who remember hazelnuts as filberts, we grow filberts and sell hazelnuts! Wow! Why are they so good for my garden? First off, they are an environmentally friendly renewable resource. There is one word that will explain all the benefits. DENSE, DENSE, DENSE. Hazelnut shells are so dense that they provide three major benefits: 1. Quick Draining: The shells are so dense that they don’t absorb very much water (unlike bark dust). This helps in areas of your pathway that are prone to standing water, keeping mud from splashing on you and your plants!! 2. Slow to Decompose: Because the shell does not absorb very much water the shells are able to retain their composition and are slow to decompose. 3. Weed prevention: The shells are nice and heavy keeping weed seedlings from germinating. If you do get a pesky weed coming through the shells they are easy to remove, weak roots = easy weeding! Sounds good, but what exactly do I do with them? Hazelnuts shells are perfect for natural looking pathways, top dressing for garden beds and container plants. Try them around your herb garden to bring out the green colors, and soon you’ll want them all over! If you are in need of pebbles for the bottom of your container plants (for drainage) try the shells! They seem more expensive than bark dust, why do I want to buy the shells? We hate to even compare the hazelnut shells to other mulches, but if you must.....hazelnut shells will be around long after your bark dust has been returned to the earth as soil and another tree has grown in its place. Hazelnut shells have been excavated in Scotland and found to be 6,000 years old! They have also been found at Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, perhaps those theater patrons 400 years ago were cracking hazelnuts and leaving them on the ground like present day peanuts at baseball games! How often do they need to be replenished and do they get all goopy like bark dust? NO! Hazelnut shells keep that beautiful chestnut brown color over the years. They get lighter in the sun, so we recommend that you top them off once every five years for color. They will compact slightly into the earth like any stone or gravel. How far will the 50lb Bag spread? We recommend 3 inches deep and the bag will cover 8-10 square feet. The squirrels must go crazy in the yard! Yes, we love to confuse the squirrels with all the shells and no nuts! There is some residual nut meat in the shells but once the birds and squirrels come through they will be gone in a jiffy. If you have a particularly bad squirrel problem we don’t recommend leaving the bags out in your yard. Squirrels are particularly fond of hazelnuts and will rip the bag to check out the contents. O.k. I’m sold on them, where can I buy some? They are sold in Retail Nurseries throughout Oregon and Washington. Please click on the icon below for a listing. If you are in an area outside OR/WA please call us toll-free for more information at (866) 434-4818. Evergreen Orchards Hazelnut Shells are located at the following quality retail nurseries:



	Evergreen Orchards • PHONE 503-434-4297 • TOLL FREE (866) 434-4818 • FAX 503-434-4153