Nut Harvesting Machinery
Hazels dry and fall from their husks over a six to eight week period in Autumn and are harvested from the orchard floor using a vacuum system. Keeping the orchard floor in good condition, grass mowed or sprayed out prior to nut fall, flat and free from pruning debris will make harvest much easier and more efficient. In good dry conditions the early nuts can be left and harvest done in one pass when the bulk of the crop has fallen.
When the nuts have been collected and sorted from other debris they should be bagged in open weave onion sacks and hung in a dry, well ventilated environment to decrease moisture content to a level at which they will be suitable for sale and processing (3 -5 months). Hanging will help keep them out of reach of rodents.
As our crop reached significant quantities we quickly became aware of the need to develop a cost effective and efficient means of harvesting the nuts and so we developed our own machinery which is specifically suited to our own orchard conditions.
back to top