Nut cultivation Österlen

The nut cultivation in Lilla Skräddaröd in Österlen is at the forefront of more sustainable cultivation methods and has contributed to exoticizing Österlen by showing that it is possible to grow nuts here.

The purpose was to establish a school garden for holistic cultivation of nuts in Lilla Skräddaröd in Österlen. They wanted to establish about thirty trees with almonds, walnuts, and sweet chestnuts.

The project also aimed to create a greater interest and a greater knowledge about forest garden cultivation, a cultivation system that mimics the forest's natural ecosystem and is therefore considered more sustainable.

The project group grafted and planted nut trees, but also support plants. They created a pond, where all rainwater from the roofs was collected. They burned 20 cubic meters of biochar to get clean and clear water for a purification pond, a so-called root zone, for the plants to grow in.

Furthermore, they built a parking lot to increase accessibility in connection with course activities.

During the project period, a series of training sessions, study visits, and forest garden walks were organized in collaboration with Gylleboverket and Holma folk high school, attracting nearly 200 people.

During the project period, about a hundred nut trees were planted in Lilla Skräddaröd, and all the trees survived the very dry summer of 2018. The project achieved its goal – to create a large-scale cultivation of nuts in a cultivation system that mimics the forest's natural ecosystem.

Nut cultivation has sparked great interest throughout Europe, and after the project's conclusion, they have continued with capacity-building activities in the forest garden.

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The project is interesting and innovative as the methodology has not been tested in Sweden before and that it is a new unique product (nuts) to be produced in the leader area. The project can contribute to local knowledge dissemination about how nut cultivation and sustainable cultivation can look, which can increase interest in locally grown nuts.