I'm opening a U-pick. That said I am growing nuts that I will not want the U-pick patrons to pick. With that in mind I've been wondering if I should put them all in one section so I can section it off from picking. The bulk of it would be hazelnut. I'd also have some hickory, chestnut, almond and ....blank mind dang it. A few more. I have black walnut that will already be sectioned off as I'm using it in the silvapasture part.

So does keeping all of my nuts together increase the chances of disease and such or is it ok?

Apples, pear, quince, peach, plum, apricot, cherry and quite a few other are all in the same family and we grow them together without too much fuss.

Almond, Chestnut, Hazelnut and Hickory are all in different family and so would have less similar pest at least when compared to the above fruits. That said, pecans, hickory, walnut, heartnut and buartnut are all in the same juglan/walnut family.

I did not know that about hickory. They're officially shipped off to the Silvapasture with the Walnut. Now I have a bit fewer nuts to cordon off.

Couldn't you just not sell people your nuts? It seems like if you told your customers that the nuts are off limits they would have enough respect for what you are doing/allowing that they would just leave them alone. In that case you could keep your poly-culture intact with the greatest amount of diversity possible.

Are they going to be picking fruit when the nuts are ripe? You don't have to cordon off in space what will be separated in time.

S Bengi wrote:Almond, Chestnut, Hazelnut and Hickory are all in different family and so would have less similar pest at least when compared to the above fruits. That said, pecans, hickory, walnut, heartnut and buartnut are all in the same juglan/walnut family.

The squirrels think this is a great idea.