Cold Hardy Berries

[Mel]

Last year Haskap aka Honeyberry, was planted in my zone 4 (more like zone 3) garden. Needed pollinators so 5 plants of 4 varieties (potted) were planted.Touted to have the flavor of blueberries. Did not grow very much through last season however they are doing well early this season blooming away through a couple of 20 degree nights with no signs of frost damage. White cabbage moths and those early season large flies seemed to be doing the pollinating. I will concentrate on the growth of the shrub this season and remove most fruit early to let the shrub develop.
This season two new species, Aroniaberry and several Saskatoonberry plants, similar to blue berries but no need for the acidic soil, will be added. Many more in mind but have spent enough for the season with these and several grapevines and a few fruit trees.

 

[so lucky]

I think I saw Aronia Berries advertised on TV in some healthy drink. I had never heard of it before. Good luck with all the berries. I will have to do some research on them. I need something that grows as well as crab grass to do well in my garden!

 

[thistlebloom]

That's pretty amazing to have blooms survive through a freeze like that Mel. They sound like a good berry to have. Do you know what the productivity of the Honeyberry is supposed to be like? Do they produce as much as a typical blueberry?

I have not been real successful with blueberries, it would be nice to have something that didn't need me to coddle it.

I do have wild saskatoon bushes growing all over the place, I wonder if the cultivars have improved berry quality. Or maybe I should pick a bush and give it a little attention to see if that improves things.

 

[Smart Red]

I have honey berry bushes -- two varieties. Three years old, they had a few flowers last year that got frosted. I think I picked two berries and really don't remember tasting them so I suspect they were not ripe.

Judging by the number of flowers this year, they should be as prolific as the blueberries. I don't think the berries themselves are as big as blueberries, though.

 

[Mel]

Tough to grow those acid loving plants like blueberries out west. Average ph around here is 7.2 and even with years of amending I still killed many blueberry plants.Time will tell if those Honeyberry blooms survived and if fruit will set. I think a common problem with cold hardy or cold hardy native berry plants is that the fruit is barely edible(IMO) and it takes a lot of work to process. The Aronia is said to have the largest berries of the chockcherry shrubs but it to falls into that category along with currants, gooseberries and many more although most are very hardy and low maintenance and I expect the same from the Saskatoon berry . I may use them for juice or bird food, whom ever gets there first. Hoping for better taste from the honeyberry, as good as a blueberry - I have strong doubts, but something edible off the tree, maybe after 3 years also.
On Sunday May 3rd , a weekly program called Prairie Farm Report which is televised on one of the rural channels is having a segment on the commercial growing and harvesting of Haskap in Canada.