Honeyberry
FOR BEST FRUIT PRODUCTION, BUY AT LEAST TWO DIFFERENT VARIETIES.
Borealis
Zone 3 - 8
#1 Container
Honeyberry's taste has been compared to blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and black currants. You can eat them fresh, bake into pies or make into jams or jellies. Borealis is an excellent source of antioxidants and Vitamin C. Needs Cinderella for fruit set.
$17
Cinderella
Zone 3 - 8
#1 Container
Perfect for any backyard or for full orchard, honeyberries are tasty fresh, on ice cream, baked into pies or made into jams or jellies. The flavor is reminiscent of blueberries, blackberries, raspberries or black currents. Excellent source of antioxidants and Vitamin C. Pollinator for Borealis or Tundra for fruit set.
$17
Tundra
Zone 3 - 8
#1 Container
Tundra bushes are smaller, but the fruit is larger. Berries taste like wild blueberries with a hint of black currant. Great for fresh eating or making jams and jellies. Perfect for a backyard or full orchard. Use Cinderella for fruit set.
$17
Honeyberries produce deep blue berries beginning with the strawberry season in late June, and early varieties may produce the first fruits of the year. Later varieties begin a few weeks later, while the latest pickings may be into late August. Fruit may be oblong, barrel, or flattened bullet in shape and contain high levels of antioxidants and vitamin C. Berries have a mysterious sweet sour flavor. Some say wild blueberry, black currant or raspberry flavors are found. The longer they stay on the plant, the sweeter they are.
Things to think about when planting:
Honeyberries grow in blue-berry type soils, being a fibrous and shallow-rooted plant. Soil PH should be within the 5-7 range. Plants can take heavy soils, as they are from wetland or marginal ancestry, however planting in sunny, well-drained organic soils should bring more dependable performance. When planting in rows, a 3-4 ft. x 10 foot spacing between rows seems to be the general recommendation. Even watering is quite important, although Russian publications suggest that established plants are mildly drought-tolerant. Honeyberries are hardy to USDA Zone 2; blossoms in spring are also very hardy and can survive temperatures of 22-24 degrees.
Pollination Requirements: Although many varieties may be considered self-pollinating and will set some fruit, it is generally considered more productive to have 2 or more varieties from the same blossoming season (ie: ‘early flowering, or late…’) to provide cross-pollination.
Time to pick:
The fruits of honeyberry are picked after they turn a deep purple- blue. Sweetness increases with maturity. The berries don’t tend to prematurely drop, and picking too early can result in a sour or bitter taste. Fruit should be blue inside when ripe, not green. Berries can be hand-picked, shaken from the plant, or machine-harvested. Plants begin to yield in 1-2 years after planting.