I planted 60 of these this spring , One is beauty and the other is beast 30 of each , They all survived and grew real nice and had 5 or 6 berries , They tasted tart and sweet at the same time i plan of making jam with them.
Put three in my food forest this spring. Two "Beauties" and one "Beast" from a haskap specialist grower in Minnesota. After SIX attempts with blueberries, I learned about haskaps. They're growing nicely with vigor. No special soil ph needed. As much as I love blueberries I've thrown in the towel on them. Black currants, raspberries and haskaps will do,
with haskaps they turn purple 3 weeks before they are ready to eat off the bush, they need to turn purple all the way through the center to get sweet. I love them and often eat them early too lol.
Haskaps are wonderful in all sorts of baking, and delicious as a base for mixed berry wine. I prune them every year, trying to make an “open vase shape,” but the new growth keeps filling in the open spaces. Next year I’ll be brutal with pruning! I’ve also made a huge fabric shroud for my row of six bushes to keep the birds off during the final ripening, so you can tell I love my haskaps.
got a few of these, but lost them in the shrubbery ....They're called Siberian Honeyberry in The Netherlands....Lonicera something. I'll look for them and move them into the sun.
I share your enthusiasm for hascaps too! I planted bushes from the same supplier as you about 4 years ago - different varieties from the U of Saskatchewan research to ensure good cross pollination and a variety of flavours. I got enough last year to make a delicious topping for a cheesecake for a special occasion and this year I had enough for a batch of jam and a few quarts in the freezer for use over the winter. The jam is amazing and I shared some with friends who are giving it rave reviews! I love the sweet/tart flavour (but not at all bitter) and enjoy them out of hand as well. I have since planted 3 more bushes with a couple more varieties and I may make more room for even more as these are turning out to be my favs.
I bought my hascaps or honeyberries from Veseys, 3 or 4 years ago. I did get a bowl full of fruit from them so far this year. My plant has begun to divide into several plants now. I have bindweed in my garden also, perhaps less this year than in previous years.
Try growing the Gooseberry plant. Most prolific berry plant I've ever seen. Get the red/purple variety and after the first year, hold on because you will be picking every day for the rest of the summer. I have two plants, each about 3' in dia. and more berries than my family can eat.
I love my Haskaps too. In my front yard berry patch I have 2 polar Jewel, 2 Borealis, 2 Aurora, and 2 Boreal Beauty. I love eating them from the bush but my wife makes Haskap and Strawberry Jam from all of our own fruits and it is delicious!!! We may add our Saskatoon berries to the jam next year too!
I planted 2 a few years ago. The grasses grow so fast here and choke them out. I really need to tend them a bit better. I first had them in a dry tea blend. High in antioxidants and such a tasty tea.
Yes, I'd love to see how you make your Haskap jam! When we moved to NS in April of 2020 I immediately added various berry bushes to our property but haven't yet added Haskaps. In my research, and with your confirmation, they make a great jam, so it's definitely a bush I'm going to plant.
While on vacation to Île d'Orléans, Quebec, several years ago, we stopped at a roadside stand and bought some haskaps. Very tart. Did not have the chance to make jam out of it, but I bet it would be perfect for jam. Put some bird netting over it?
Greg, please do a video on harvesting haskap berries. How do you do it? Also, how do you keep the birds away from the berries? A video on how to prune your Haskap would be helpful. I’m looking forward to your how to prepare Haskap jelly and jam video.
Good morning Greg. I agree with you on haskaps. (: We've got 22 in our garden (so far) but they are only one or two years old. We got a small harvest this year but the chipmunks and birds got some too. I'm hoping that the future glut of them will help us get our fair share. I wanted to mention that there are many different varieties and you need to plant compatible ones for them to pollinate each other. I also notice that there is quite a bit of variability between the varieties in terms of size, sweetness and shape of the bush and the berries. I eat them mixed in with other berries that are sweeter. The one (and only) issue that our bushes have had is mildew. Other than that they are beautiful plants.
@@elsef6798 HI Else. Well our haskaps are still only 1 to 2 years old. Alot of them haven't produced at all yet. The one that grew the most and also produced the most was Zalushka which we purchased from a Quebec nursery. Zalushka seems to be Russian for Cinderella and I can't find anything about Zalushka on line but Cinderella is available. We also got a good harvest from Boreal Blizzard. There are still haskaps on our Aurora bushes that need to ripen. My understanding is that newer varieties are being developed for sweetness so these are likely to give you a sweeter berry. Enjoy.
Thank you! I’m living in Denmark and the selections here are slim. I can find neither Cinderella nor Zalushka. I’ll be hoping for any new cultivars on the way 😊
@@elsef6798 Hi again Else. It is tricky finding many different varieties here as well. Good nurseries that are online often only have a few different options and they seems to change from year to year. The University of Saskatchewan in Canada has developed many of these, in the past decade or so. They are recommended as productive and sweeter than many of the older varieties. They include boreal beast, boreal blizzard, boreal beauty, aurora, tundra, and borealis. My collection is made up mostly of the first four of these and then I've got several other individual ones - like cinderella. I would recommend any of the newer University of Saskatchewan varieties. Make sure to consult pollination charts which are available on line. 🙂
Size difference in berries and shrubs could be different varieties. I planted 8 bare roots of three varieties this year. Nice to see their progress on your channel.
Greg, my research indicates the birds eat the Haskap berries because they are thirsty, not hungry. If you give the birds a water source, the birds will leave your berries alone. You have created a pond, which is an excellent water source for birds. If my research is true, your pond may protect your Haskap berries and other berries from the birds. I was considering putting a bird bath in my garden as a source of water. Does this make any sense to you? How about putting a trail cam on your berries and your pond to see what goes on in your garden at night or when you’re not there? Just a thought. It might make an interesting video.
There is water everywhere here. I think they like the berries :) The birds here seem to like everything - but yes -a trail cam is a good idea. The problem with the trail cam is sifting through 1000 pictures the next day. Its eat up a lot of time - and that's why I don't have any trail cam videos. I have three trail cams and have wasted hours of my life sifting though 1000s of vids and pics of nothing trying to capture cool stuff with them. One of these years I'll get lucky - maybe with the hascaps. I'm a sucker for punishment so I will try again :) It think its probably true that some birds use them more as a water source than as an energy source - but there is no shortage of water here - even before I made the pond, so I imagine some birds just like them.
I was thinking I had seen these on an Irish site, after your garden tour. Just checked and futureforests has four verities, but honeyberry is the name here. I wonder if these are as easy to take cuttings from as other fruit bushes? Or if they work well in wines with other fruit?
@@maritimegardening4887 Most northern fruit bushes are dead easy to take cuttings from. I may just order a few of these, and give it a go. Worse case, I waste 5 min, and a tiny fraction of my rooting hormone. I think it comes down to the project triangle, like most things in life. You have good, fast, and cheap, but you can only pick two. Just remembered to ask the bloke next to remind his friend I want some cuttings of his Chaenomeles japonica (Japanese Quince). His father planted them 50+ years ago, and he had no idea what they were, until I identified them from four descriptors. They have really nice red flowers, and are hard as nails. Whilst the fruit isn't really edible, like a lot of crab apples. It's excellent for getting jam to set properly. I think they only grow to just over a meter, maybe 1.5 meters wide. Chaenomeles speciosa is a 10x10 foot oriental shrub sized plant. It's grown right across from the far north of China to Scandinavia. And I wouldn't be at all shocked if they weren't growing wild somewhere in Canada, where some old timer had a farm house. Both are listed as deer & rabbit resistant. But I think that's down to how hungry that deer/rabbit is when it finds your plant. 10x10 is a lot of space to be taking up where you could be growing other things. If you're only using a few fruit per large batch of jam. Then having them outside the fence could be an option. They have an interesting history, and one of those plants you'd have seen in every farm/large kitchen garden years ago. I think it's still the main soft drink in parts of Russia & maybe the north of China. Not a lot of fruit to chose from when you get nearer the poles.
@@maritimegardening4887 All the fruit has a good video on them. Flowering quince taste comparison (Chaenomeles spaciosa, japonica, hybrid 'Pink Lady', kathayensis)
most haskaps have to be very ripe to taste sweet, at the point some of the berries are starting to fall off the bushes , even after they turn blue they still continue to ripen
mine are on year three, so far the deer are leaving them alone. That's a big plus for me. The deer are eating everything! got mine at Vesey's
I planted 60 of these this spring , One is beauty and the other is beast 30 of each , They all survived and grew real nice and had 5 or 6 berries , They tasted tart and sweet at the same time i plan of making jam with them.
Love the flavor fresh, they change from year to year depending on weather, and will not bother with blueberries as the haskap love my climate.
Morning cheers from Michigan 💞☕🌻
Morning!
Put three in my food forest this spring. Two "Beauties" and one "Beast" from a haskap specialist grower in Minnesota.
After SIX attempts with blueberries, I learned about haskaps. They're growing nicely with vigor. No special soil ph needed. As much as I love blueberries I've thrown in the towel on them. Black currants, raspberries and haskaps will do,
Same challenges here with the blueberries in Alberta Canada. I feel your pain, but love the Haskap berries/honey berries.
with haskaps they turn purple 3 weeks before they are ready to eat off the bush, they need to turn purple all the way through the center to get sweet. I love them and often eat them early too lol.
they are ready when they easly fall off the plant with a shake.
Boreal Beauty cultivar of Haskap has bigger sweeter fruits, I also really like the aurora cultivar.
I tried these when they were falling off the bush. Purple all the way through. As I said - some people have more sensitive palates than others.
Appreciated the information, thanks for sharing.
I’m in ns as well, birds cleaned my plants in a couple days. From what I’m told you have to them ripen for along time.
Mine were "falling off the vine" ripe. That's as ripe as it gets :)
Haskaps are wonderful in all sorts of baking, and delicious as a base for mixed berry wine. I prune them every year, trying to make an “open vase shape,” but the new growth keeps filling in the open spaces. Next year I’ll be brutal with pruning! I’ve also made a huge fabric shroud for my row of six bushes to keep the birds off during the final ripening, so you can tell I love my haskaps.
got a few of these, but lost them in the shrubbery ....They're called Siberian Honeyberry in The Netherlands....Lonicera something. I'll look for them and move them into the sun.
In England we call these honeyberries. The ones I've grown were very sweet. Maybe it's certain nutrients in the soil that affects sweetness?
Zone 6B Pennsylvania. First I've heard of them but love lingonberries! Thanks for educating me.
I share your enthusiasm for hascaps too! I planted bushes from the same supplier as you about 4 years ago - different varieties from the U of Saskatchewan research to ensure good cross pollination and a variety of flavours. I got enough last year to make a delicious topping for a cheesecake for a special occasion and this year I had enough for a batch of jam and a few quarts in the freezer for use over the winter. The jam is amazing and I shared some with friends who are giving it rave reviews! I love the sweet/tart flavour (but not at all bitter) and enjoy them out of hand as well. I have since planted 3 more bushes with a couple more varieties and I may make more room for even more as these are turning out to be my favs.
I bought my hascaps or honeyberries from Veseys, 3 or 4 years ago. I did get a bowl full of fruit from them so far this year. My plant has begun to divide into several plants now. I have bindweed in my garden also, perhaps less this year than in previous years.
Try growing the Gooseberry plant. Most prolific berry plant I've ever seen. Get the red/purple variety and after the first year, hold on because you will be picking every day for the rest of the summer. I have two plants, each about 3' in dia. and more berries than my family can eat.
I've grown them in the past - not a fan personally - but I agree, they were easy to grow and prolific
I love my Haskaps too. In my front yard berry patch I have 2 polar Jewel, 2 Borealis, 2 Aurora, and 2 Boreal Beauty. I love eating them from the bush but my wife makes Haskap and Strawberry Jam from all of our own fruits and it is delicious!!! We may add our Saskatoon berries to the jam next year too!
I have Aurora and they are really sweet und great to eat right from the bush. My other varieties are more sour and better used in jams.
I planted 2 a few years ago. The grasses grow so fast here and choke them out. I really need to tend them a bit better. I first had them in a dry tea blend. High in antioxidants and such a tasty tea.
Yes, I'd love to see how you make your Haskap jam! When we moved to NS in April of 2020 I immediately added various berry bushes to our property but haven't yet added Haskaps. In my research, and with your confirmation, they make a great jam, so it's definitely a bush I'm going to plant.
Awesome - you will not be sorry!
While on vacation to Île d'Orléans, Quebec, several years ago, we stopped at a roadside stand and bought some haskaps. Very tart. Did not have the chance to make jam out of it, but I bet it would be perfect for jam. Put some bird netting over it?
Yes - bird netting is a very good idea - they don't seem to mind the tartness
Greg, please do a video on harvesting haskap berries. How do you do it? Also, how do you keep the birds away from the berries? A video on how to prune your Haskap would be helpful. I’m looking forward to your how to prepare Haskap jelly and jam video.
Thanks - added to the list. Will prune in late March - so expect a video then :)
@@maritimegardening4887 thank you! I’ll keep an eye out for it.
We’ve had them for 5+ years but the darn cedar waxwings eat every single berry - ever have that issue? Might put a herring net over them next year
I've not had cedar waxwings - but yes - a net is your only hope :)
Good morning Greg. I agree with you on haskaps. (: We've got 22 in our garden (so far) but they are only one or two years old. We got a small harvest this year but the chipmunks and birds got some too. I'm hoping that the future glut of them will help us get our fair share.
I wanted to mention that there are many different varieties and you need to plant compatible ones for them to pollinate each other. I also notice that there is quite a bit of variability between the varieties in terms of size, sweetness and shape of the bush and the berries. I eat them mixed in with other berries that are sweeter. The one (and only) issue that our bushes have had is mildew. Other than that they are beautiful plants.
Would love to hear about the differences in sweetness, taste and size between those cultivars? :) also if any one of them is more prolific?
@@elsef6798 HI Else. Well our haskaps are still only 1 to 2 years old. Alot of them haven't produced at all yet. The one that grew the most and also produced the most was Zalushka which we purchased from a Quebec nursery. Zalushka seems to be Russian for Cinderella and I can't find anything about Zalushka on line but Cinderella is available. We also got a good harvest from Boreal Blizzard. There are still haskaps on our Aurora bushes that need to ripen. My understanding is that newer varieties are being developed for sweetness so these are likely to give you a sweeter berry. Enjoy.
Thank you! I’m living in Denmark and the selections here are slim. I can find neither Cinderella nor Zalushka. I’ll be hoping for any new cultivars on the way 😊
@@elsef6798 Hi again Else. It is tricky finding many different varieties here as well. Good nurseries that are online often only have a few different options and they seems to change from year to year. The University of Saskatchewan in Canada has developed many of these, in the past decade or so. They are recommended as productive and sweeter than many of the older varieties. They include boreal beast, boreal blizzard, boreal beauty, aurora, tundra, and borealis. My collection is made up mostly of the first four of these and then I've got several other individual ones - like cinderella. I would recommend any of the newer University of Saskatchewan varieties. Make sure to consult pollination charts which are available on line. 🙂
Thank you so much for the great tip! I will make sure to do that 😊👍
Size difference in berries and shrubs could be different varieties. I planted 8 bare roots of three varieties this year. Nice to see their progress on your channel.
Greg, my research indicates the birds eat the Haskap berries because they are thirsty, not hungry. If you give the birds a water source, the birds will leave your berries alone. You have created a pond, which is an excellent water source for birds. If my research is true, your pond may protect your Haskap berries and other berries from the birds. I was considering putting a bird bath in my garden as a source of water. Does this make any sense to you? How about putting a trail cam on your berries and your pond to see what goes on in your garden at night or when you’re not there? Just a thought. It might make an interesting video.
There is water everywhere here. I think they like the berries :) The birds here seem to like everything - but yes -a trail cam is a good idea. The problem with the trail cam is sifting through 1000 pictures the next day. Its eat up a lot of time - and that's why I don't have any trail cam videos. I have three trail cams and have wasted hours of my life sifting though 1000s of vids and pics of nothing trying to capture cool stuff with them. One of these years I'll get lucky - maybe with the hascaps. I'm a sucker for punishment so I will try again :) It think its probably true that some birds use them more as a water source than as an energy source - but there is no shortage of water here - even before I made the pond, so I imagine some birds just like them.
I was thinking I had seen these on an Irish site, after your garden tour. Just checked and futureforests has four verities, but honeyberry is the name here. I wonder if these are as easy to take cuttings from as other fruit bushes? Or if they work well in wines with other fruit?
I have no idea. I'd imagine the cuttings would work with a little growth hormone
@@maritimegardening4887 Most northern fruit bushes are dead easy to take cuttings from. I may just order a few of these, and give it a go. Worse case, I waste 5 min, and a tiny fraction of my rooting hormone.
I think it comes down to the project triangle, like most things in life. You have good, fast, and cheap, but you can only pick two.
Just remembered to ask the bloke next to remind his friend I want some cuttings of his Chaenomeles japonica (Japanese Quince). His father planted them 50+ years ago, and he had no idea what they were, until I identified them from four descriptors.
They have really nice red flowers, and are hard as nails. Whilst the fruit isn't really edible, like a lot of crab apples. It's excellent for getting jam to set properly. I think they only grow to just over a meter, maybe 1.5 meters wide.
Chaenomeles speciosa is a 10x10 foot oriental shrub sized plant. It's grown right across from the far north of China to Scandinavia. And I wouldn't be at all shocked if they weren't growing wild somewhere in Canada, where some old timer had a farm house.
Both are listed as deer & rabbit resistant. But I think that's down to how hungry that deer/rabbit is when it finds your plant. 10x10 is a lot of space to be taking up where you could be growing other things. If you're only using a few fruit per large batch of jam. Then having them outside the fence could be an option.
They have an interesting history, and one of those plants you'd have seen in every farm/large kitchen garden years ago. I think it's still the main soft drink in parts of Russia & maybe the north of China. Not a lot of fruit to chose from when you get nearer the poles.
@@maritimegardening4887 All the fruit has a good video on them.
Flowering quince taste comparison (Chaenomeles spaciosa, japonica, hybrid 'Pink Lady', kathayensis)
most haskaps have to be very ripe to taste sweet, at the point some of the berries are starting to fall off the bushes , even after they turn blue they still continue to ripen
I had these falling off the bush - still tart.
Thanks for clarifying that they are not a fresh-eating berry. I planted them thinking that they were and was super disappointed by their gross flavor.
I find they are good eaten fresh...I eat them with a lil cream! :)
@@rogerweir1772 I have heard that there are some cultivars that are wildly better than others.
Rabbits "pruned" mine over the winter so I get to wait an extra year before I can harvest anything.
Sorry to hear that! You need fencing my friend :")
I had same thing happen chewed to nubs but came back and took a couple years to start producing again, but did survive surprisingly.
@@maritimegardening4887 or, a well-placed snare or two...