Grow Your Own- The Back Yard Gardener
Haskap (Lonicera caerulea) is perfect for any northern backyard. They thrive in our rugged climate, winter hardy up to -50c, zone 2b. This relative new Canadian crop goes by many names; Honey berry, Yezberry, Camerise, Edible Honeysuckle to name a few. At Rosy Farms, located just north of Edmonton, we just call them the Best Berry!
A beloved Super Fruit, 3 times the anti oxidants and 5 times the anti inflammatory then the past health champion blue berries. Plus its beautiful flavour quickly lights up any recipe with its intense colour and powerful flavour.
More and more home owners are pick this plants up from your local garden center. We recommend, Greenland Garden Center.
Plant Selection
Haskaps are sterile to their own pollen, so you will need 2 different varieties. Keeping both plants in a relatively close space, like both in the front or back yard. Now to the funniest part, variety selection. We recommend the University of Saskatchewan varieties because they are bread in our northern climate, 2a. Plus 50 cents from every haskap goes to their horticulture program, #prariepride. Aurora is our favorite, with its large fruit, beautiful flavour and upright form. A cross pollinator companion, from best to not so tasty; Indigo Gem, Tundra, Borealis, and lastly Honey Bee. Or any of the Boreal series are amazing, they are larger fruit, have an upright form and are later to ripen; Blizzard we find is the sweetest fruit, Beast has a beautiful bush shape and Beauty are the largest, but their flavour is ok.
Growth Habits
Haskaps are a beautiful shrub, they are one of the first plants to flower, lasting a week or two. Depending on the variety the fruit between early July to mid August. Tehy grow 4- 6’ tall, 4-5’ wide, depending on the variety. Keep your eyes open the typically hide inside the bush. The Indigo series, Tundra, and Borealis have a ball form to it’s shrubbery while all others have an up-right V-shape. Haskaps bloom a little yellow tubular flowers, early spring, opposite leaf arrangement.
The Fruit
Typically, haskaps begin to flower in early May, and are ready to harvest through July, into August. The berries are a dark blue/purple colour and come in a wide array of roundish shapes. The flavor, depending on the variety is like a mix of blueberries, raspberries with some Zing!
Haskaps are made up of around 80% water and fall on a 2.9 - 3.2ph level making them a sweet tart berry. Naturally sweet containing 15 - 18% of sugars! At our farm, thinkin it is because we work with biology we are around 20%.
Planting
Follow these haskap planting hacks:
Plant 2.5 cm (1 inch) deeper than the original plant container.
When planting side by side, space plants 1 meter (3 ft) apart.
If you are not planting side by side, anywhere in your front or back yard, the plants should be no more than 15M (50 ft) apart.
They require full sun, at least %75 of the day. If less, you will get a beautiful plant, with no fruit.
Water frequently until it is established, the first year or so and then keep the soil around the plant moist for the rest of the plant's life.
Haskaps naturally grow on the fringes of bogs, enjoying moist soils, not wet areas.
Use mulch or compost around plants to keep soil evenly moist. haskaps love organic matter. Like love love organic matter
Care
Pruning
To keep it simple, your plant must always feel young. If a branch is older than 7 years, it will produce less and tinny fruit. Prune off the whole limb, only do 25% pruning per year. During the first 4 years, prune to shape the plant; like branches off the ground, prevent a large amount of branches crossing and always remove the 3 Ds; Dead, Damaged, Diseased.
Fertility
Laying compost annually around the plant is perfect 2.5cm (1/2 inch). or 3x per year water with a 20-20-20 mix, flowering, 2 weeks after flower, after fruiting. Fertilizer is not needed, but will help with fruit production. If you can organics is best
Harvesting
Hand picking is the best for quality. For the highest quality fruit pick when the day is cooler, and put them quickly into the fridge to preserve quality. Haskaps area relatively new fruit, so harvesting durability has just starting to be bread into them, like a closed scar when picked, or thick skin. So they juice out super fast. Shaking the branches with berries on to a tarp or into a bucket works well for harvesting. No tarp? Try using a kiddy pool, cut in half, for maximum efficiency.
When should you pick??? It all depends on the variety, so go by taste. Typically people pick too early, due to berry excitement. Make sure the berry is not green inside, does not taste grassy, and is soft, yet firm and of course sweet.
Pests
Birds are the worst. Its like they enjoy haskaps more then we do. They will typically start picking them as soon as the berry colour up, or 2 weeks before we want to pick them. Protection is required to make sure that you get some fruit off of your plants. Typically Robins and Wax Wings, know about haskaps and wait for them, stripping a bush bare. Using any bird netting from your local garden store will help, but look for one no larger than 1” holes. Make sure the netting goes to the ground, pesky birds will go under if the can.
Place your nets on your haskaps mid to late June, before the berries turn purple. Earlier and you will push the new shoot growth down, stunting that years growth.
Sometimes haskaps have a powdery mildew, seen on old varieties, mainly caused by lack of airflow.
Other then that if you have insect/ disease problems; aphids, caterpillars, scale problems it is for two reasons, the insects are starving, eating what they can, even though they will not digest the greens or your plant is weak. Insects and diseases eat weak plants.
FAQ
Q: Why are there NO berries?
A: Check to make sure your haskap is flowering, if it sets fruit, the berries should go from green to purple.
If your haskap plant does not flower, you might need more water. Remember that haskaps need at least 75% of light during the day. If the leaves are not forming properly, take pics consult with your local garden center.
If you have flowers, but no fruit set, it could be a pollination problem. Make sure you have two different varieties that can cross pollinate.
If your fruit sets but does not turn purple, it could be a watering or fertility issue. Remember you want the soil moist not wet. If it is a fertility issue, you will see the leaves start to look funny (interveinal chlorosis) curling of the leaves or turning purple, consult with your local garden centre for help.
If you have purple fruit but they disappear, first shake your fist in the sky! It's those pesky birds. Netting is most likely your answer.
Q: Why are my berries getting smaller each year, and not tasting good?
A: The plant could need to be pruned, being revitilised, kept young.
Or you could have old varieties. Berry Blue, Blue Bell, Cinderella, Svitlana. These are all variety selections from Europe, the Uof S released, reased 2005 to 2009. They for some reason have an issie with shrinking fruit as the plant matures, so it is very import you prune then, keeping them young.
The berries are all small and taste like tonic water. OH NO you have the old, 1964 honeysuckle from Beaver Lodge. An ornamental that looks like our lovely haskaps. Don’t be fooled, no mater what you do they will never taste the same.
Happy Growing !