How to grow haskap berries

Haskap (Lonicera caerulea) is a cold-hardy fruiting shrub in the honeysuckle family. You may also see it sold as honeyberry or blue honeysuckle. It grows long, blue berries with a tart-sweet flavor. Many people compare it to a mix of blueberry, raspberry, and black currant.

It is one of the first fruits of the year. In most gardens, haskap ripens in early summer, before strawberries.

Haskap is also tough. It handles the cold winters of the Canadian prairies, and its early flowers can take spring frosts. If blueberries have let you down, haskap is worth a try.

Where haskap grows

Most haskap varieties do best in zones 2 to 7. They like cool climates. Where summers are hot, give them afternoon shade. Not sure of your zone? Here is how to find your growing zone.

Plant two varieties that bloom together

Haskap cannot pollinate itself. You need at least two different varieties that bloom at the same time, planted close together. One bush of a single variety will flower but set little or no fruit.

Haskap blooms so early that bumblebees do most of the pollinating. They fly in cooler weather than honeybees do.

The University of Saskatchewan fruit program bred many of the varieties sold in Canada. Common ones include:

• ‘Tundra’
• ‘Borealis’
• ‘Indigo Gem’
• ‘Aurora’
• ‘Honey Bee’

‘Honey Bee’ is a popular pollinator partner. Nursery tags list it as a strong pollinator for ‘Borealis’ and ‘Tundra’. Its fruit is a little tarter than those two, but it holds on the bush longer. The tags also list it as resistant to sunburn and powdery mildew.

Ask your nursery which varieties bloom together before you buy. Then buy at least one of each.

Where to plant haskap

• Full sun gives the biggest crop. Part shade works, with fewer berries.
• Soil needs to drain well. Haskap does not like wet feet.
• Haskap does not need acidic soil. Unlike blueberries, it grows in a wide range of soils.
• Space bushes 4 to 5 feet (1.2 to 1.5 m) apart.

Mature bushes reach about 4 to 6 feet (1.2 to 1.8 m) tall, depending on the variety.

How to plant haskap

1. Plant in spring or early fall.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the pot and the same depth.
3. Set the plant at the same depth it grew in the pot.
4. Fill in around the roots, firm the soil, and water well.
5. Spread 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 cm) of mulch around the plant. Keep it a few inches back from the stems.

Wood chips, bark, and straw all work as mulch. Read more about organic mulch.

Caring for haskap

Water

Water young plants each week during dry spells for the first two years. Steady water matters most from bloom through harvest. Mulch helps hold moisture in.

Fertilizer

Haskap does not need much fertilizer. A layer of compost around the bushes each spring is enough for most gardens.

Pruning

Keep pruning to a minimum for the first few years. Once plants are about 5 years old, prune in late winter or early spring while they are dormant.

• Remove dead or broken stems.
• Cut off low branches that touch the ground.
• Take out a few of the oldest stems to let light into the center.

Birds

Birds find ripe haskap berries fast. Cover the bushes with bird netting as the berries start to turn blue.

When to harvest haskap

Expect a small harvest by the second or third year. Crops get bigger as the bushes mature.

Here is the tricky part. Haskap berries turn blue on the outside before they are ripe. A blue berry can still be green inside and sour.

Pick one berry and bite it in half. When the flesh is purple-red all the way through, the crop is ready. That can take a week or two after the berries first turn blue.

Ripe berries drop with little effort. Spread a sheet under the bush and give the branches a light shake. The ripe berries drop, and the unripe ones stay on.

How to use haskap berries

Haskap berries are soft, so use them within a few days of picking. Their tart flavor works well in jam, pie, sauces, and smoothies.

They freeze well. Spread them on a tray to freeze, then pour them into a bag. That keeps them from freezing in one big clump.

Common haskap problems

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
Flowers but no berries	No compatible pollinator nearby	Plant a second variety that blooms at the same time
Few berries on young plants	Plants still too young	Wait, crops grow each year
Berries gone overnight	Birds	Cover the bushes with netting
White powder on leaves in late summer	Powdery mildew	Choose resistant varieties and improve airflow
Sour berries	Picked too early	Wait until the flesh is purple all the way through

Powdery mildew on haskap shows up after harvest, so it does not affect that year’s crop. Here is more on how to get rid of powdery mildew.

More berries to grow

If haskap does well for you, add these to your fruit garden:

• How to grow strawberries
• How to grow raspberries
• How to grow blueberries