HARDY FRUIT

Growing Haskap (Honeyberry) in Canada

The first fruit of the Canadian summer: how to plant haskap, pick a pollination partner and get the berries before the birds do.

Growing haskap in Canada is about as easy as fruit gets. Haskap (Lonicera caerulea), also sold as honeyberry or, in Quebec, camerise, is an edible honeysuckle. The University of Saskatchewan, whose fruit program bred most of the named cultivars, rates it hardy to Zones 1 to 4 and says its own cultivars need no winter protection.

It is also early. The University of Saskatchewan describes small yellow tubular flowers in early May and berries ready in late June to early July, the first shrub to flower in spring and the first fruit to ripen.

Why You Need Two Haskaps

The University of Saskatchewan explains that haskaps are self-incompatible: a plant needs pollen from another haskap of a different variety that flowers at the same time. Bees and other insects carry it.

It also corrects a common mistake. One plant is not a non-fruiting “male” for the other. Both plants fruit; they simply pollinate each other. Some nurseries sell two compatible plants in one pot, sometimes labelled male and female, which is where the idea comes from. The two can be planted together, though you may prune more often to keep them from crowding.

If one of a pair dies and the label is lost, the University of Saskatchewan says there is no way to tell which variety you need, and suggests starting again with a new compatible pair.

University of Saskatchewan Cultivars

Most named haskaps in Canadian nurseries came from Dr. Bob Bors at the University of Saskatchewan fruit program. Its cultivar chart lists these, with average berry weight:

Check the pairing on the nursery tag or with the seller: the partner has to bloom at the same time. Haskap cultivars cannot be grown true from seed, and the University of Saskatchewan notes they are patented plants propagated by licensed propagators.

Site and Planting

Full sun gives the most fruit. The University of Saskatchewan says haskaps will grow in part sun with a smaller crop, and are not suited to part shade or deep shade. They tolerate most soils and do well in well-drained loam or sandy loam; clay is fine if the spot drains.

Drainage matters more than the name suggests. Perennia, Nova Scotia’s agriculture agency, notes that despite a wild relative being called swamp honeysuckle, haskap does not like wet feet, and suggests a soil pH of at least 6 to 6.5.

Plant 2.5 to 5 cm deeper than the plant sat in its pot and at least 1 m from other plants. The shrub stays about 1.2 to 2 m tall and 1.2 m wide and does not tend to sucker. Keep the soil moist for the first two to three weeks, then give about 2.5 cm of water a week unless it rains.

Keep the Grass Away

Haskap roots are wide and shallow, and the University of Saskatchewan says they do not compete well. Keep grass, weeds and even perennial flowers about 1 m back from the stems of a young plant, and use a wide ring of mulch instead, pulled back so it does not bank against the stems.

Do not use chemical fertilizer at planting. A couple of centimetres of compost or well-rotted manure before the mulch, then a spring top-up each year, is what the University of Saskatchewan recommends. Perennia found weed control to be the main job in the first three to five years.

Pruning

Haskaps need little pruning. The University of Saskatchewan suggests fall or winter, when the shape is easy to see: remove a few branches at the base to let in light and air, and take out damaged wood any time. An old, unproductive shrub can be cut to about 15 cm and allowed to regrow.

Birds, Deer and Mildew

Because haskap is the first fruit of the year, birds wait for it. The University of Saskatchewan says birds will eat under-ripe berries too, so put netting up before the berries turn from green to blue, use mesh no larger than 1.25 cm so birds and cats are not caught in it, and weigh the edges down.

In Nova Scotia, Perennia reports deer browsing the tender buds in winter and spring, and powdery mildew in the humid maritime climate.

Picking Haskap

The berries turn deep blue 5 to 10 days before they are ripe inside. The University of Saskatchewan’s test is to taste one: if the inside is mostly green and grassy, wait. Some cultivars ripen all at once and some drop fruit easily.

A mature shrub can give 3 to 4.5 kg a year. Pick in the cool of the morning or evening, or shake the branches over a tarp. Refrigerate right away; the University of Saskatchewan gives 3 to 5 days in the fridge for fresh berries.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

• University of Saskatchewan, Gardening at USask — Haskaps
• Perennia (Nova Scotia), Rachael Cheverie — Haskap Production: Learning from our Neighbours