Questions on Honeyberries & a currant question too.

I've recently emailed raintree nursery these questions but haven't heard back from them yet.


I'd like to grow a couple honeyberry plants, I know you have to buy two different variety to get fruit

Questions are.

There are honeyberries that bloom later than other honeyberries, do I need to get the varieties that bloom at the same time.

and I've read that they need high amounts of vitamin c (ascorbic acid) on a regular basis to get them to produce a large amount of berries.

How much is a large amount? How should I mix it, if I buy the powder or crystals.. How often should I give it to the plants. I also thought i'd grow these two plants in large pots. Is this a ok decision?

I also have the desire to grow some currants, I've tried several years in a row and lost them all. thinking I just didn't water them enough in the summer months, i'd like to try again. If I get two different varieties, will the y cross? and if I get one currant and one gooseberry, will they cross? sorry for all the questions.

oh o;ne more. lol

Is there another place besides raintree to get the currant and gooseberries at?

Currants hate the heat and will die if exposed too long to hot temps.
However, the Clove Currant can take the heat and is very adaptable.

Good luck!

Gooseberries and currants are self-pollinating and do not need a pollinator. Unless you want to grow new plants from seed, you do not need to worry about cross-pollination. It is generally not a good idea to start you own plants from seed (gooseberry, currant or honeyberry), as they are almost always inferior to the cultivated varieties.

Lucile Whitman, of Whitman Farms (www.whitmanfarms.com) is generally acknowledged as an expert on gooseberries and currants. She has good plants for good prices and will answer your questions. I did have a problem with her making a promise to me for a particular variety of Cornelian cherry that she did not honor, through forgetfulness, so I have never ordered from her. But a lot of people like her. In addition to Raintree, you can also find gooseberries and currants at One Green World.

I am a fan of white currants and do not like black currants. However, gooseberry/currant crosses such as Jostaberry or Orus 8 are very, very good.

For honeyberries, it does matter somewhat the varieties you get. I would try late blooming varieties first for your area and not mix early and late blooming varieties. Be aware that there are new honeyberry types coming in from Canada the past two years that are labeled "haskap's". These are the same species plants as honeyberries, supposedly the result of a superior breeding program. I have not had a chance yet to try the haskaps, so cannot say how they compare, but I am happy with my existing honeyberry plants. Keep in mind that haskaps were also developed for the Canadian climate.

I have not heard anything about vitamin C for honeyberries. That seems unusual to me. Honeyberries are, however, high in vitamin c, so perhaps this is just a confusion.

This message was edited Mar 22, 2012 5:59 AM

I think I read that info on raintree about them needing high amounts of vitamin c, but i'll go read it again , thanks so much for all the help. I guess I know why i'm having trouble growing the currants, I am goign to try one more time with them but growing them in large pots so I can move them around in the yard, it's worth a try, i don't like dark currants either, and was looking more along the lines of a white one. and maybe a pin k or red gooseberry also.

thanks for the tips on the honeyberries. , they are high dollar at raintree for the late blooming varieties, 20.00 a piece, I may have to look around on those some, I have done some reading on the haskaps, they said they they would do well in the US but I realize they were produced for Cananda. I did see some haskaps on ebay for sale. for a decent price. Thanks for the web sites too. You all are great help!!!

What do you think about the Hinnomaki Red gooseberry krowten? I'm wanting a good sweet one, not tart in any way when it's ripe. I'm new to them, as my others have died also. probably from the heat also.

After my failures with Currants and Gooseberries, I started doing North facing gardens. Find a location that gets lots of morning/early afternoon sun and plant there. I found that Honeyberries are more heat/drought tolerant than Currants and Gooseberries. Planting in this location also gives them more winter chill hours which they require as well.

You could also plant in pots the first few years and move them as the time of the year dictates. Right now, they would love full sun and by late May you cold move them to a cooler location in the yard.

A place where they get some shade during the hottest, sunniest part of the day may help. They do fruit in pots. The problem, however, is that pots will dry out faster than an in-ground location. I do not know what your climate is like, so I cannot be of much help as I'd like. A place that gets some morning sun, then is protected during the hottest part of the day, wold probably be best for you.

Hinnomaki Red is one of my favorite gooseberries for flavor. Keep in mind that it will have a somewhat tart skin when fully ripe, but the inside. will be sweet. It is one of the best choices. Hinnomaki Yellow would also work well. A slightly more sweet gooseberry (than H Red), it is a very productive plant and very slow grower. It will give lots of yellow fruit in a pot. The plant itself has "droopy" stems and needs to be carefully pruned to an upward shape, but its growth habit makes it ideal for a pot. The biggest problem I have with H. yellow is that the fruit show blemishes very easily. The fruit doesn't look as nice as I would like. [However, I liken it to the honey tangerines we get this time of the year with ugly skin and seeds, but wonderful juice and flavor on the inside!] H. yellow is very undemanding and will start fruiting early, a bit earlier for me than H. Red. Like many other fruits, the amount of tartness you get will depend on how ripe the fruit is, but expect all gooseberries to have a slightly tart skin at full ripeness. But they are a good fruit in that you can pick them when not ripe and good with them. Also freezing the ripe fruit seems to significantly enhance the flavor for some reason.

I think gooseberries are easier than honeyberries in terms of difficulty in growing. My honeyberries try to die or go dormant during the heat of late summer here. The gooseberries do not, as long as given sufficient moisture. So if you have a long, hot, dry spell, be sure to keep your gooseberries watered.

Jujube and I cross posted, but you can see we agree on most of what we said.

thanks so much for all the help!

I wanted to say thanks for the good info on this thread!

I'm thinking of trying a couple of honeyberry plants... since that invasive bush-looking Japanese (?) honeysuckle thing does so well here, I'm hoping honeyberry will also flourish! (I keep chopping back the weedy shrub one at its base to discourage it.)

I'll likely order from One Green World this time, since they also have the Peterson PawPaws that I want. (DH says it's "Weird Fruit Year" here)