Zone 4a - Idaho Haskap happy at 4,856 feet (1,480 m)

I just called up a grower in southeast Idaho who planted 24 Borealis, 24 Tundra, and 6 Berry Smart Blue in April of 2011. He reported significant growth in 2013, with well established roots and some berry production. He netted against the robbins, so his family was able to enjoy fresh berries and they made some jam. They tended to eat the Tundra fresh as it was the firmest berry, and used a mixture of the Borealis and Berry Smart Blue for the jam, but said all berries tasted good fresh. Berry Smart Blue was the largest and most productive bush. He looks forward to the berries increasing in size as well as a greater yield from the larger bushes this coming spring. Bernis reporting on phone conversation Jan. 27, 2014

Zone 5a, New Hampshire - Beautiful Borealis

Three year old Borealis haskap

All the bushes have berry clusters like this.

The honeyberries are doing great, we are going to have lots of berries this year from the look of things. I must admit when we first got them (April 2011) I was concerned with the size of the bushes, but just last year they must have grown 2 plus feet and are very full, amazing growth. 

They seem to grow well in the soil we have them in. We are lucky if we have 8- 12 inches of topsoil, the rest is sand underneath so it has very good drainage.  I also keep fish so since we planted them  I have been feeding them with water change water, which seems to help out quite a bit.

I may have to prune them back before too many more years. Looking forward to making some jelly this year with them.  Chris, Rochester, NH (May 26, 2013)

Zone 5, Iowa - Borealis haskap rebounds after hot dry summer of 2012

Borealis survivor

Here is a picture of one of my 3 happy Borealis plants. It was quite miserable-looking after the drought last year, (see below) but it seems to have shrugged that stress off just fine. The Honey Bee was shipped late last year after it had broken dormancy. The shipping stress and the drought both likely contributed to its demise. Fred, IA (May 7, 2013)

Sept. 14, 2012: My 4 happy honeyberries have taken a turn for the worse. I believe they have leaf scorch caused by extended drought here in the Midwest (I am in Iowa City). Despite watering every 7-10 days, I think the months of zero rain and 90-100 degree weather was too much for them.

Please see the attached pictures. The leaves are dropping, but small new green leaves are emerging from branch tips. I do not know if they will survive. (to find out if they survived or not, see April 25, 2014 entry)

Leaf scorched haskap

Haskap leaf scorch front of leaf

Haskap leaf scorch back of leaf

Haskap indoors - Svetlana Surprise

I brought in a potted Svetlana, last year's rooted cutting from a propagator in Canada, and it totally surprised me by leafing out and forming little buds all along its stem, all in just one week! Svetlana berries supposedly have a good taste and this week's experiment shows it is indeed very fast growing. Bernis, MN

Svetlana leafed out in one week and formed blossom buds along stem

Svetlana blossom buds on year old rooted cutting

Oct 1, 2012 Svetlana on right, Berry Blue on left, Riverbend Orchards, MB

Two year old Borealis and Tundra after 2.5 weeks indoors, no blossoms

Haskap Across the USA

Haskap Across the USA (based in part on this blog) was presented on July 20 at the 2012 U of S Haskap Day in Saskatoon, SK. Based on feedback from across the USA, scorching heat is hard (and sometimes deadly) on Borealis and Tundra haskap, but this is not reflected in the USDA plant zones. One grower is in zone 10b due to warm winter temps, but did not have the scorching summer heat that say OK, zone 7b, had last year.

It is possible to get berries without a non-related variety nearby for pollination, but the fruit will not be as plentiful or as large. Josh in KS (zone 5b) reported "The bad news is the Berry Blue never leafed out. The good is that I have 10 small berries on my Borealis."(Both bushes from year-old stock, planted end of March 2012)

Borealis blossoms in Kansas on year-old plant Apr 15, 2012

Borealis berry in Kansas on year-old plant May 15, 2012

Dean from zone 10b in CA reports, "The average summertime high temp where we are in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles is in the high 80’s, low 90’s, and dry, and in the winter daytime temps can be in the 50’s and 60’s.

The Berry Blue is doing very well since planting in April 2011. It's gotten much larger and is sprouting new growth. I'm guessing that the plant is about 18-24" tall now. It has not sprouted fruit, but I didn't necessarily expect that it would as I've only had both plants about 1-1/2 year. The Borealis is doing OK, but has barely grown at all and there's no new growth that I can see, possibly due to transplanting from my garden to the raised bed.

Both plants have developed an odd problem. All of the leaves other than the new growth on the Berry Blue is covered in what look like water spots but are the only leaves in the yard to display such markings, and I water under the foliage."

Two year old Borealis in CA, July 4, 2012

Spotting and drying edges on Borealis leaves in CA is not pretty but plant is surviving.
Might want to check the spots for mycelium. July 4, 2012

Zone 3 - Forest Tent Caterpillars dine on haskap leaves

Every ten years or so the forest tent catepillars arrive en masse and this year there is a new item on the menu - haskap leaves!

Forest tent caterpillar munching on haskap leaf

Folded leaf makes cozy home for tent caterpillar larvae.
Morning dew still on leaves.

Pried open haskap leaf reveals forest tent caterpillar larvae in cocoon

So far there are a couple of caterpillars per plant on one end of the orchard. Most of the growth has occurred already (12-24") and the berries are starting to turn purple.

Borealis haskap berries turning purple

They seem to turn purple overnight, and yes, you will just have to taste one before it's ready, but the sourness will definitely encourage you to wait another 3 weeks for the rest to ripen to a more palatable taste!

Tundra haskap

Potted haskap will ripen a good week or two prior to the ones planted in the ground. These Tundra berries look like they are ready to eat, but still need a couple more weeks to turn sweet.

Borealis and Tundra blossom over the span of a week or two, so we probably want to wait a good month from the time the first berries turn dark blue until harvest. However, Chris in CT reports, "My kids ate the berries before they fully ripened. They liked their tartness."

Zone 7 - Georgia - Tundra Haskap Berries

I bought 2 Borealis and 2 Tundra haskap/honeyberryplants in the spring of 2011. I planted them at my cabin in the north Georgia mountains. We had a long and *very* dry summer (1 inch of rain over three months), and I was surprised actually to have only lost one of my four honeyberries (one of the Borealis). The other plants are actually thriving in part sun it seems. Considering how hot and dry the summer was here, that's pretty good for a plant that is supposed to live in the frigid north!

Berries from 2 year old Tundra

Berries on 2 year old Tundra

Two year old Tundra growing in part sun, north Georgia mountains

Anyway, this email was just to send you pictures of my first harvest (from the Tundra plants). Not a lot yet, and I'm pretty sure these weren't even pollinated (my pollinator plants are still too small). But let me tell you they sure were delicious :)  Kevin, Georgia