Photo: Opioła Jerzy (Poland) — CC BY 2.5 · source
Survives zone 2 through 7
Sweet-tart, blueberry-meets-raspberry — good fresh and processed.
- Hardiness
- Zone 2 to 7
- Habit
- Shrub
- Edible part
- Fruit
- Ripens
- Late May–June — the earliest fruit of the year
- Mature size
- Compact shrub 1–2 m; excellent in containers
- Light
- Full sun in cool zones; PARTIAL (afternoon shade) needed in hot zones 6–8
- Soil pH
- 5.0–7.0
- Environment
- Boreal to temperate
- Status
- Cultivated
- Years to fruit
- 3 yrs
- Pollination
- ⚠ SELF-INCOMPATIBLE (haskap) — needs a 2nd bloom-matched cultivar
Growing guide
Fertilizing. Not a heavy feeder — work compost or well-rotted manure into the soil at planting, then give an established plant a balanced fertilizer in early spring; avoid fertilizing in the first season and avoid over-feeding, which favors leafy growth over fruit and can burn the shallow roots.
How it spreads. Forms a dense, multi-stemmed clump that thickens slowly in place; most sources report it does not sucker or spread aggressively, so it stays put rather than colonizing surrounding ground.
Growing tips. Largely trouble-free with few serious pest or disease problems; benefits from light structural pruning after the first few years to remove old wood and sustain fruit yield. Extremely cold-hardy, tolerating winter temperatures to around -40°F without special protection.