Any elderberry, honeyberry, or red currant growers?

[BigDaveK]

I'm planting all three this year and they may be shipped early March. Honeyberry says full-sun, other two say full-sun or part-shade. I was wondering what works best for you folks.
When I grow plants from seed I'll do enough to spread around, looking for the sweet spot, and then transplant stragglers to the best locations. I don't have that option with these. Any help/advice is appreciated!

 

[Rice_Guy]

I have elderberry and currant in full sun. At five years with currant I am at the point where I could pick enough for a batch.
I am a newbie with honeyberry and planted mine in full sun. The you tube I have seen from Canada shows a several acre field in full sun with rows for a tractor. The folks I know with it rank it as a five year crop, and one needs to pick every day since berries don’t hang well. Did you pick Russian varieties (more tannic) or Japanese varieties (sweeter)?

 

[ChuckD]

I think that means they can do ok in partial shade. They will do better in full sun. The wild elderberry I have here bears much better in full sun.

 

[Ericphotoart]

Do you guys have a "deer problem" in your area? Unfortunately I do and all bushes and my vegetable garden must be fenced. Deer love those fruits or actually almost everything.

 

[mat_ski]

I had black and red currants in the past they grew in full sun. However, I would follow the recommendations because your strain may be different than what I had.

 

[BigDaveK]

I have elderberry and currant in full sun. At five years with currant I am at the point where I could pick enough for a batch.
I am a newbie with honeyberry and planted mine in full sun. The you tube I have seen from Canada shows a several acre field in full sun with rows for a tractor. The folks I know with it rank it as a five year crop, and one needs to pick every day since berries don’t hang well. Did you pick Russian varieties (more tannic) or Japanese varieties (sweeter)?

The honeyberries are cultivars and a mix of Russian, Japanese, and Kurile. I usually do a deep dive on plants that are new to me. The University of Saskatchewan has a HUGE honeyberry program, two of mine are a result of their breeding. In case you don't have it, this link has a BOATLOAD of information...

Haskap - University of Saskatchewan Fruit Program | University of Saskatchewan

 

[BigDaveK]

Do you guys have a "deer problem" in your area? Unfortunately I do and all bushes and my vegetable garden must be fenced. Deer love those fruits or actually almost everything.

Darn deer.
I have hundreds of hostas, a deer favorite, the result of many years of dividing and also transplanting seedlings that pop up everywhere. Liquid Fence works great and I've been using it for years. It's all natural but I hesitate to spray something I'm going to eat so I also have wire cages and bird netting.

BTW, my very mature Empress Wu and Blue Angel hostas are normally 4 feet high and 6 feet wide. Breathtaking!

 

[BarrelMonkey]

Happy to share my experience but I would recommend contacting your local university extension or master gardener program - it's likely they will have local knowledge that will be more relevant than that of some random guy on the internet from Northern California...

That being said... I have both American ('Nova', 'York') and European ('Korsor') elderberries in my yard. They are in full sun during summer, though one of the European plants is in part shade for some of the year. Interestingly, the European cultivar is the first to flower but the American ones are first to harvest. I don't know if it's the time of year or some other factor, but the birds LOVE my American elderberries but leave the European ones alone. I have to bag each fruit cluster while it's still green if I want to get any harvest from Nova and York.

As I recall, harvesting the berries is different between the US/Euro cultivars too. With the American ones, it works great to freeze the whole clusters then strip off the berries with a fork. If you do that with the European ones, a lot of the stalks come off too and it's more trouble than it's worth. For them, I just strip them as I pick them.

They are also different in terms of flowers. The European cultivar has beautifully fragrant flowers and I make elderflower wine/'shampagne' from them - I'm determined to perfect it this year after a few learning experiences over the past few years! The American cultivars have barely any fragrance.

Currants haven't been a big success for me to date. I really wanted to grow blackcurrants in particular, but have had very meagre harvests. I'm going to give them another season and then maybe cut my losses if things don't improve. I did get a reasonable harvest from my pink currant bush last year ('Pink Champagne'), but to be honest I didn't really care for them and have pulled them up in favor of using the space for something else this year. I also had a redcurrant bush ('Rovada'), but that never really bore fruit and seemed to be in poor shape last year, so it too has made it onto my mulch pile.

Good luck! I'm intrigued to hear how the honeyberries work out, though to my earlier point I don't think I have quite the right climate for them...

 

[BigDaveK]

Thanks for the input, @BarrelMonkey !!
I'll be planting 4 elderberry - 'Nova', 'York', 'Adams', and 'Johns'. I understand they grow pretty fast so I plan to take cuttings as soon as I can. I've had excellent luck propagating plants and trees over the years.

I'm not familiar with the Northern Cali climate but you might be able to grow honeyberries. They definitely prefer a cooler climate. I'm in zone 6 and they like 2-8.

 

[BarrelMonkey]

Thanks for the input, @BarrelMonkey !!
I'll be planting 4 elderberry - 'Nova', 'York', 'Adams', and 'Johns'. I understand they grow pretty fast so I plan to take cuttings as soon as I can. I've had excellent luck propagating plants and trees over the years.

I'm not familiar with the Northern Cali climate but you might be able to grow honeyberries. They definitely prefer a cooler climate. I'm in zone 6 and they like 2-8.

My Nova and York send up shoots from under the soil up to several feet from the main plant, so if you want to plant a row/hedge you could probably do so. Korsor (which I grew from a cutting), not so much, it seems like the new growth all stems from the base of the plant. But you are right that they grow fast!

 

[hounddawg]

i have a few black elderberry plants/bushes, some in full sun some in partial shade, all throw very good, deer and birds is your worries,
Dawg

 

[JustJoe]

I have several elderberry bushes, some in full sun and some in partial sun. All of them grow tall and look good. They all get loads of blossoms but the ones in partial sun loose a lot of berries before ripening.

 

[Rice_Guy]

but the ones in partial sun loose a lot of berries before ripening.

loss of fruit is a genetic trait on most species/ wild fruit varieties. (shattering trait)

 

[JustJoe]

loss of fruit is a genetic trait on most species/ wild fruit varieties. (shattering trait)

Wish I knew that 15 years ago!

 

[wood1954]

My domestic elderberries do very poorly in my sandy soil that I’ve given up on them. The wild elderberries along my neighbors fence rows do really well tho.

 

[BigDaveK]

My domestic elderberries do very poorly in my sandy soil that I’ve given up on them. The wild elderberries along my neighbors fence rows do really well tho.

Thanks, good to know.
I've got sandy soil too. But I also make about 2 yards of compost each year, fortunately.

 

[hounddawg]

weird to know, i have only ever grew, made wine, fetched and toted using wild elderberries here in the Ozarks of North East Arkansas, black Sambucus or something like that, soil here, red clay, rock, red clay, lol, and more rock.
but you can cut a cane stuff it in the ground keep it watered and you got a new bush, and 38.7 million more birds,,,,, and deer destroying young canes, they love the leaves,
Dawg

 

[hounddawg]

Thanks, good to know.
I've got sandy soil too. But I also make about 2 yards of compost each year, fortunately.

might try some sawdust, mixed in, not to much but some,
Dawg

 

[ChuckD]

My domestic elderberries do very poorly in my sandy soil that I’ve given up on them. The wild elderberries along my neighbors fence rows do really well tho.

I find them growing on the edge of wetlands so they like wet feet.

 

[BigDaveK]

weird to know, i have only ever grew, made wine, fetched and toted using wild elderberries here in the Ozarks of North East Arkansas, black Sambucus or something like that, soil here, red clay, rock, red clay, lol, and more rock.
but you can cut a cane stuff it in the ground keep it watered and you got a new bush, and 38.7 million more birds,,,,, and deer destroying young canes, they love the leaves,
Dawg

Yeah, that's what I did with my raspberry and blackberry. Super easy to propagate. I must be around a 90% success rate.

And those darn deer. Even if they don't like something, everything has to be tasted.