hucklberry part2

[di]

originally posted a query on new shoots,have since discovered its another name 4 bilberry,have looked in a few books & also on the back of seed pack,can't work out if they an annual or something more permanent?don't want to pop them in middle of plot only to find they'll be ther 4 years!anyone grown them?any hints\suggestions/

[nomad]

i am growing them this year they are still seedlins and seem to be taking a while to grow
i do think they live live for a while
i think you use the beries of the huckleberry for jams and such

[di]

your seedlings are a way ahead of my just planted seeds!says on the pack sow mar-may so fingers x'd.hopefully peeps will be getting some interesting christmas jam!i've only planted 1\2 the pack as it claims to be a heavy cropper,.still can,t work out for definite how long they'll last so think i need 2 be extending the fruit bed just in case!good luck with yours & hopefully by autumn we'll have us some huckleberries.(prob loads & they'll taste yuk!)

[gojiberry]

Been thinking about planting mine out on the lottie, but just waiting for a bit warmer forecast. I found them very slow to get going but they are speeding up now and mine are about 6in plants, looking strong and healthy.

Ian

[nomad]

i have mine in the polytunnel but they are only about 1cm tall and seem to be growing awfully slow

[lottie girl]

huckleberies

I'vegrown huckleberries for the last 2 and they haven't overwintered but seed saves really easily (so much so that any stray berries dropped germinate everywhere)! The bushes grow really quick oncethey get going and grow really quite big. The downside is noone really likes them!! They taste foul rawand although make a wonderful coloured jam (bright purple) it's hard to set so needs apples or pectin and doesn't have that great a taste and watch out for purple stains on your worktops!! Easy to grow and i like growing unusual crops but we're giving it a miss this year.

[di]

cheers lottie.don't know about slow germination,mine doing nothing!but after your rather honest description dont think i'll bother losing any sleep!take it you won't be wanting the other 1\2 pack of seeds i was saving 4 next year!

[Seahorse]

I'm growing some this year but mine don't look like bilberries (or what I know as such on the Yorkshire moors). Bilberries are delicious but I fear from the above that huckleberries aren't!