japanese wineberry

[hollychap]

as anyone got one of these growing any info welcome just watched the thompson and morgan fruit growing dvd and they look like a good fruit but a quick google says very invasive

[VirginVegGrower]

I've got one and it's not taken over in two years

[zazen999]

Japanese Wineberry. A fantastic gorgeous berry. Like little jewels when they are ripe. I bought 4 recently and I can't wait for crops from them.

Like brambles; but better. Just cut them back if they get in the way.

[hollychap]

[QUOTE=VirginVegGrower;939212]I've got one and it's not taken over in two years[/QUOTE
whats your thoughts on it ? is it worth growing i was well impressed with the ones trained up an outside stairway but they didnt mention how old the plant was

[VirginVegGrower]

I like the taste of the fruit but mine I assume is still establishing itself. The yields on mine are low - hope it betters.

[northepaul]

I've been after one in ages, but they're just too expensive.

[hollychap]

i did a quick look on the net last night and found a supplier offering 3 plants for £13 i will try find one local anyone know how you propogate them ? can they be grown from seed ?

[swaine]

here as some i grew from seed, i found the original strain didnt survive the location i had them in, the seedlings surivive without problem, abiet berries being a little darker in colour, stew

[Alison]

I was given one for Christmas, it's still in a pot at the moment but will be planted out on the plot come spring time. Am looking forward to it fruiting too as I believe they're lovely.

[hollychap]

just taken the plunge and bought 3 plants via mail order with insured delivery for £19.15

[BroadRipple]

hi VVG, mine still not producing much either...Zazen, any tips?

[hollychap]

i read on the net they take 5yrs approx to establish growing upto 2mtr high 2mtr spread

[veggiechicken]

I have one - its at least 10 years old and is lost in the middle of some other fruit bushes. Before it got "lost" I did have some fruit from it but I don't remember it being exceptional. Perhaps, this year, I'll clear some space around it and give it another chance - if only because so many of you seem to want one.

[elleme]

I bought a wineberry in 2007, unfortunately chose a bad position so I moved it the following year which set it back initially. It started producing a reasonable yield last summer. It looked like it was going to do fine in 2010 as well, but drought and a lack of supplementary watering meant most of the potential fruit dried out before it developed. Last year I mulched it more and watered when needed during drier periods. I don't think it'll ever be a big yielder but now it's doing fine, I'm happy to keep it.

I haven't found it invasive. It will tip root, but with a bit of support and keeping an eye on it, that doesn't need to happen. It just makes it easier to propagate some more if you like it.

[zazen999]

hi VVG, mine still not producing much either...Zazen, any tips?

I don't think they produce a load of fruit - they are more a connoisseur crop. The ones at Ryton are trained along chicken wire fencing, and I suppose are quite mature - but as the 'pods' don't open and release the berries until they are ripe - I suppose they look like they aren't producing much anyway.

I just looked at mine in the greenhouse - I bought 4 from the Ryton gardeners so propagated from Ryton stock - and one has a lovely new shoot on it. I'm hoping to get them planted this weekend so that it can be trained along our fence in the garden and I'm going to take my own cuttings this autumn from them. If I were you, I'd propagate from yours and increase the stock so that you do have more plants and more fruit out of them. They are more for the cherry on top of the cake rather than the jam filling inside the cake anyway - if that's a good analogy. Not that many every make it to a pot - they are really jewels to eat whilst in the garden itself.

I also have another grapevine to put in down there, from my own grape cuttings - and a hop from a cutting at Ryton - so our fence is going to be a frame for all these lovely crops in the coming years.