Tweet
I am having a bash at growing something a little different, its a native fruitbush of of canda called the Saskatoon (Amelanchier alnifolia). Not seen it for sale as a plant in the UK (but you can in the US and Canada) but is available as seed in the UK. It's proving to be a long haul of a germinator however which by some estimates can take up to 18 months. I started some off in my propegator but now keep them on a window sill, 8 weeks on however and still no sign of life. If anyone has tried this before, whats your experince?
-
Never tried it, but I prefer to grow things which you can't easily buy in UK; are v expensive in shops; or just more tasty and organic being home grown. Tried Huckleberries for that reason in 04 / 05 with little reward. Had perfect soil type, plants grew 4ft high, were covered in black coloured berries , and waited until several frosts had sweetened the fruit( had to be very careful not to leave them too long incase bears coming out of hibernation got to them 1st!!!)
...and then ....
sour...sour...sour...!!!!
no idea why, but even the starving birds left them alone!! jope you have more success with your berries....Where did you get the seed from??(might give it a try
)
Oh....and hi...!!!Last edited by Nicos; 10-03-2006, 08:38 PM."Nicos, Queen of Gooooogle" and... GYO's own Miss Marple
Location....Normandy France -
You can buy them from Chiltern Seeds, £1.45 for a packet. The other fruit bush I wanted to source from Canada is the Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana). The Chokeberry can be found in the UK as a fruit bush but the Chokecherry cannot be sourced (sadly) in the UK. The saskatoon is also called the Juneberry but it seems the Amelanchier family all use this name so be sure you get the right one.
As for why your Huckleberries were sour, I have read that they can be on the sour side but ideal for Jams etc. While not picking fruit they still might great (and unusal) jams. I know that saskatoons and junecherry can be sour but make great Jams, they grow wild in Canda like Blackberries in the UK do and are picked largely for Jams (they were also used by the indians dried).Comment
-
Not sure, but seem to recall juneberry may be related to an old hedgerow species known as a 'serviceberry' ?
Comment
-
I planted Wimberries last September and they also seem to have a long germination period. At least 12 weeks of cold are needed before any growth takes place. No sign of life yet.
I also bought some Venus Flytrap seeds but nothing has happened to them either, (Bought from the same company)they have been in my kitchen for months. Now I have them in a propagator. I think I will just put them in a corner of the greenhouse and forget about them.
JaxComment
-
To germinate the saskatoon seeds they need to be in moist sand for 120 days at 5c. Apparantely they make lovely jam and pie fillings.[Comment
-
Lesley, are we talking about just sand or a sandy compst mix? Does the temp need to be constant, would the best approach be a small pot of just sand with a plastic bag and kept in the fridge?Comment
-
I don't grow saskatoon myself obviously. I have been having a good read and asking gardening friends in America who rave about the fruit but pick it in the wild. All the sites I have read say to grow it from suckers which doesn't help but today I have finally read to grow from seed they want moist sand at 5c for 120 days. I take that to mean a constant temperature. I might get a bit more information from America but I have a feeling that I am more likely to get some recipes
Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic==================================================Comment
-
Yeah good tip Nick. If my two other experiments fail then thats my next plan of attack
Comment
-
Today I planted up a 6 inch Sakatoon and the other item on my "most wanted fruit bush list" a Choke Cherry. I finally found a nursey that stocks these in the UK and I found by chance in the most recent issue of GYO. The nursey is called Kore and is on the net www.korewildfruitnursery.co.uk. It's mail order only but I can speak from experince that service and delivery times are great and I recommend it if (like me) you fancy growing something different. Pleased as punch that I finally have my Saskatoon
Last edited by GardenFan; 30-04-2006, 11:00 PM.Comment
-
Comment