Huckleberries

[seedcorn]

anyone have any experience with Them?

 

[thistlebloom]

Yes. They grow wild at 4000' and above. At least here. Some places on the coast they grow at lower elevations.
(I'm talking about Vaccinium ovalifolium.)
Huckleberry is a common name given to a variety of blue colored berries.

I understand they have developed some cultivated varieties for garden growing, but don't know much about that.
Very similar to blueberries.

 

[thistlebloom]

Here's a garden variety Huckleberry.

 

[Collector]

I only know about wild huckleberries, no experience with cultivated varieties. Wild huckleberries are a large part of outdooring around these parts though. Are you thinking of growing some or just curios?

 

[baymule]

I have some huckleberry bushes (small trees) on our place. Makes best jam in the world!

 

[seedcorn]

I only know about wild huckleberries, no experience with cultivated varieties. Wild huckleberries are a large part of outdooring around these parts though. Are you thinking of growing some or just curios?

Yes. A nursery in TN has them. My g’mother used to make Huckleberry pie. LOVE IT!

Not sure if they can survive the north, cold.

 

[thistlebloom]

Yes. A nursery in TN has them. My g’mother used to make Huckleberry pie. LOVE IT!

Not sure if they can survive the north, cold.

What is the botanical variety. Are they Vaccineum or Gaylussacia?

Here's a cup full of our wild huckleberries.

 

[Zeedman]

Apparently "huckleberry" can refer to more than one plant. The one I am familiar with is the Garden Huckleberry, Solanum melanocerasum, a member of the nightshade family.

I've never grown them personally; but I visited SSE's farm in Iowa over the Labor Day weekend, and they had some growing in one of their fields. They were impressive, I wish I had taken a photo. Stout bushes about 2-3' tall, heavily loaded with 1/2" - 3/4" glossy black berries, in large clusters. The plants had dropped their leaves (making all of the berries visible), and all the berries appeared to be ripe... so if that is the huckleberry you are looking for, @seedcorn , you should have no trouble growing them in your climate. SSE sells seed for both Garden Huckleberry, and the closely related Sunberry (a.k.a Wonderberry, supposedly developed by Luther Burbank). I assume they would be started as transplants, same as tomatoes.

 

[baymule]

The huckleberries I have are tiny and loaded with seeds.

 

[seedcorn]

Apparently "huckleberry" can refer to more than one plant. The one I am familiar with is the Garden Huckleberry, Solanum melanocerasum, a member of the nightshade family.

I've never grown them personally; but I visited SSE's farm in Iowa over the Labor Day weekend, and they had some growing in one of their fields. They were impressive, I wish I had taken a photo. Stout bushes about 2-3' tall, heavily loaded with 1/2" - 3/4" glossy black berries, in large clusters. The plants had dropped their leaves (making all of the berries visible), and all the berries appeared to be ripe... so if that is the huckleberry you are looking for, @seedcorn , you should have no trouble growing them in your climate. SSE sells seed for both Garden Huckleberry, and the closely related Sunberry (a.k.a Wonderberry, supposedly developed by Luther Burbank). I assume they would be started as transplants, same as tomatoes.

Grew those as a kid-one time..... they were terrible when ripe. Left them till after frost, still terrible. Think they are black nightshade......should be a law against them. Unless someone knows how to fix them. They were tall and loaded.