Rob Smith is growing tasty huckleberries
These blackcurrant-style plants produce plenty of tasty berries
Huckleberries are definitely a crop to try. When I say huckleberries, I’m talking about Solanum melanocerasum. Not a true huckleberry, which are perennial plants, but the ‘garden’ huckleberry, which is part of the tomato and potato ‘solanum’ family.
Garden huckleberries are annual-growing plants, which only reach around 30cm (1ft) high, but will crop huge amounts of blackcurrant-size berries. The berries should always be picked when deep black, never green, because along with other solanum members, they can give you a upset tummy! Tasting like a mild blackcurrant or blueberry, these berries should be cooked and make fantastic pies and jams.
Because you can grow these berries in a container and they’re an annual crop, they’re great for gardeners with little space, plus you won’t have to wait several years to get a decent harvest of berries, like you have to with a blackcurrant bush.
I started my plants off in a tray in the greenhouse at the end of March. The seedlings were soon up and potted on into a module tray. I’m planting them out now the weather and soil’s warmer, and this should let them romp away. They grow to about the size of a pepper plant, yet their branches are a little longer with more leaves.
Make sure to keep the soil weed free and feed the plants with tomato food once they set flower. This should mean that you have bumper crops of berries for all your culinary needs. You should start to get berries developing on the plants once they reach around 20cm (8in) tall. Huckleberry muffins are a favourite of mine – simply follow a blueberry muffin recipe and replace them with huckleberries!
If you want to try a completely different fruit, garden huckleberries are definitely worth a go because they’re easy to grow and suitable for containers. However, don’t be fooled into thinking they’re fragrant like a strawberry; they’re still a blackcurrant or blueberry-style crop and need to be cooked to be appreciated. The fact they crop well and are annuals are key factors for me.
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