Minor Fruits for Wisconsin

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Minor Fruits for Wisconsin

• By
• Dr. Robert Tomesh
• UW-Extension Specialist

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Minor fruits are plants which produce edible
fruits of no real commercial value.
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Selections grown in Wisconsin

• Currants
• Gooseberries
• Elderberry
• Juneberry (Saskatoons)
• Mulberry
• Filberts (Hazelnuts)

• Dwarf Cherry (Nanking)
• American Plum
• Beach Plum
• Chokecherry
• Highbush Cranberry
• Cornelian Cherry

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Edible Minor Fruits

• Eaten Fresh
• Preserved
• Dried
• Flavorings (wine)

• Jams
• Jellies
• Dried
• Culinary flavorings

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Sources for Planting Stock

• Since only a limited number of nurseries
  propagate these minor fruit selections, finding
  selections and in some cases, cultivars may be
  challenging.

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Commercially Grown Nursery Stock
Picture by T.Roper
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A basic recommendation is for producers to use a
minimum of 2 cultivars or seedlings when
establishing an orchard.

• Better pollination potential (especially for self
  incompatible selections)
• More consistent yields, and
• Better climatic selection adaptability to the
  environment

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Site Requirements

• Full sun
• Frost free growing season (crop variation)
• North slope with air drainage
• Well drained soils (mound planting bed)
• Organic matter (3 ) and mulch
• pH range from 5 to 7
• Water with 1 inch per week application
• Protect from strong drying winds

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Plant Spacing

• Bush-type plants 3 to 6 feet, depending upon
  width of mature plant size (Currants)
• Large-type plants 6 to 12 feet, depending upon
  width of mature plant size (Juneberry)
• Small trees 10 to 18 feet, depending upon
  mature plant size (Mulberry)

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Pre-Planting Preparation

• Prepare area the previous season
• Control weeds
• Add 3 to 4 inches of compose and work into
  planting area
• Dig a generous hole, twice the size of the root
  ball.

• Begin pre-season

Picture by T. Roper
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Care During Planting

• Dig a large enough planting hole
• Fill hole around roots with existing soil (do not
  add compost into the planting hole)
• Water immediately after planting

Picture by T. Roper
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Mulching Can Be Beneficial

• Suppress weeds
• Assists in retaining moisture
• Eventually provides organic compost
• Apply 4 to 6 inches around plants
• Consider winter mouse damage, apply a small
  quantity of poisonous bait or baited traps near
  the base

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Fertilizers

• Compost and composted manures are beneficial
• Annually apply compost at one-half to one bushel
  per plant
• With commercial fertilizer, each spring apply 6
  to 8 ounces of 10-10-10 in a scattered band
  around each plant.

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Disease and Insect Management

• Occasionally insects and diseases can become
  intense enough to cause serious damage if left
  uncontrolled.
• Many minor fruits are not included on pesticide
  labelsthus can not be used.
• Use prevention techniques proper spacing, allow
  for air movement and use prevention approaches.

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Prevention Strategies

• Proper spacing between plants
• Weed control
• Organic materials
• Horticultural Oils
• Bordeaux mixtures
• Soaps
• BT

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Currants (Ribes rubrum, petaeum, and sativum)

• Cultivars come in red, white and black (white
  pine blister rust host)
• Red cultivars Red Lake, Wilder, Zante and
  Rovata
• White cultivars White Imperial and White grape

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Environmental Considerations

• Hardiness Zone 2 to 6
• Fertile, cool, well drained soil
• Adequate organic matter
• Mulch 4 to 6 inches
• Spacing 4 to 5 feet between plants

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Training and Pruning

• Bush-type training
• Annual renewal pruning saving 3 to 4 new canes
  each year
• Expected productive cane life to about 4 years

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Gooseberries (Ribes hirtellum)

• Pixwell
• Poorman
• Downing
• Welcome
• Chautauqua
• Fredonia
• Hinnonmake Red
• Hinnonmake Yellow
• Colossal

Picture from Cornell University
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Environmental Considerations

• Hardiness Zone 2 to 6
• Fertile, cool, well drained soil
• Adequate organic matter
• Mulch 4 to 6 inches
• Spacing 4 to 5 feet between plants

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Training and Pruning

• Bush-type training
• Annual renewal pruning saving 3 to 4 new canes
  each year
• Expected productive cane life to about 4 years

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Elderberries (Sambucus canadensis)

• Adams 1
• Adams 2
• York
• John
• Kent
• Nova
• Scotia

Picture by UMAFRA
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Environmental Considerations

• Hardiness Zone 3 (tender) to 5
• Bloom in late June, air drainage not important
• Fertile well drained or moist soils
• Adequate organic matter
• Mulch 4 to 6 inches
• Spacing 6 to 10 feet between plants
• Water during dry periods

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Training and Pruning

• Sprawled bush-type training
• Fruiting on two year wood
• Annual renewal pruning saving 3 to 4 new canes
  each year
• Expected productive cane life to about 3
  yearsoften canes die after third year

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Juneberries (Amelanchier sp.)

• A. alnifolia Saskatoon, serviceberry, juneberry
• A. arborea Downy serviceberry
• A. canadensis Shadblow serviceberry
• A. grandifolia apple serviceberry
• A. laevis Alleghany serviceberry
• A. stolonifera Running serviceberry

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Juneberry

• Smokey
• Honeywood
• Pembina
• Thiessen
• Martin
• Northline
• Success
• Regent

Picture from University of saskatuwan
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Environmental Considerations

• Full sun
• Frost free growing season (100 days)
• North slope with air drainage (bloom early)
• Well drained soils (mound planting bed)
• Organic matter (3 ) and mulch
• Space plants according to cultivar size (usually
  4 to 12 feet)
• Water with 1 inch per week application

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Training and Pruning

• Bush-type training
• Fruiting on tips of last years wood
• Annual renewal pruning saving 1 to 3 new canes
  each year if needed
• Canes continue fruit for many years

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Mulberry (Morus sp.)

• Morus alba white mulberry, hardy to zone 5
• Morus nigra black mulberry, hardy to zone 6 or
  7
• Morus rubra red mulberry, hardy to zone 4some
  nursery selections available, often hybrids
  between M. alba and M. rubra

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Mulberry (Morus rubra, alba, and nigra)

• Hicks Everbearing
• Johnson
• Stubbs
• Townsend
• Illinois Everbearing
• Travis

Picture from UW Herbarium
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Environmental Considerations

• Full sun
• Will tolerate partial shade
• Does well in most soils
• Organic matter (3 ) and mulch
• Space plants according to cultivar size (12 to
  18 feet)

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Training and Pruning

• Tree-type training
• Fruiting on tips of last years wood and spurs
• Maintain fruit tree structure with spaced
  scaffold branches about 18 inches apart
• Keep crown open for light penetration

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Dwarf Cherries

• Nanking cherry
• Prunus tomentosa
• Zone 2
• One cultivar Drilea
• Brown rot susceptible

Picture from USDA
Picture from USDA
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Dwarf Cherries

• Western sand cherry Prunus besseyi
• Hardy to zone 2
• Used as a rootstock for cherries, apricots,
  peaches and plums
• Adapted to dry and poor soils

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• Cultivars and hybrid cultivars needing selected
  pollinators Oka, Compass, Sapa, Opata, Nicollet,
  Tom Thumb, and St. Anthony

Picture from U of Co.
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Environmental Considerations

• Full sun
• Does well in dry and arid soils
• Organic matter (3 ) and mulch
• Space plants according to cultivar size (4 to 8
  feet)

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Training and Pruning

• Bush-type training, although transplants may
  begin as small tree-like growth before suckering
• Annual renewal pruning saving 1 to 3 new canes
  each year if needed
• Canes continue fruit for 4 to 6 years

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American Plums (Prunus americana and sp.)

• Hardy to zone 2
• Used as a rootstock, pollinator and for hardiness
  breeding
• Adapted to dry and poor soils
• Fruit ½ to ¾ inch, tart with a large pit

Picture from UW Herbarium
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Environmental Considerations

• Full sun
• Subject to early spring frosts
• Does well in dry and arid soils
• Organic matter (3 ) and mulch
• Space plants according to cultivar size (8 to
  15 feet)
• Bears in two to five years

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Training and Pruning

• Tree-type training
• Some can be maintained bush-like
• Train to tree shape with scaffold branches
• Annual pruning with thinning to open canopy

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Native Wild Cherries (Prunus sp.)
Prunus virginiana

• Choke and black cherry Prunus serotina,
  viginiana
• Fire cherry Prunus pennsylvanica
• Used for jellies and jams
• Pits contain cyanic acidtoxic

Picture from U of Co.
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Environmental Considerations

• Full sun
• Subject to early spring frosts
• Does well in dry and arid soils
• Organic matter (3 ) and mulch
• Space plants according to cultivar size (8 to
  20 feet)
• Bears in about five years

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Training and Pruning

• Tree-type training
• Train to tree shape with scaffold branches
• Annual pruning with thinning to open canopy

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Highbush Cranberry (Viburnum sp.)

• Viburnum trilobum
• Wentworth
• Andrews
• Hahs
• Viburnum opulus
• Fruit highly acidic, ornamental

Viburnum trilobum
Picture from Cornell University
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Environmental Considerations

• Hardy in zone 4
• Shrub-like or small tree-like growth habit
• Tart fruit used in cookingpopular in Europe

Viburnum opulus
Picture from UW Herbarium
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Training and Pruning

• Bush-type training
• Fruiting on tips of last years wood
• Annual renewal pruning saving 1 to 3 new canes
  each year if needed
• Consider renewal pruning
• Fruit remain on the bush into winter

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Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas)

• Tender in zone 4
• Cultivars Alba

Picture from Cornell University
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Environmental Considerations

• Tender in zone 4
• Shrub-like tree-like
• Fruit tart, used in cooking

Ohio Yard and Garden Line 4/5/01
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Filberts (Hazelnuts)

• Corylus avellana European filbert, tender to
  zone 4 and needs about 140 growing days to mature
  nuts
• Corylus americana American filbert, hardy to
  zone 3, cultivars Rush and Winkler
• Corylus cornuta Beaked filbert, hardy to zone
  3, good disease resistance

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Environmental Considerations for American filbert

• Hardy in zone 3
• Shrub-like growth habit
• Tolerate partial shade
• Tolerate a wide range of soils
• Space 4 to 5 feet apart

Corylus americana
Picture from UW Herbarium
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Training and Pruning

• Bush-type training
• Fruiting in about 3 years
• Annual renewal pruning saving 1 to 3 new canes
  each year if needed
• Consider renewal pruning
• Remove dead wood

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There are other native berries which are
consumed, but lack flavor and fruit quality.
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Pictures provided by

• Dr. Teryl Roper, UW Madison
• Dr. Robert Tomesh, UW Madison
• Cornell University
• UW Herbarium
• Richard St-Pierre, Univ. Saskatchewan
• Univ. Colorado

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The End