You Know What Really Grinds My Gears? Now with 3x more gears...

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers

I dismiss these claims.

Either way, Haskaps are better than both of them anyway. Also super easy to grow yourself.

Uncommon in Calgary makes a great haskap cider.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by Johnny Makarov

You aren't supposed to eff them.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

My wife planted haskaps and saskatoons a couple years ago, should be a better harvest this year. We tried blueberries a few times, and even after getting the laugh and "good luck" from the plant store on the last time, we still had hope. False hope. The guy was right. I think it must be my clay.

Wife also planted an arctic kiwi this year, so that'll be interesting when it starts putting out. It's got some good space to vine up. I wish the fig tree provided more than a fig every 6 months, too. Off the tree figs are so good. But they obviously don't survive Calgary, so it's just a little dwarfy one for indoors.

I assume the arctic kiwi are indoors? Seems like a neat plant.

I don't think blueberries do well here at all. It seems it needs acidic soil. I quickly looked up what types of plants like acidic soil and acidify soil and strangely enough I have quite a few of those in my back yard. I have ferns, lily of the valley, oaks (or maybe elm?), conifers, dogwood etc. I wonder if the mulch is contributing to it too. Hmm... might be worth trying it out one day.

Haskaps in Calgary seem to take quite a bit of time to get established IMO. Saskatoons are great and grow fast. The biggest issue with Haskaps is that the birds love them. My parents planted two 1/2 ft Haskap bushes about a decade ago and I think they're only around 4/5ft tall now. We've never gotten more than about a dozen Haskap per year and it's kinda obvious when the birds have rushed the plant for the ripening fruit.

They also have 8-12ft tall Saskatoons after around 10-15 years. Those are going great.

Wolfberry/goji are also doing well for them at around 6ft tall after 3 years from a clipping from a friend's plant.

If I had more time and space to do it, I'd love to redo my landscaping and plant a ton of fruit bushes/vines etc. in my front yard and backyard. I have around 14 trees on my property and more than half of them are starting to get to the size that they might become problems in the coming years. I just have to figure out a way to convince the wife because she doesn't want to lose the privacy from the trees... and I don't think she'd be on board with the thousands of dollars it would cost to take them down without a suitable replacement.

I'd probably do some stuff like Raspberries, Wolfberries, gut cherries, Saskatoons, Seaberry etc. Maybe even rip out some of the larger trees that are potentially becoming a problem and see if I can create a berry bush hedge. See what types of creatures it attracts if I have a backyard full of large fruit bearing plants. I'd perhaps love to do the same out front, create a sort of softscape in the front that looks nice and allow people to feel free to enjoy any fruits they can reach from the sidewalk. I just have to decide whether I care/don't care that it's a plant that can go completely crazy and take over the lawn like raspberries, strawberries, goji etc. within 3+ years.

I'm no green thumb. I like plants, but also plants I can sorta set and forget.

TBH, I've occasionally imagined of an idea of "horticultural graffiti". Find some semi ignored public space/along a commute and put down some plants and hope it is ignored enough to just grow like crazy over the years to add some color and variety. It'd be kinda cool to see random rhubarb, goji, raspberries, strawberries etc. near parks or on Nose hill etc. Kinda like the mint and saskatoon bushes in Nose creek valley. I guess a huge chunk of the issue is herbicide/pesticide on edible plants, hence the restrictions and fines for doing so.

Indoors, I'd also love to have a small hydroponics type of set up with herbs, heirloom tomatoes etc. I can harvest/freeze to regularly spruce up meals/pickling. Maybe even convert the deck into a sort of sun room as something between indoors and greenhouse for the occasional plants as well such as fun stuff like figs, kumquat, pineberry, Cuca melons, chives etc.

[Locke]

I see we're still discussing fruit.

Cool. Cool, cool, cool.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Locke

I see we're still discussing fruit.

Cool. Cool, cool, cool.

Too spicy for you?

We can start discussing milk if you want.

[Wormius]

Saskatoons as a berry are not tasty. We tried picking some at the jungle farm and they’re not something you would snack on. Blueberries are best just before being fully ripe so there’s still a bit of tang and snap in the skins.

[Fuzz]

The Arctic Kiwi is outdoors, I built a 6 foot trellis for it this summer. Will see if it is alive in the spring!


Ya, the haskpaps take a few years, but ours are going now. We haven't lost much of it hose to the birds, but they love the sour cherries so we net those(though that's mostly to keep the worms out). If your parents want the berries, put some netting on them.


Our Mt Royal plum is doing very well, I think it's year 3 and we got about 30 plums. Big surprise is the grape vine, we got 6kg this year. Made a delicious ice cream, and a bunch of grape syrup(with soda water is great) and jelly. Hopefully next year the 5 variety apple tree puts out some samples. The peach tree overwintering in the garage is a bit of a stretch goal, but fingers crossed.


Global warming is making this frozen hellhole much more productive.

[flamesfever]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Saskatoons as a berry are not tasty. We tried picking some at the jungle farm and they’re not something you would snack on. Blueberries are best just before being fully ripe so there’s still a bit of tang and snap in the skins.

I usually add a dab of maple syrup just to make the blueberries taste better, before I put them on my cornflakes...probably not recommended for those with diabetes.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Saskatoons as a berry are not tasty. We tried picking some at the jungle farm and they’re not something you would snack on. Blueberries are best just before being fully ripe so there’s still a bit of tang and snap in the skins.

Saskatoons are more mild in flavor than blueberries for sure. Maybe you got some bad ones? We snack on them all the time when they go crazy in my parents back yard. If they're not properly ripe (reddish vs blackish), they don't taste good. They're full of seeds compared to blueberries.

I like Saskatoons because because I typically get them free. Head to head, I wouldn't choose them over a blueberry or many other types of berries.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by flamesfever

I usually add a dab of maple syrup just to make the blueberries taste better, before I put them on my cornflakes...probably not recommended for those with diabetes.

That flavour combo is top tier.

[Geraldsh]

It’s an historical/traditional food thing; my wife and inlaws were raised on Saskatoons so they prefer them. I grew up in blueberry country and think they are the best. On the other hand, nothing beats a good raspberry.

[PepsiFree]

Strawberries are the best anyway. These other berries are for children. Blueberries? Grow up.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Are we still talking for pies? Because I don't think Strawberries are good in that context. As a berry, on its own, sure.

Blackberries are underrated and S tier in many contexts including pies. Apple blackberry is excellent.

[Zevo]

Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers

That flavour combo is top tier.

Blueberry pancakes prove this.

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Strawberries are the best anyway. These other berries are for children. Blueberries? Grow up.

Glad I didn't have to be the one to say it

[Fuzz]

Raspberries will always be my favourite. Our family has kept canes alive from before the Canmore Nordic Centre was built, when we saved them from the bulldozers. Turned out to be a bonus, because we used to always go up there to gather them. Once transplanted, having in the yard was so much less effort! I brought some of those canes to Calgary 20 years ago, and despite needing to be temporarily relocated for garage construction, they are thriving in the clay.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Strawberries are the best anyway. These other berries are for children. Blueberries? Grow up.

Especially wild strawberries. I used to gather them in the water valley area and pour the tiny wild strawberries over a vanilla ice cream.

Only other place I've seen strawberries that small is fragoli strawberry liqueur.

[flamesfever]

Originally Posted by Zevo

Blueberry pancakes prove this.

One of my favorite brunches on Sunday is a plate of 3 or 4 pancakes, slathered with butter, and covered with blueberries and maple syrup. Then add about 3 freshly cooked sausages, along with a steaming cup of freshly brewed coffee. Yummm.

[Dion]

I woke up Thursday morning with a sore throat and a raspy voice, Couldn't talk but only whisper. Voice has somewhat returned but now I have a bad chest and head cold. It's seems a nasty virus is going around High River an Okotoks.

Someone shoot me please!

[Geraldsh]

Originally Posted by Dion

I woke up Thursday morning with a sore throat and a raspy voice, Couldn't talk but only whisper. Voice has somewhat returned but now I have a bad chest and head cold. It's seems a nasty virus is going around High River an Okotoks.

Someone shoot me please!

Hot toddy time, the darker the rum the better.