Juneberry, yeah I know you have never heard of them, but since you are reading this, now you have! The next step is to actually taste them; this is easier said than done. Juneberry is native to many regions, among them is right here in the Northeast. Before I had ever tasted a Juneberry I have often heard many a wild food enthusiast speak of the Juneberry with a strange reverence, it is just a berry after all. Well all this changed after I tasted the Juneberry for myself. Imagine your favorite fruit or berry. Got it, for me it’s a sun warmed Cherry picked perfectly ripe, or maybe it’s that raspberry fully red just outside of arms reach. Yes a few scratches always seem to be worth it for that perfect berry. Now imagine Juneberries, untouched by man for as long as it’s been a plant, growing wild left to fend for itself. Now picture your favorite fruit and multiply its flavor by 3, and you nearly hit the mark! Yes they are that good, no I am not exaggerating, yes you need to try them!
It might come as a huge shock but Juneberries are actually harvested in June, talk about ironic! Known by many other regionally specific names: Saskatoon, shadbush, serviceberry, or simply Juneberry, it grows natively in what seems like everywhere. North America, Europe, and Asia all have native Juneberry species many of which have great variety between them. Juneberries are mostly self-fertile meaning you probably just need one plant to get berries, although I always recommend getting at least 2-3 plants, because well you can never have enough Juneberries!
Juneberries grown in the Northeast are predominantly dark blue in color and about the same shape and size of a blueberry. Juneberries often grow in areas where blueberries just can’t grow, tolerating alkaline soils and cold winters. The Saskatoon variety gets its name from the Canadian city where it was a staple crop by early settlers. An easy to grow plant, Juneberries are adapted to USDA hardiness zones 3-8 and will typically fruit in many different conditions from full sun to partial shade.
Where do Juneberries Grow
Juneberry plants can be so different from species to species ranging from a medium sized tree to a small shrub. Most North American growers will benefit from growing either the Saskatoon Berry or the Allegheny Serviceberry. These two Juneberries, native to the western and eastern halves of North America respectively, have great tasting fruit with little pest pressure. Both berries are ideal for backyard growers as they resemble more of a shrub than a tree. Most Juneberries I have found growing in the wild never get taller than 3-5 feet. Using mother nature as my guide I have found that keeping my Juneberries pruned to a similar size keeps harvest manageable and regular. Pruning can be done with heading cuts to control height. Berries fruit best on 1-4 year old wood. Older wood should be gradually pruned out to make way for younger more productive branches.
Juneberries generally fruit within 2-3 seasons after planting. Spacing of 6-8 feet between plants will ensure proper fruit yields are met. Planting Juneberries closer together means more management and pruning but can make for a unique edible hedgerow. If your goal is a food hedge plant them 5-6 feet apart. In 2-4 years your row of plants will come together to make a good looking edible hedge row.
Harvest Juneberries
If you grow Juneberries your neighborhood birds will be expecting you to ‘share’ with them. Birds are naturally attracted to blue berries and since most Juneberries are blue you will need to come up with a bird plan. The easiest method I have found is exclusion via netting. Netting can be as simple or as complex as you make it. Most of the time I simply run the netting over my Juneberry plants just before they go from green to blue. I have seen more complicated netting systems with posts and wires where the netting runs on the wires a few feet above the plants. That system can be overkill for a few backyard plants but makes picking the berries a pleasure.
Mature Juneberry plants can yield an average of 5-10 pounds of fruit most years. Most people who grow Juneberries do their best to eat them fresh out of hand. I am one of those people who believe fresh eating is the Juneberries highest and best use. But if you have several bushes and can’t eat them all you can always process them. Freezing, canning, making jams and jellies, or juicing are all acceptable ways of preserving the harvest.
Juneberries are another one of those fruits that might be unknown by most in the United States but has a large following in Canada. If you are like me and working on developing your homestead to produce an economic value for you and your family try selling your surplus Juneberries. Most of the Saskatoon Juneberry cultivars come from Canada. In fact most of them are names of Canadian towns and cities where these particular Juneberries were found. Would finding a local Canadian demographic of Juneberry lovers make sense? Might they want to buy all the Juneberries that you could produce because you are the only one who grows them in the area? I don’t know, every market is different, but if you grow them for yourself now what is the harm in finding out? Or maybe you decide that they are actually too delicious and valuable to even consider selling!
Grow Juneberries
Do you grow Juneberries? Have you ever tasted a Juneberry or even heard of Juneberries (most people haven’t)? Missing out? Check out our shop and get some Juneberries planted in your yard this spring! Tell us what you think, help us spread the word about these enchanting berries.