How to Grow Elderberries | Tree homes

Elderberries in your edible environment are one of the simplest and most versatile trees to grow. These natives of Central Europe and North America are often discovered growing wild along roadsides, edges of forests, and deserted fields.

Bluish-black fruit is produced by the bush in bunches used in wines, juices, jellies, and jams. The berries themselves are quite bitter, so they seldom eat on their own. Would you like to grow your own elderberries? For more data, please read on.

Elderberry

Planting and growing

Elderberries fruit best when at least two separate varieties are planted within 60 feet of each other. They start producing when the plants are 2 to 3 years old. While all elderberries produce berries, American elderberry varieties are great fruit manufacturers in particular. If you are looking for more ornamental elderberry, look at the European varieties with their attractive leaves.

It's not all that hard to grow elderberries. They can tolerate various circumstances, such as bad soil or excessively moist regions. However, drought is one thing that grows elderberries can not tolerate.

When planting flowers of elderberry, you should notice that the first year you plant them, the berries will grow on the bushes. Just remember that in the second year, the berries will do better.

The planting of Elderberry is best performed in a well-drained, loamy soil. By adding a few inches of organic matter, sandy soils should be enhanced.  Be sure to enable cross-pollination when planting elderberry. Two or more cultivars can, therefore, be planted close to each other. In rows, four to five meters (13-16 ft.) apart, plant them one meter apart (3 feet) apart. Make sure you are planting your elderberry early in the spring. Be sure to water them after planting so that they get a nice beginning.

General Care

Keep them well watered due to their shallow roots, particularly the first year after planting. To boost fruit production, use a granular fertilizer developed for trees and shrubs to fertilize annually in early spring.

Harvesting

From August to September, depending on the type, harvest elderberry fruit. Let the fruits mature in a dark purple color on the shrub. When ripe, sprinkle the whole cluster and wrap the berries in a bowl. The fruit does not store well at room temperature, so after harvest maintain it cooled and process the berries as quickly as possible. If correctly cultivated, yields of 12 to 15 pounds of fruit can be expected per mature (3-or4-year-old) shrub. Uncooked berries generate a dark purple juice that is astringent and inedible, but gives a sweet, earthy taste when processed.

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