Grow haskap in your garden

BEFORE VISITING A NURSERY

Get off to a good start

Start with your space, how you want to use the berries and the time you can give your plants. There is no single plant count that suits every household.

Prepare your purchase

Bring a short list of questions: full cultivar names, compatible partners, plant format and size, pickup or delivery date, and care instructions on arrival.

Soil and site

Choose full sun for the best fruit production. A haskap shrub can grow in partial shade, but it will generally produce less fruit. Loamy or sandy-loam soil with good drainage is a useful starting point. Clay soil may also work when water does not remain around the roots.

Haskap roots are wide and shallow. Keep roughly one metre around each plant free of grass and weeds, then use mulch to conserve moisture without piling it against the stems. Before planting, watch how water drains after rainfall and leave enough room for mature growth, maintenance and harvest.

Pollination requires compatible varieties

Haskaps are self-incompatible: two plants of the same variety are not enough. Plant at least two genetically compatible varieties whose bloom periods overlap. The flowers are complete, so there are no separate male and female shrubs; both compatible plants can produce fruit.

Bees and other insects carry pollen between flowers. Cold, wind and year-to-year changes can shorten bloom overlap. Keep the plant labels and verify an up-to-date bloom and compatibility chart before buying an additional shrub.

Find a pollination partner

Select a cultivar you own or are considering. Each result links to its source; confirm that the plants bloom together at your site.

Documented pairs: 1. Leads to verify: 0.

Documented pairs

• Tundra ↔ Honey BeeUSask reference (PDF) ↗
  Find Tundra →Find Honey Bee →

↔ marks a documented pairing; → marks a lead for the cultivar on the left, not proof of reciprocal compatibility. The CIEL trial records planting choices, not a separate genetic cross test. Similar harvest dates do not prove overlapping bloom. Boreal Blizzard and Boreal Beauty should not be the only two partners; Boreal Beast is a documented partner for each. Original chart (PDF) ↗

Pollination references reviewed October 13, 2026.

Planting and early watering

Dig a hole large enough for the entire root ball. Set the shrub approximately 2.5 to 5 cm deeper than it stood in its container, backfill carefully and water thoroughly. Keep the soil moist but never waterlogged during the first two or three weeks.

Leave at least one metre between plants, then adjust for the mature size of the cultivars you selected. As plants become established, water at the base and toward the outside of the canopy. Rainfall, drainage, heat and soil type should determine the actual watering schedule.

Fertilization without excess

Do not fertilize a young shrub at planting. The University of Saskatchewan guide suggests mature compost or well-composted manure around the plant before mulching. An annual spring application can provide slow nutrition to an established shrub.

Use granular fertilizer carefully because shallow roots take up nutrients quickly. A local soil test is more useful than fertilizing automatically. If a fertilizer is needed, follow a recommendation suited to your soil, plant age and product label rather than assuming that more will produce more fruit.

Pruning and renewal

Haskap shrubs generally need little pruning. During dormancy, remove dead, damaged or genuinely crowded branches; damaged wood can be taken out when noticed. An older shrub with declining production can often be renewed gradually after assessing its vigour.

Birds, pests and symptoms

Birds are often the most visible problem and can remove berries quickly. Install a well-secured, small-mesh net before the berries turn blue. Support it on a structure and close the bottom so birds and small animals are less likely to become trapped.

Blue skin does not always mean that the inside is ripe. Taste several berries before harvesting. For yellow leaves, weak growth, mildew or unexplained damage, record the cultivar, date, weather and affected plant parts. Seek Québec diagnostic advice before applying a treatment at random.

Resources for deeper guidance

Use complete horticultural references when you need exact production or diagnostic instructions.

• Soil, planting, fertilization and pruning — University of Saskatchewan
• Cultivar bloom, compatibility and ripening chart — University of Saskatchewan (PDF)
• Québec haskap production guide — CRAAQ / Agri-Réseau (French)
• Research priorities for pests and fertilization — Agri-Réseau (French PDF)

Frequently asked questions

Harvest and enjoy

Continue with our guides to ripeness and berry storage.

Discover the fruit at the orchard

At Camerise St-Gabriel, we grow haskap without pesticides or herbicides in Saint-Gabriel-de-Brandon, in northern Lanaudière. A seasonal visit lets you discover the fruit and ask questions about our orchard.