PlantSowGrow
How to plant and care for Goji Berry
Lycium barbarum
A tough, arching shrub with purple flowers and small, bright-red, sweet-tangy berries from August. Very hardy and drought-tolerant.
At a glance: harvest in August.
When to plant and care for it
Timed for a typical UK garden (last frost mid-April). The app uses your own town's frost dates.
Growing Goji Berry: what it needs
- Light
- Full sun · 6+ hours a day
- Watering
- Water well while fruit swells
- Soil
- Any well-drained soil
- Spacing
- 1.5 m
- Height
- 2 m
- In pots
- Only in large containers
- Feeding
- Little feeding needed
- Hardiness
- USDA zones 5–9
Step by step
- On planting day
Plant
Plant 1.5 m apart in weed-free, well-prepared soil enriched with compost, and water in well.
- 0–3 days after “Plant”
Water In
Water well and keep moist while it settles in.
- 7–21 days after “Water In”
Mulch
Spread 5 cm of compost or bark around the plants to keep moisture in and weeds down.
Every year
- MarchPrune
Shorten long whippy shoots by half and remove weak or crossing stems; fruit comes on last year's and new wood.
- AugustPick Goji Berries
Pick ripe red berries every few days, or shake them onto a sheet. Eat fresh or dry them.
Starts from year 2.
More fruit to grow
Photo: Paul Gross (paul144) and Richard Zhang / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
