PlantSowGrow
How to plant and care for Honeyberry (Haskap)
Lonicera caerulea
An ultra-hardy honeysuckle relative with long blue berries in May — the earliest fruit of the year. Plant two varieties for a crop.
At a glance: harvest in May.
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 Honeyberry (Haskap): what it needs
- Light
- Full sun · 6+ hours a day
- Watering
- Water well while fruit swells
- Soil
- Fertile, well-drained soil
- Spacing
- 1.5 m
- Height
- 1.5 m
- In pots
- Only in large containers
- Feeding
- Sulphate of potash in late winter; mulch with compost
- Hardiness
- USDA zones 2–7
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
- MarchMulch
Mulch with compost to keep the roots moist.
- MayNet Against Birds
Net the bushes as the berries turn blue.
- MayPick Honeyberries
Taste first: berries turn blue before they are sweet. Ripe ones fall into your hand.
Starts from year 2.
- JulyLight Prune
After fruiting, remove a few of the oldest, weakest stems.
Starts from year 3.
