Choose cool country.
Haskaps are a cool-climate crop. Aim for meaningful winter chill of around 700 hours or more. The plants tolerate frost well, but young plants can struggle with sustained summer temperatures above about 42°C. In warmer districts with cold winters, protection from late afternoon sun can help.
Allow room.
Haskaps typically grow around 1.5–1.8 metres tall and spread to roughly 1.4 metres, depending on the cultivar. Allow at least 1.5 metres between plants and plan access for watering, pruning, netting and harvest.
Build healthy soil.
Haskaps can grow in a range of well-drained soils. Loosen a planting area about twice as wide and deep as the pot, mound heavier soil slightly and finish with aged mulch kept clear of the stems. If you are unsure about the soil or site, add our grower-support call to your order.
Plant a compatible mix.
For home gardens, plant three to four genetically different cultivars with overlapping flowering. Keep them within bee range of one another, retain every label and encourage insect activity during bloom. Our packs start with four compatible cultivars.
Water for steady establishment.
Water plants well on arrival and keep the root zone consistently moist through establishment, especially in summer. Deep watering, aged mulch and afternoon protection can help during hot weather, while good drainage keeps the roots aerated.
Prune with the productive years in mind.
Little pruning is needed in the first two to three years beyond damaged or crossing growth. Three-year-old canes are often the most productive. Once the shrubs mature, renew them gradually in winter by removing five-year-old canes and allowing new canes to replace them.
Let the berry finish ripening.
Blue skin can appear before the flesh is fully ripe. Resist the first colour change and, where conditions allow, give the fruit another seven to ten days. Fully ripe berries should have deeply coloured flesh, good flavour and soft skin without becoming squishy. Handle them gently.
Keep notes.
Record flowering, watering, summer response, ripening and flavour against each plant label. Those observations help you identify the cultivars that suit your site when extending the patch.
Plan for summer care · Book a 20 minute grower-support phone call