AMES, Iowa — Honeyberries are gaining recognition as an up-and-coming “superfood.” The plant, introduced to Iowa over the last decade, is gaining interest from consumers and growers alike.
"Though the berries are small, they pack a big punch when it comes to purported health benefits,” said Brooke Dietsch, a graduate student in plant pathology, who has been helping lead a project studying the success of honeyberry under Iowa conditions at the Iowa State University Horticulture Research Station.
According to a review of honeyberry-related health studies published in the journal Molecules, the nutritious fruit has abundant phytocompounds that are known to have anticancer, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity.
“Honeyberries are shaping up as a good alternative to blueberries for a variety of reasons, including that they are better suited to Iowa soils and weather conditions,” said Suzanne Slack, former fruit specialist at Iowa State.
To grow well, blueberries need very acidic soil (pH 4.5-5.5), which is rare in Iowa. Growers can slowly lower soil pH to those levels, but it will gradually rise again and need ongoing adjustment. Honeyberries don’t need soil as acidic as blueberries, though in some Iowa soils the pH may still need a slight reduction to prevent nutrient issues.
Dietsch and other students working with Slack planted honeyberries in 2022 at the Horticulture Research Station. They are also testing the plants’ shade tolerance at the Alliant Energy Solar Farm at Iowa State University.
The public can learn more about honeyberries and other fruit and vegetable crops at a field day, July 29, from 2-5 p.m., at the Horticulture Research Station, 55519 170th St., Ames. Registration is requested by July 24 to help plan for a free meal following the field day. Find more details and register at https://go.iastate.edu/77HD9P.
Northern plant
Honeyberries are native to cooler climate regions, including Asia, which makes its flowers more resistant to cold temperatures than fruit crops traditionally grown in Iowa. It is more well-known in Canada, where it often grows wild. Also known as honeysuckle berries or haskaps, honeyberries bloom early in the spring, producing fruits similar to small, elongated blueberries, only a little more tart, say the researchers.
“We started studying honeyberries due to interest from several small growers,” Slack said. “Since this is a newer crop for our area, much of our focus has been identifying potential disease and pest issues to respond to interest as people start planting them. We have found they are very flavorful and seem to be pretty resistant to most diseases. A big benefit is that we’re not seeing problems with the insect pest spotted wing drosophila, as the honeyberries fruit so early.”
At this time, only a handful of commercial growers in Iowa offer honeyberries to the public. One of them is Joe Wakeman, owner of Berry Patch Farm, near Nevada. Honeyberries have been growing there for seven or eight years, he said, started by the farm’s former owners, Dean and Judy Henry.
The Berry Patch has added honeyberries to its early-season u-pick lineup. It also offers a limited supply of already-picked honeyberries and sells some at farmers markets. This year, the farm purchased equipment to freeze-dry the berries and make them available year-round.
“Their popularity is growing,” Wakeman said. “Many of our customers are interested in the honeyberries for their health benefits, including to make baby food.”
“The Berry Patch has had good experience with honeyberries,” he reported. “Besides being low-maintenance and pest-resistant, they bear in June before most other things ripen, which spreads out the timing of fruits we can sell.”
Growing honeyberries
The Iowa State horticulture team reports that several professional growers in Iowa have honeyberries now, and many homeowners are interested in trying them. Some practical information they offer to those thinking of growing honeyberries:
- There is a wide range in fruit quality. Some honeyberry cultivars are very tart. For a more pleasurable eating experience, look for newer cultivars developed for fresh consumption that produce larger berries with lower acidity.
- To produce fruit, plants need to be cross-pollinated, so plan to plant two cultivars that flower at the same time and are genetically compatible, such as ‘Boreal Beauty’ and ‘Boreal Beast’ or ‘Aurora’ and ‘Indigo Gem.’
- The plant size varies quite a bit. Some cultivars only get about 3-feet tall while others grow to 5 feet.
- Very warm temperatures can stress out plants, so supplemental irrigation during the heat of the summer is advised.
- They have good longevity as long as they are pruned and cut back after several years.
- It’s a new crop that Iowa has limited history with. For best success, buy just a few plants and gain experience before making a big investment.
Funding sources for the honeyberry project include USDA’s Hatch program and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
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Contacts:
Randall Vos, Horticulture Fruit Crops Field Specialist, ISU Extension and Outreach, 641-660-5710, rjvos@iastate.edu
Brooke Dietsch, Department of Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology, bdiets@iastate.edu
Ann Y. Robinson, Agriculture and Life Sciences Communications, 515-294-3066, ayr@iastate.edu