Every gardening season I like to try at least one new plant. I love to peruse seed catalogs and the websites I like to purchase my seeds from. This spring I stumbled across Garden Huckleberries. After reading the description that they grow similar to peppers and tomatoes, once cooked they taste similar to blueberries, and they produce a lot of berries; I thought that I should give them a try. I can honestly say they did not disappoint and I plan on starting even more plants next year.
I grew three plants this year and planted them in a pot. The plants were in full afternoon sun and never wilted or slowed down their growth during the hottest part of the summer. We had several days over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and it did not bother the plants at all. Once the temperatures reached 95 degrees I did water once a day instead of every other day. The only problem these plants had was that they were tomato hornworm magnets. I would check for hornworms daily and would always pick off several of them. If I missed one, it would do significant damage to the plants, but the plants just kept growing and producing berries like nothing ever happened. I planted my seedlings outside in April, it is now November and the plants are just now starting to slow down.
Even with all the hornworm damage, I was able to pick enough berries to cook them to see if I liked the flavor. I was hoping to have enough to try so I knew whether they would be worth growing again next year. I made a simple recipe of cooking the berries in sugar and water until they softened. After all the berries were soft, I mashed them and added lemon juice with cornstarch. This ended up making a mixture more like refrigerator jam than a syrup. It tasted really good and I look forward to growing more plants next year to experiment with more recipes.
Interesting Facts
The most interesting fact that I came across while learning about Garden Huckleberries is that they are not true huckleberries. Garden Huckleberries are annuals that are in the nightshade family along with tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. True huckleberries (or Wild Huckleberries) are perennial shrubs in the same family as cranberries and blueberries.
Not only are Garden Huckleberries and True Huckleberries not in the same genetic family, but they grow in completely different environments. Most varieties of Garden Huckleberries grow from seed and produce berries that need to be cooked with sugar to be palatable. Berries eaten raw and under ripe can cause digestive upset and taste bitter.
True Huckleberries are known to be extremely difficult to grow in home gardens, preferring to grow wild in subalpine, acidic soil of the Pacific Northwest. True Huckleberries can be eaten raw and the berries are described as tasting sweet and tangy. When used in baking, these berries need very little sugar added.
So, if Garden Huckleberries are not true huckleberries and not even closely related, then why are they named huckleberries? The answer to that question is surprisingly simple, because their berries look very similar. Early gardeners assigned names based on the visual appearance of both plants having small, round, dark fruit that can be cooked with sugar to make desserts. This is an excellent example on why common names can be so misleading when it comes to plant identification.
Varieties of Garden Huckleberry
- Standard Garden Huckleberry (this is the variety I have): These are very productive, branching annuals that reach 2-3 feet tall, producing heavy clusters of white, star shaped flowers that are native to Africa and are full of antioxidants. The berries are black, round fruit 1/2 – 3/4 inch in diameter. The fruit is only ready to harvest when the berries turn matte black and are slightly soft. After harvest the fruit can be cooked to make jam, pies, and syrups.
- Chichiquelite Huckleberry: These resemble Garden Huckleberries with their white star shaped flower clusters and are native to Africa, but have been cultivated in Mexico for around 400 years. The berries are larger, glossy, and purplish-black, and the fruit is sweeter. Chichiquelite Huckleberries and can be eaten raw or cooked into pies, jams, cobblers, or syrups.
- Burbank’s Sunberry (Wonderberries): This huckleberry is a hybrid developed in the early 1900’s by Luther Burbank from Santa Rosa, California. This plant’s growth habit is low and spreading. The flowers are white, star shaped clusters that form into round berries that are only ripe when they turn completely black. The berries can be eaten raw but because their flavor is considered bland, it is recommended to cook the fruit before eating them.
- Otricoli Orange Berry: This is a very unique and rare huckleberry. This huckleberry is so different because the fruit is a bright and vibrant orange, not black like the other varieties. Also, this variety is not from Africa like some of the others. It was originally collected from Umbria, Italy along the Tiber River. An interesting side story is that Jere and Emilee Gettle (the founders of Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company) travelled through Umbria, Italy and collected the wild Otricoli Orange Berry seeds. These seeds can now be purchased through their seed company. The plants will grow 2-3 feet tall, producing clusters of white star shaped flowers. The fruit is ripe when it turns bright orange and can be eaten raw or cooked.
- Schwarzbeeren Blackberries Huckleberry: This is a unique variety because its flavor is very similar to blackberries. These seeds were brought to Kansas by Volga German immigrants in about 1875 and are used in traditional recipes such as Kuchen, Maultaschen, Klump, and Knebel. This plant will grow 2-3 feet tall with clusters of white star shaped flowers producing pea sized fruit perfect for making pies and preserves. Fruit is ripe when the berries turn dark, bluish black.
Most of these huckleberry seeds can be found and purchased through Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company, https://www.rareseeds.com/collections/huckleberry-seeds. This is where I bought my seeds.
Garden Huckleberry Propagation
Garden Huckleberries are propagated by seed. These plants are very frost sensitive so you will want to start your seeds indoors just like you would with your tomato and pepper seeds. You will want to plant your seeds 6-8 weeks before your last frost. Plant the seeds in a moist, seed starting mix and plant at a depth of 1/8”. Seeds will germinate between 7-21 days.
Garden Huckleberry Care
Since Garden Huckleberries are in the night shade family, their care is very similar to tomato and pepper plants. Make sure to plant your seedlings in the garden only after the danger of frost has passed. Make sure to plant your huckleberries where they will get plenty of sun. My huckleberry plants were in full sun and never wilted. In fact, they thrived in the full sun even when the temperatures reached past 100 degrees Fahrenheit. My plants were covered in blossoms and berries the entire summer. I watered my huckleberry plants the same way I did with my peppers and tomatoes. I watered once a day in the extreme summer heat and every other day when the temperatures were below 95 degrees Fahrenheit. My plants were in a pot with well draining soil. The only problem I had with them was that tomato hornworms loved them! They got eaten so often by hornworms I lost count, but they just kept regrowing and producing more flowers and berries. Berries will begin producing around 75-80 days after sprouting. The berries are mature when they turn from a shiny, green to a matte black.
Companion Planting with Garden Huckleberries
The best companion plants for Garden Huckleberries are pollinator attracting flowers such as basil, dill, fennel, and low growing flowers such as alyssum.
Plants to avoid planting with Garden Huckleberries are surprisingly tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and other nightshades. I would have thought that since Garden Huckleberries are a nightshade plant that they could be planted with other nightshades. Technically they can be planted together since they have the same light and watering requirements, but many pests prefer the tender leaves of Garden Huckleberries over other nightshades. Since Garden Huckleberries are the pests’ favorite plant, many gardeners will plant them as trap crops a minimum 3-5 feet away from their tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. I can say from first hand experience that tomato hornworms love Garden Huckleberries and I was picking them off my plants daily.
Quick Facts: Garden Huckleberry
| Plant Type | Annual |
| Mature Size | Between 24” and 36” |
| Sun Exposure | Full sun |
| Soil Type | Well draining, rich, and moist |
| Bloom Time | 75-80 days after planting or mid-summer |
| Flower Color | White |
| Flower Shape | Star shape |
| Pollinator Friendly | Yes |
| Cold Hardiness Zones | Not frost hardy |
| Drought-Tolerant | Yes |
| Propagate | Seeds |
| Unique Characteristics | Not a true huckleberry, but in the nightshade family Grows like pepper and tomato plants Originates from Africa Do not eat berries raw or under ripe berries, must be cooked first. |
I hope you enjoyed learning more about Garden Huckleberries with me and consider giving them a try in your spring/summer garden!
Joy Simper has a full time job as a home schooling stay at home mom. She is the one that holds the house and yard together and keeps the kids in line. She enjoys gardening, including seed starting and propagating plants.