Salmonberry

Growing

Thriving in moist, shady environments, salmonberry is a vigorous grower that can quickly stabilize slopes or degraded garden edges. Because this shrub is rhizomatous, it can become quite invasive once established, so manage its spread by monitoring new offshoots. To encourage a productive next season, prune the branches immediately after your harvest. This practice stimulates the new growth necessary for future fruit production.

When tending your shrubs, keep an eye out for fruit rot, rust, or mildew, which can affect the canes and berries. If you are looking for a natural sign of ripeness, the appearance of the salmonberry bug on new shoots often indicates that the fruit is ready. When the berries are ripe, harvest them to use immediately, as they do not continue to ripen once picked. For the best quality, keep your harvested berries unwashed until you are ready to eat them.

If you have an abundance of fruit, you can preserve the harvest by freezing the berries or turning them into jams and preserves through canning. If you are propagating from seed, remember that the seeds require a period of cold stratification between 36° and 41°F to break dormancy before they will successfully germinate.