35 Delicious Berries to Grow in Your Garden
You may be surprised at the array of edible berries available to the home gardener. Most are varieties you will seldom — if ever — find in grocery stores or farmer’s markets. This list is comprehensive, though certainly not exhaustive, but it covers some of the most practical and common varieties alongside the more interesting and exotic.
Berries are one of the most expensive items in the grocery store, and most require a season (or more) of establishment before they begin bearing fruit. It makes sense to start selecting and planting as soon as possible when planning your garden.
Mulberry
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Mulberries offer sweet and slightly tart berries that mature from green to red to deep purple or black, perfect for fresh eating, jams, and pies.
These trees grow 30 to 50 feet tall, requiring space and thriving in full sun with well-drained soil, making them a straightforward choice for gardeners. Beyond their yield, mulberries attract beneficial wildlife, enhancing garden biodiversity, and their large foliage provides cooling shade, creating a pleasant outdoor area.
Saskatoon Berry
Saskatoon berries, with their deep purple hue and sweet, nutty flavor, resemble blueberries but offer a unique taste that’s both rich and almond-like. These berries are versatile and great for fresh eating, baking, or making preserves.
Saskatoon berry bushes are hardy, reaching about 6 to 10 feet in height, and thrive in full sun to partial shade with well-drained soil. They’re relatively low-maintenance, resistant to pests and diseases, and cold-tolerant, making them suitable for a variety of climates.
Elderberry
Elderberries are unique for their small, dark purple berries that cluster together, offering a tart and slightly sweet flavor when cooked. It’s important to note that elderberries should not be eaten raw due to their toxic properties, which can cause nausea and other adverse effects.
Cooking the berries deactivates these compounds, making them safe to consume.
Elderberries are commonly used in syrups, jams, and wines, valued for their health benefits, particularly in immune system support. Elderberry bushes, which grow 6 to 12 feet tall, are easy to care for, thriving in full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil.
Rowan Berry
Rowan berries, with their vibrant red appearance and slightly bitter taste, are seldom eaten fresh due to their sharpness but excel in jellies, jams, or liqueurs, enhancing dishes with their distinctive flavor.
The Rowan tree, or mountain ash, is relatively small, reaching 15-20 feet tall, ideal for various garden sizes. It thrives in cooler climates, requiring well-drained soil and a mix of full sun to partial shade, proving to be hardy against pollution and adaptable to different soil types.
This makes it a fitting choice for both urban and rural gardens.
Cornelian Cherry
The Cornelian Cherry, a type of Dogwood, produces small, elongated red berries with a tart, slightly sour taste, making them perfect for jams, jellies, and syrups.
Fresh off the tree, they’re an acquired taste due to their astringency, but when cooked, they reveal a lovely flavor profile.
The Cornelian Cherry tree is notably resilient, growing 15 to 25 feet tall and preferring well-drained soil and full sun to partial shade. This tree is productive and ornamental, with early spring blooms of bright yellow flowers before the leaves emerge, adding a splash of color to the garden.
It’s a hardy plant, resistant to cold and adaptable to various environmental conditions, making it an excellent choice for gardeners in a range of climates.
Hawthorn Trees
Hawthorn trees, known for their durability and toughness, produce small, apple-like berries known as haws. These berries are typically red or sometimes black, with a tart, slightly sweet taste. While not commonly eaten fresh due to their mealy texture, haws are used in jellies, jams, and even homemade wine, where their unique flavor can be appreciated.
Hawthorn trees are incredibly resilient, growing up to 15-30 feet tall and thriving in a wide range of conditions, including well-drained soil and full sun to partial shade. They are especially valued for their ornamental qualities, with dense branches of glossy leaves, white or pink spring blossoms, and vibrant berries that persist into winter, providing food for birds.
Hawthorns are adaptable to pollution and varying soil types, making them suitable for urban gardens as well as rural areas.
Juniper Berries
Juniper berries, known for their distinctive spicy, pine-like flavor, are not actually berries but the seed cones of the juniper tree. They’re small, blue-purple in color, and take two to three years to mature fully.
Widely recognized for their role in flavoring gin, these “berries” are also used in culinary dishes, especially European cuisine, to add a robust, aromatic taste to meats, sauces, and marinades.
For gardeners, juniper trees offer both practical and aesthetic benefits. Their evergreen foliage and attractive berries make them a year-round feature in the landscape, while their drought resistance and low maintenance needs appeal to those looking for sustainable gardening options.
Strawberry Tree
The Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo) offers a unique combination of ornamental beauty and edible fruit. Its berries, which take about a year to mature, start green and gradually turn to a deep, vibrant red, resembling strawberries in appearance but not in taste.
These round, rough-textured berries have a sweet, slightly tart flavor, often described as a blend between a fig and a strawberry, though not as universally palatable. They’re used in making jams, jellies, and even alcoholic beverages like liqueurs.
The Strawberry Tree is well-suited to Mediterranean climates.
Raspberry
Raspberries are a garden favorite, producing berries that are both delightfully tart and sweet. These soft, juicy fruits range in color from the classic deep red to black, yellow, or even purple, depending on the variety.
Raspberries are available in two main types: summer-bearing, which produces fruit in early to mid-summer, and everbearing (or fall-bearing), which can produce fruit throughout the summer and into fall.
They require some maintenance, including regular pruning and support for their canes.
Blueberry
Blueberries thrive in acidic soil (pH 4.5 to 5.5) and prefer full sun but can handle partial shade. They are best suited for USDA zones 3 through 8, depending on the variety: highbush, lowbush, or rabbiteye.
These bushes need well-drained soil and benefit from mulching and annual pruning. With proper care, they can produce fruit for many years, offering a reliable source of sweet, tangy berries ideal for fresh eating and cooking.
Blackberry
Blackberries prefer full sun and well-drained soil, thriving in a wide range of climates. They’re known for their juicy, sweet-tart flavor, making them great for fresh eating, jams, and baking.
These plants can become invasive, so it’s important to manage their growth through regular pruning and trellising. With proper care, blackberry bushes can produce fruit for several years, providing a generous and rewarding harvest.
Cranberry
Cranberries can be successfully grown in regular garden soil, provided it is well-drained, retains moisture, and maintains an acidic pH level between 4.0 and 5.5. While commonly associated with bog habitats, these conditions allow cranberries to thrive in typical garden environments.
Proper soil preparation and consistent watering are essential for home gardeners to cultivate cranberries, enabling the harvest of fresh berries for culinary use.
Gooseberry
Gooseberries are a hardy fruit plant that produces small, round berries, varying in color from green to red or purple when ripe. These berries are known for their tart, tangy flavor, making them excellent for jams, pies, and desserts, as well as a refreshing addition to savory dishes.
Gooseberries thrive in cooler climates and prefer well-drained, fertile soil. They benefit from full sun but can tolerate partial shade, which can sometimes help reduce the risk of over-ripening or sunburn on the fruit.
Providing regular pruning to maintain an open, airy structure not only facilitates easier harvesting but also helps in preventing disease.
Huckleberry
Huckleberries have a sweet yet slightly tart flavor. These wild berries closely resemble blueberries but have a more intense, wild flavor. Huckleberries thrive in forested areas and are well-adapted to acidic, well-drained soils.
They prefer environments with full to partial shade, making them suitable for woodland gardens or shaded garden spots.
Growing huckleberries can be challenging due to their slow growth and specific soil requirements, but the reward is a harvest of flavorful berries perfect for baking, jams, or simply enjoying fresh.
Lingonberry
Lingonberries are a resilient, low-growing plant that produces small, red berries known for their tart, slightly sweet flavor. These berries are a staple in Scandinavian cuisine, used in sauces, preserves, and desserts. Lingonberries thrive in cold climates and prefer acidic, well-drained soils, similar to conditions favored by blueberries.
They’re ideal for gardens that can offer full sun to partial shade, and because of their ground-covering habit, they also help in preventing soil erosion.
Cloudberry
Cloudberry plants produce unique, amber-colored berries that are highly prized for their rich, tart flavor. These rare berries thrive in cooler, northern climates and are often found in boggy, alpine environments, making them a bit of a challenge for the average gardener.
Cloudberries prefer wet, acidic soils and can be found in the wild across tundra and peat bogs.
Currants
Currants come in black, red, and white varieties, each with a distinct flavor profile—black currants are rich and tangy, while red and white currants are sweeter. These compact bushes thrive in cooler climates, requiring well-drained soil and a mix of full sun to partial shade.
With minimal maintenance, beyond annual pruning for health and productivity, currants are a good fit for small gardens.
Sea Buckthorn
Sea buckthorn, scientifically known as Hippophae rhamnoides, is a hardy shrub native to Europe and Asia, known for its vibrant orange berries and numerous health benefits. These small, tangy berries are packed with vitamins, antioxidants, and essential fatty acids, making them a popular ingredient in juices, jams, and skincare products.
Despite its name, sea buckthorn is not actually related to buckthorn trees and thrives in dry, sandy soils as well as coastal regions. Its silvery-green foliage adds ornamental value to gardens, and its ability to fix nitrogen in the soil makes it beneficial for soil health.
Strawberries
These perennial plants are fairly easy to grow and do well in a variety of climates, thriving in well-drained, fertile soil with plenty of sunlight. Strawberries come in June-bearing, everbearing, and day-neutral varieties, catering to different harvesting schedules.
Strawberries require regular watering, especially when the fruits are forming, and benefit from mulching to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
Compact and versatile, strawberries can be grown in garden beds, containers, or even hanging baskets, making them suitable for spaces large and small.
Chokeberry
Chokeberries, also known as aronia berries, are small, dark berries with a tart flavor profile that mellows when cooked or sweetened. These hardy shrubs are native to North America and are prized for their high levels of antioxidants and other health benefits.
Chokeberries thrive in a range of climates and soil types, though they prefer moist, well-drained soil and full sun to partial shade. They are relatively low-maintenance and can tolerate cold temperatures, making them suitable for various garden settings.
Chokeberries are versatile in the kitchen, used in jams, jellies, sauces, and baked goods, providing both culinary delight and nutritional value.
Bilberry
Bilberries are small, dark blue berries similar in appearance to blueberries, but with a deeper, more intense flavor. These wild berries grow on low, creeping shrubs and are highly prized for their sweet yet tangy taste, often described as richer and more complex than blueberries.
Bilberries thrive in cool, acidic soils and are typically found in forests and heathlands across Europe and North America.
Dewberry
Dewberries are small, dark berries similar to blackberries, often found growing wild in forests, fields, and along roadsides. These low-growing, trailing plants produce sweet and juicy berries with a rich flavor, reminiscent of blackberries but slightly more tart.
In the garden, dewberries can be cultivated much like blackberries, requiring well-drained soil and plenty of sunlight. They are relatively low-maintenance once established, though they may benefit from some support to keep their sprawling vines off the ground.
Dewberries are a great addition to the garden, offering both delicious fruit for fresh eating and cooking.
Acai Berry
Acai palm trees require a tropical or subtropical climate with high humidity and regular rainfall. They prefer well-drained, acidic soil and plenty of sunlight. While primarily grown in their native habitat, attempts to cultivate acai palm trees outside of South America have been limited due to their specific environmental requirements.
With increased interest in superfoods like acai, there is ongoing research into developing suitable cultivation methods in other regions.
Loganberry
Loganberries are a hybrid berry, a cross between raspberries and blackberries, known for their unique flavor that combines the sweetness of raspberries with the tartness of blackberries. These dark red berries are larger than raspberries and have a distinct elongated shape.
Loganberries are delicious when eaten fresh but also excel in jams, jellies, pies, and other desserts.
Boysenberry
Boysenberries are a type of hybrid berry, created from a cross between blackberries, raspberries, and loganberries. These large, dark purple berries have a sweet-tart flavor with complex undertones, making them ideal for both fresh eating and culinary uses such as jams, pies, and desserts.
Boysenberries are known for their juiciness and intense berry flavor, which sets them apart from other berries.
Salmonberry
Salmonberries are native to the Pacific Northwest region of North America, particularly in coastal areas. These berries are similar in appearance to raspberries, with bright orange to red hues when ripe, but they have a more delicate, slightly tart flavor. Salmonberries are enjoyed both fresh and in preserves, jams, and baked goods.
Thimbleberry
Thimbleberries are native to North America and are particularly common in the Pacific Northwest. These berries are similar in appearance to raspberries, with a bright red color and a soft, delicate texture. Thimbleberries have a sweet yet tangy flavor, making them a popular choice for fresh eating, jams, and preserves.
Chokecherry
Chokecherries are small, dark berries native to North America, commonly found in forests, woodlands, and along riverbanks. These berries are deep purple to almost black when ripe and have a tart, astringent flavor. While they are not typically eaten fresh due to their bitter taste, chokecherries are commonly used in jams, jellies, syrups, and sauces.
Bunchberry
Bunchberries, also known as dwarf cornel or Cornus canadensis, are native to North America and are found in cool, moist forests. These small plants produce clusters of bright red berries that resemble raspberries, but they are actually a type of dogwood.
Bunchberries have a mild, slightly sweet flavor and are often used fresh in salads or as a garnish, though they can also be made into jams, jellies, and sauces.
Buffaloberry
Buffaloberry, also known as shepherdia, is a hardy shrub native to North America, commonly found in dry, sandy, or rocky areas. The berries of the buffaloberry plant are small and round, ranging in color from bright red to orange, and they have a tart, acidic flavor.
While the berries can be eaten fresh, they are often used to make jams, jellies, sauces, or infused into beverages.
Wintergreen Berry
Wintergreen berries, also known as Gaultheria procumbens, are small, glossy red berries native to North America. These berries are prized for their distinctive flavor, which is reminiscent of wintergreen mint, and they are often used in candies, syrups, and herbal teas.
Wintergreen berries can also be eaten fresh, though they are quite tart.
Nannyberry
Nannyberry, scientifically known as Viburnum lentago, is a deciduous shrub or small tree native to North America. It produces clusters of small, bluish-black berries that resemble raisins when fully ripe.
These berries have a sweet and slightly tart flavor, making them suitable for fresh eating, jams, jellies, and baked goods.
Bearberry
Bearberry, also known as Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, is a low-growing evergreen shrub native to North America, Europe, and Asia. It produces small, red berries that are edible but quite bitter, often used in herbal medicine rather than culinary applications. The berries persist through the winter months, providing food for wildlife.
Oregon Grape
Oregon grape, also known as Mahonia aquifolium, is a shrub native to western North America, particularly prevalent in the Pacific Northwest region. It produces clusters of small, dark blue berries that resemble grapes, though they are not closely related to true grapes.
Oregon grape berries have a tart flavor and are often used in jams, jellies, syrups, and baked goods.
Spicebush Berry
Spicebush, scientifically known as Lindera benzoin, is a deciduous shrub native to eastern North America. It produces small, red berries that are enjoyed by birds and other wildlife, though humans do not typically consume them due to their strong, spicy flavor.
The berries are often used in herbal medicine and as a flavoring agent in culinary applications almost like cinnamon might be. They can add fantastic flavor to pies, sauces, and jellies.
More Perennials
As I tell everyone, the biggest mistake we made as new homesteaders was not planting perennials immediately.
Read More: 19 Edible Perennials To Grow For Self-Sufficiency
Survival Garden
A survival garden is a garden plan that prioritizes high-value, high-calorie, and more expensive crops. Consider these when planning out your gardens and homesteads.
Read More: Ultimate Survival Garden Guide {27 Best Crops}
Growing edible berries in your home garden offers health benefits and significant cost savings, and the opportunity to cultivate unique varieties not readily available in stores.
By growing your own berries, you can significantly reduce the expenses associated with purchasing fresh fruits from the market. Home gardening allows you to experiment with growing rare or unusual berry varieties that may not be commercially available. This adds diversity to your garden and introduces you to new flavors.
Growing your own food promotes a deeper connection to your diet and self-sufficiency.
