Huckleberry Garden Berries on a white background.
Garden Huckleberry pie with a few berries on the side on top of a white background
Garden Huckleberries dessert topped with berries and whipped topping.
Huckleberry Garden Berries on a white background.
Garden Huckleberry pie with a few berries on the side on top of a white background
Garden Huckleberries dessert topped with berries and whipped topping.

Huckleberry Seeds,
Garden

461 ReviewsSKU: #GR103Min. seed count: 35
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Description

An antioxidant-rich garden berry that undergoes the most miraculous flavor transformation when cooked and just lightly sweetened! There is a stark contrast between eating the berries raw and in their cooked and sweetened state. The raw ripe berries have a tart flavor, similar to tomatillo, yummy for savory snacking and salsas. The cooked and lightly sweetened berries are reminiscent of blackberry or gooseberry. The garden huckleberry is native to Africa and is a solanaceous berry in the tomato family. The intense purple-black hue of the berries indicates high levels of the antioxidant anthocyanin. We adore this nutritious, quick-maturing annual that produces masses of fruit in a short season. For very best flavor it is important to harvest at the correct stage. Berries will be a shiny, green to black when under-mature; at this stage the flavor will be unpleasant and the berries may be slightly poisonous. The berries mature to a dull black color and should be slightly soft to the touch; at this point the berries are perfect to eat and quite tasty. The truly spectacular flavor of these berries is revealed when the berries are cooked and sweetened; this brings out a fruity, blackberry-like flavor that is simply sublime. We have seen these berries reimagined into delectable jams, pies, syrups and fillings—easily one of the most rewarding fruit crops to grow!

Growing Tips: Start indoors in fine, moist soil, 6-8 weeks before setting out after frost. Harvest berries only when fully ripe, very black and soft. Warning: Green fruit may be poisonous to eat.

Plant Details

Botanical Name
Solanum melanocerasum
Life Cycle
Annual
Sun Requirement
6–12 hr.
Days to Germinate
7–21
Days to Maturity
75
Planting Depth
⅛ in.
Plant Spacing
15–18 in.
Ideal Temperature
65–75°F
Frost Hardy
No

When to Grow

Garden huckleberry is a different species from the other huckleberries here — Solanum melanocerasum, native to Africa — but it is started the same way: indoors in fine, moist soil 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost, ⅛ inch deep, with seedlings up in 7 to 21 days. It is a frost-tender warm-season annual, so plants go out only after frost, 15 to 18 inches apart in full sun, making bushes in the 18- to 36-inch range. The crop comes on fast and heavy in a short season, with berries at about 75 days — but leave them on the plant until they turn from shiny green-black to a dull black and feel slightly soft, because under-mature fruit tastes unpleasant and may be slightly poisonous.

How to Sow and Plant

  • Germination steps are very similar to those for tomato seeds. Start indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost date and transplant out after all chance of frost has passed. Sow seeds 1/8 inch deep.
  • Ideal germination temperature is 75-80 F.
  • Sow in quality seed-starting mix and provide average moisture.
  • Seeds germinate in 7-21 days.

How to Grow

  • Grow these plants just as you would tomatoes.
  • Provide full sun. Plants prefer well-drained soil with average to rich organic matter.
  • Provide average, consistent moisture.
  • Space plants 14 inches apart.
  • These plants can be grown with a tomato cage for support, or allow them to remain freestanding.

PESTS/SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS

  • A relatively pest- and disease-free plant. The biggest challenge is to prevent aggressive re-seeding and invasive behavior. If you are concerned about re-seeing, you can grow these in a container and prevent fruit spilling into soil, or provide a layer of plastic mulch or hardware cloth beneath plants and harvest fruit promptly.

How to Save Seeds

  • Self pollinating.
  • Save seeds by allowing fruit to become quite squishy and soft before picking.
  • Mash berries and dilute with water to help separate the seeds from the flesh, then skim the skin and flesh, leaving just the seeds.
  • Dry seeds thoroughly and place in an airtight container.
  • Store seeds in a cool, dark, dry place.

FAQ

How do I tell when a garden huckleberry is ripe?

Under-mature berries are shiny and green to black; at that stage the flavor is unpleasant and the berries may be slightly poisonous. Ripe berries turn a dull black and are slightly soft to the touch.

What do garden huckleberries taste like raw versus cooked?

There is a stark contrast. The raw ripe berries are tart, similar to tomatillo, and good for savory snacking and salsas. Cooked and lightly sweetened, they become reminiscent of blackberry or gooseberry.

What can I make with a garden huckleberry harvest?

Cooking and lightly sweetening the berries brings out a fruity, blackberry-like flavor. Growers have turned them into jams, pies, syrups and fillings.
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