When to plant honeyberries in Oregon and Washington

In Portland: Plant honeyberry bushes Mar 1 – Apr 26. In Bend: Apr 28 – Jun 23. Find your city below.

Difficulty: Easy
Sun: Full sun; part shade east of the Cascades
Spacing: 4 to 5 feet apart
Planting depth: Same depth as in the pot
Frost: Hardy perennial; comes back every year
First harvest: A few berries in year two or three; good crops by year four or five

Also called haskap. Very cold-hardy bushes that bloom in late winter and give the first berries of the year, before strawberries. You need two compatible varieties that bloom at the same time for fruit.

Honeyberries planting dates

City	Plant in the garden
Portland, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Seattle and Tacoma, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Eugene, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Spokane, WA	Apr 1 – May 27
Bend and Redmond, OR	Apr 28 – Jun 23
Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland), WA	Mar 20 – May 15

Find your town

Portland area, OR 6 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Gresham, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Hillsboro and Beaverton, OR	Mar 5 – Apr 30
Oregon City and West Linn, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Portland, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26
St. Helens and Scappoose, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Wilsonville and Canby, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26

Willamette Valley, OR 5 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Corvallis and Albany, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Cottage Grove, OR	Mar 13 – May 8
Eugene, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26
McMinnville and Newberg, OR	Mar 4 – Apr 29
Salem, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26

Southern Oregon, OR 4 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Ashland and Talent, OR	Mar 25 – May 20
Grants Pass, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Medford, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Roseburg, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26

Oregon Coast, OR 5 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Astoria, OR	Mar 25 – May 20
Brookings and Gold Beach, OR	Mar 25 – May 20
Coos Bay and North Bend, OR	Mar 25 – May 20
Newport and Lincoln City, OR	Mar 25 – May 20
Tillamook, OR	Mar 25 – May 20

Central Oregon and the high desert, OR 6 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Bend and Redmond, OR	Apr 28 – Jun 23
Burns, OR	Apr 30 – Jun 25
Klamath Falls, OR	Apr 28 – Jun 23
Lakeview, OR	Apr 23 – Jun 18
Madras, OR	Apr 20 – Jun 15
Prineville, OR	Apr 20 – Jun 15

Columbia Gorge and eastern Oregon, OR 9 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Baker City, OR	Apr 20 – Jun 15
Enterprise and Joseph, OR	Apr 20 – Jun 15
Hermiston, OR	Mar 20 – May 15
Hood River, OR	Mar 20 – May 15
John Day, OR	Apr 20 – Jun 15
La Grande, OR	Apr 1 – May 27
Ontario, OR	Mar 20 – May 15
Pendleton, OR	Mar 20 – May 15
The Dalles, OR	Mar 20 – May 15

Seattle and Puget Sound, WA 6 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Bremerton and Port Orchard, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Everett, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Kent, Renton and Auburn, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Olympia, WA	Mar 18 – May 13
Seattle and Tacoma, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Shelton, WA	Mar 16 – May 11

North Sound and the islands, WA 5 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Anacortes, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Bellingham, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Friday Harbor and the San Juans, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Mount Vernon and Burlington, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Oak Harbor and Whidbey Island, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26

Olympic Peninsula and coast, WA 6 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Aberdeen and Hoquiam, WA	Mar 25 – May 20
Forks, WA	Mar 25 – May 20
Long Beach and Ilwaco, WA	Mar 25 – May 20
Port Angeles, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Port Townsend, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Sequim, WA	Mar 10 – May 5

Southwest Washington, WA 3 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Centralia and Chehalis, WA	Mar 11 – May 6
Longview and Kelso, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Vancouver, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26

Wenatchee and the Okanogan, WA 5 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Chelan, WA	Mar 20 – May 15
Leavenworth, WA	Apr 1 – May 27
Omak and Okanogan, WA	Apr 1 – May 27
Wenatchee, WA	Mar 20 – May 15
Winthrop and Twisp, WA	Apr 3 – May 29

Yakima Valley and Columbia Basin, WA 8 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Ellensburg, WA	Apr 1 – May 27
Ephrata and Quincy, WA	Mar 20 – May 15
Goldendale, WA	Apr 7 – Jun 2
Moses Lake, WA	Mar 20 – May 15
Sunnyside, Grandview and Prosser, WA	Mar 20 – May 15
Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland), WA	Mar 20 – May 15
Walla Walla, WA	Mar 20 – May 15
Yakima, WA	Mar 27 – May 22

Spokane and eastern Washington, WA 3 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Colville, WA	Apr 1 – May 27
Pullman, WA	Apr 1 – May 27
Spokane, WA	Apr 1 – May 27

How to grow honeyberries

Pick a sunny spot with soil that drains well, and mix in an inch or two of compost.
Plant honeyberry bushes on your city's dates, 4 to 5 feet apart. Same depth as in the pot.
Plant two compatible varieties that bloom together. Mulch well and water through the first two summers; after that they need very little.
Harvest: Wait until the berries are purple-blue inside as well as outside, about a week after they turn blue. Taste first: underripe ones are sour.

Popular honeyberries varieties

Widely sold picks that do well somewhere in Oregon or Washington. The tag says which side of the mountains suits each one best.

Aurora

Large, sweet · Ripens late spring

One of the sweetest and most productive varieties, with large, flavorful berries. It pairs well with Borealis and Honey Bee for pollination.

Both sides

Borealis

Compact, sweet · Ripens late spring

A smaller bush with large, sweet berries, good for small gardens. It needs a compatible partner like Aurora or Tundra.

Both sides

Boreal Blizzard

Very large berries · Ripens early summer

Big, sweet, elongated berries on a vigorous bush. It blooms a little later than many, so match it with another late-blooming variety.

Both sides

Indigo Gem

Productive, tangy · Ripens late spring

A reliable, heavy producer with chewy, tangy-sweet berries. Many growers pair it with Tundra or Honey Bee.

Both sides

Key numbers

Below -40°FCold hardiness
5.5–7.5Soil pH
Year 4–5First full crops
BirdsBiggest risk

Growing notes

What makes the difference in Northwest gardens, in plain language.

The earliest berry of the year

Honeyberries (also called haskap) are a blue-fruited honeysuckle from cold northern regions. The bushes bloom in late winter, and the flowers shrug off frosts that would ruin other fruit. Berries ripen in late spring, a couple of weeks before the first strawberries. They taste like a mix of blueberry and raspberry with a tart edge.

Pollination partners

A single honeyberry bush sets little or no fruit. Plant at least two different varieties that bloom at the same time; nurseries list which ones pair up. Early bees and bumblebees do the pollinating, so a site that gets winter sun helps.

Easy care

Unlike blueberries, honeyberries aren't fussy about soil pH and grow in most garden soils that drain well. Mulch, water through the first two summers and prune lightly in late winter once bushes are a few years old, removing old, weak or crossing stems. Net them before the berries color; birds love them.

Common questions about growing honeyberries

What do honeyberries taste like?

Most people describe a mix of blueberry and raspberry, sometimes with a slightly tart finish. Flavor varies by variety and ripeness.

Why don't my honeyberries have fruit?

Usually they're too young or have no compatible partner nearby. Plant two varieties that bloom together, and give them three to five years.

Are honeyberries the same as other honeysuckles?

No. Only blue honeysuckle varieties sold for fruit are edible. Many ornamental honeysuckles have berries that should not be eaten.

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