Growing Organic Goji Berries

Hi, I'm Tricia, an organic gardener. I grow organically for a healthy and safe food supply, for a clean and sustainable environment, for an enjoyable and rewarding experience. Goji berries, or wolf berries as they're sometimes called, are loaded with antioxidants. They also have high concentrations of vitamin B, C, and amino acids. The great thing is you can grow them at home. Goji berries are native to China and are hardy in zones 3 through 10. The plants are drought tolerant, they're container adaptable, and all around easy to grow. They're relatives of the tomatoes and eggplants and they have cute little purple flowers and bright orange and red berries. Goji berries need full sun but they will tolerate part shade and they need a pH between 6.8 and 8.1. If your pH is lower than that, you can add some lime, like this oyster shell lime. You can plant goji berry from seed, but if you plant with a bare root stalk like this, you'll get fruit sooner. And the first year you'll probably get just a little bit of fruit, but after that you'll get a full crop. You can plant and grow goji berries directly in a container and leave them there. Or, if you want to plant them in the ground, we suggest starting them in a pot, and this is a fiber pot that can go directly in the ground. Goji berries are happy in containers and you'll get a more compact plant. Plus, it'll prevent the roots from spreading, kind of like raspberries do. The minimum size for growing a goji berry in a container is five gallons, and it should be as deep as a five gallon bucket because goji berries put down a deep tap root. Before planting, soak the bare roots for about fifteen minutes to an hour in water. I'm using the Peaceful Valley organic potting soil. You can use any standard potting soil, just don't use any peat moss, it's too acidic. This is the crown of the bare root plant. The crown is where the root starts. The crown should be the same level as the top of the soil. Water the plant, and then if the soil settles too much, add a little bit more soil to get it up to the crown. Keep the plant moist. After you see about six to eight inches of growth, it can be planted directly in the ground, pot and all. Goji berries should be planted about two feet apart. They get about ten to thirteen feet tall if you don't prune them, and they have a spread of about four feet. You can train them like a grapevine on a trellis, or you can leave them as a shrub. The plants are very drought tolerant once established. When they're very young, give them about an inch or two of water every week. Don't prune them until after the first year. Then, pick a shoot to be the main shoot and prune off any lateral shoots below it, about fifteen inches from the ground. When the plant reaches two feet tall in the summer, pinch out the growing tips to cause side branching where the fruit will be born. After your basic structure is established, just prune back to the height you want to keep it. Maintain clearance from the ground. Prune out any unproductive branches and thin out branches after the berry season. Goji berries will fruit and flower all through the summer until the first frost. So plant this superfood and grow organic for life!