Goji berries—antioxidant beauty in your home garden

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organic gardening / articles / Goji berries—antioxidant beauty in your home garden

Goji berries—antioxidant beauty in your home garden

Jan 29, 2013 - Charlotte from Peaceful Valley


	Grow your own colorful source of antioxidants. Goji berry bushes are hardy to USDA zone 3.

You can grow Goji berries in your home garden instead of buying berries imported from overseas.

planting goji berries in containers

Goji berries grow well in containers and in your garden soil. In our new video Tricia plants them both ways.

Goji berries fit easily into your garden, since you can grow them in or out of containers, prune them as bushes, or train them on trellises.

Goji berries don’t like acid soil. If you live in an area where rhododendrons and camellias thrive, then you probably have slightly acid soil. Check your soil pH; a number under 7 is more acidic and over 7 is more alkaline. If you have acid soil you can add oyster shell to make it more alkaline or simply grow the Goji berries in containers with more neutral, pre-mixed, organic potting soil.

There are lots of reasons to grow goji berries. High in antioxidants, they can also be a pretty addition to your garden with their purple flowers followed by red-orange fruits. The Goji berry variety that we carry is almost thornless, which makes picking the berries a pleasure.

If you don’t polish off all the berries out in your garden, and some make it back to your kitchen, you can use their sweet and tart flavor to add zing to cereal, breads, muffins, salads, and drinks.

drying goji berries with excalibur

Dry Goji berries and use them like raisins, for snacking and cooking. Here are Goji berries, ready to go into an Excalibur dehydrator. Dehydrating or freezing are the preferred ways to preserve these delicate berries.

Don’t forget the leaves, which have even more antioxidants than the berries. Goji berry plants lose their leaves in the fall, so be sure to pick them before the first frost. Use them fresh as a savory addition to stir fries or salads, or dry them in a dehydrator. The dried leaves can also be crushed for a powder.

Bring drought-tolerant Goji berries into your home garden and bring more antioxidants to your table.

Categories: Berry Plants, Goji Berries, Food Processing & Preservation, Food Dehydrator, Container Gardening, Edible Landscaping, Urban Gardening & farming

Mary Says:

Feb 2nd, 2013 at 11:37 am

What about deer? do they eat goji bushes?

Charlotte from Peaceful Valley Says:

Feb 2nd, 2013 at 11:57 am

Mary, Like most berries, Goji berries are not deer-resistant. You would need to grow them in a fenced area, cover them with netting, or spray them with a deer repellant.

Currants are deer-resistant, and so are artichokes and rhubarb. Details here http://groworganic.com/organic-gardening/articles/currants-are-the-edible-almost-everyone-can-grow

Suzanne Says:

Feb 2nd, 2013 at 1:49 pm

Do you know a good source for the goji berry plants?

Sherry Says:

Feb 2nd, 2013 at 2:57 pm

I live in Phoenix. Would they survive here? Thanks.

Paul Chinski Says:

Feb 2nd, 2013 at 4:56 pm

In the photo with the berries on the Excaliber dehydrater sheet, one may wish to “spread” the berries out a bit more in order to obtain a more constant heat/air flow across the berries on the sheet. It has been my experience with the Excaliber dehydrator that having the food items, in this case Goji berries, spread across the sheet and not bunched together will aid the dehydration process.
Just a suggestion…

barbara lowell Says:

Feb 2nd, 2013 at 7:31 pm

do you sell or where to buy goji stoc to grow in zone 8.5 Florida?

Charlotte from Peaceful Valley Says:

Feb 3rd, 2013 at 12:04 am

Sherry, Goji berries do well in temperatures up to 100F http://web.extension.illinois.edu/cfiv/homeowners/081218.html

Charlotte from Peaceful Valley Says:

Feb 3rd, 2013 at 12:06 am

Suzanne and barbara lowell, We carry Goji berry plants and they will grow in zone 8a & zone 8b in Florida http://www.groworganic.com/seasonal-items/berry-plants/goji-berries.html

Charlotte from Peaceful Valley Says:

Feb 3rd, 2013 at 12:07 am

Paul Chinski, Thank you for your excellent advice!

Renee Says:

Feb 4th, 2013 at 7:17 am

I see they are drought tolerant. How bout Oregon

Charlotte from Peaceful Valley Says:

Feb 4th, 2013 at 9:11 am

Renee, Goji berries should grow well in Oregon as long as you are in USDA zone 3 or warmer.

Paula Jo Says:

Feb 23rd, 2013 at 12:48 pm

You say in this video that Goji berries are related to tomatoes and eggplants. Does that mean that Goji berries are a nightshade?

Charlotte from Peaceful Valley Says:

Feb 23rd, 2013 at 2:35 pm

Paula Jo, Yes, Goji berries are in the nightshade family http://www.clemson.edu/cafls/cuchefs/files/acai_and_goji_berries.pdf

wendy Says:

Mar 8th, 2013 at 3:14 pm

what size smart pot would you recommend as a permanent home for a goji berry bush?

Charlotte from Peaceful Valley Says:

Mar 8th, 2013 at 3:27 pm

Wendy, A 30 gallon SmartPot would give you more room roots (and so, more berries). Goji berry plants have a long tap root, so the Smart Pot should be as deep as a five gallon bucket. This 30 gallon Smart Pot would work well http://www.groworganic.com/smart-pot-30-gal.html

Saralee Couchoud Says:

Apr 24th, 2013 at 8:14 am

Is it nessisary to buy plants or can you grow them from seed. Also, what about pollination? Do you need more than one plant? Do you need more than one variety? Thanks for your help.

Charlotte from Peaceful Valley Says:

Apr 29th, 2013 at 11:18 am

Saralee, Goji can be grown from seed, but it takes up to 6 weeks for the seed to sprout. During that time period they need to be kept moist and warm.

Goji are self fertile, but if grown inside where there are no insects or wind for dispersal within the plant it might need pollination assistance.

Since they are self-fertile there is no need for more than one variety.