Sunberry plants

angelique · February 11, 2007

Hi All,

This is my first year growing sunberries (a tomato cousin, solanum burbankii). I am not sure how many plants grow in order to have a moderate amount. The description on the package from SSE does speak much to their growth habit (how tall they get, etc). Any info/advice that anyone can provide would be great.

I also would like to know if this fruit would be a good candidate for a sq ft bed or 15 gallon grow bag.

Thanks again,

Angelique

bcday · February 11, 2007

This site says it's a small plant 12"-24" high, but it says nothing about yield. It also says the unripe berries are poisonous. Better let them get good and ripe, I guess.

http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/wonderberry.htm

angelique · February 11, 2007

Wow.

You would think that Seedsavers would share this info in their description.

bcday · February 11, 2007

This site has more info that might be helpful, but nothing said about the unripe berries. Maybe the unripe fruit tastes so bad that no one would eat enough to be harmful?

http://www.southernexposure.com/Merc...uct_Code=47001

Rena · February 12, 2007

I am also growing the same seeds. I had read somewhere that the poison thing was not true. I will let you know, and if you dont hear from me you know what happened

bizzarbazzar · February 13, 2007

I read this about the sunberry and a garden huckleberry and have this info as I will be growing them for the first time as well.

Each plant will bear hundreds of ½-¾-inch berries, ripening from green to deep black. One plant should produce enough berries for a single pie.

The fruits are not edible until fully ripe and cooked. They are toxic if eaten unripe, and the raw fruit is quite bitter. The berries are ready to harvest about two weeks after they first turn black, when their skin has changed from shiny to dull, and the flesh is very soft. The interior pulp will turn from greenish to purple when ripe. The flavor of the berries is improved by allowing them to remain on the plant until after the first frost. The plants have some cold tolerance and may continue to ripen fruit after light frosts.

jenn_sc · February 13, 2007

The berries are poison when less than ripe? Why would they even sell them? Even if they are too bitter to eat straight from the bush when unripe, I know that sometimes jams and preserves "set" better when some less ripe fruit is mixed in...so couldn't that scenario, for instance, be dangerous?

angelique · February 13, 2007

Okay. The sunberries are offiicially off of my list. Here are just a couple of realistic scenarios that can go wrong.

1. MIL visits with her 2 year old granddaugher. I tell her the berries are poisionous and she doesn't believe me (or she needs to find out for herself). Not only does she eat them she feeds a few to the baby. Why? Because, she thought that I was lying and hoarding my berries. Somehow, DH's family, sans DH, will find this to be my fault.

OR

2. My grandpa house sits when I am on vacation. He sees the berries and eats them. It is not until he is in the hospital that he remembers that I said that the berries ARE POISIONOUS.

BTW, I wonder if these berries are poisonous to birds. I would hate to kill them too.

I guess that Sunberries just got replaced by more Thai Roselles in my garden.

2FrontFeet · February 13, 2007

Angelique, have you considered ground cherries? I hear that they make good pie and jam.
BTW, my MIL blames me for global warming, and I don't even eat cabbage.

angelique · February 13, 2007

Dingbat, that's too darn funny.

I just called SeedSavers. The person (my fault that I didn't catch her name) that I spoke with made it very clear that the variety that they sell is NOT poisonous. She also said that there are many non-domesticated type of berries in the same family that are very poisonous.

bizzarbazzar · February 13, 2007

Makes sense angelique
It doesnt make alot of sense to have something potentially toxic in our yards that we plant on eating. I am glad you made the call so we know

February 11, 2007	#1
angelique Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Rocklin, California Posts: 501	Sunberry plants Hi All, This is my first year growing sunberries (a tomato cousin, solanum burbankii). I am not sure how many plants grow in order to have a moderate amount. The description on the package from SSE does speak much to their growth habit (how tall they get, etc). Any info/advice that anyone can provide would be great. I also would like to know if this fruit would be a good candidate for a sq ft bed or 15 gallon grow bag. Thanks again, Angelique

February 13, 2007	#9
2FrontFeet Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: 6a Posts: 87	Angelique, have you considered ground cherries? I hear that they make good pie and jam. BTW, my MIL blames me for global warming, and I don't even eat cabbage. __________________ .

February 11, 2007	#2
bcday Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NY z5 Posts: 1,205	This site says it's a small plant 12"-24" high, but it says nothing about yield. It also says the unripe berries are poisonous. Better let them get good and ripe, I guess. http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/wonderberry.htm

February 11, 2007	#3
angelique Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Rocklin, California Posts: 501	Wow. You would think that Seedsavers would share this info in their description.

February 12, 2007	#5
Rena Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Warm Springs, GA Posts: 1,421	I am also growing the same seeds. I had read somewhere that the poison thing was not true. I will let you know, and if you dont hear from me you know what happened

February 13, 2007	#6
bizzarbazzar Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Butte, MT Posts: 811	I read this about the sunberry and a garden huckleberry and have this info as I will be growing them for the first time as well. Each plant will bear hundreds of ½-¾-inch berries, ripening from green to deep black. One plant should produce enough berries for a single pie. The fruits are not edible until fully ripe and cooked. They are toxic if eaten unripe, and the raw fruit is quite bitter. The berries are ready to harvest about two weeks after they first turn black, when their skin has changed from shiny to dull, and the flesh is very soft. The interior pulp will turn from greenish to purple when ripe. The flavor of the berries is improved by allowing them to remain on the plant until after the first frost. The plants have some cold tolerance and may continue to ripen fruit after light frosts.

February 13, 2007	#7
jenn_sc SPLATT™ Coordinator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Florence, SC Posts: 502	The berries are poison when less than ripe? Why would they even sell them? Even if they are too bitter to eat straight from the bush when unripe, I know that sometimes jams and preserves "set" better when some less ripe fruit is mixed in...so couldn't that scenario, for instance, be dangerous?