Hi I recently read an article about the goji berries and all the nutritioanal value they have. These berries, native to Tibet and China, are apparently an amazing anti-oxidant. Have a look at this link: http://http://www.gojiberryproducts.com/site/928759/page/414693 has anyone in Canada grown them? if so, are they difficult to grow? Also, does anyone have any idea where to buy them?
I haven't grown these myself, but have heard of people growing them (though the people didn't know what they were, later on!) Anyway, seeds and plants are available from Richter's - look under wolfberry, another common name.
I'm growing some here on Vancouver Island, from seed I got from 2 different sources . So far they are just little plants but seem to grow fast, they don't like to dry out. I've been cutting them back which also seems to make for a healthier,stockier plant. I have lots of seed left, if your interested you can send me a SASE or maybe you have something interesting to trade?
Thank you all! Jenf, yes, I would be interested to obtain some seeds from you. Thank you for the offer. I will send you a message.
Goji Berry plants are available from Flora Exotica in Montreal who does mail orde shipping: http://www.floraexotica.ca/Fruit.htm I have bought two plants from them and had to move it to a more sunny spot in August this summer and then they became more alive as far as plant growth is concerned. I hope they fruit next summer. I am looking for a nursery or Garden centre in Canada that will do mail order shiopping to Onario Canada of fig trees or cuttings (other than Grimo Nut nursery or Adrinos Fig Trees). I will appreciate help.
yes I also am searching for seed for goji, but locally, I am new to this forum, not sure how to contact you. you can send me an email direct, ricardo_maya_2@hotmail. I also am wondering about the main difference between the "wolfberrie" and "goji" plants. Is it simply based on geographic location.? or are they realy different plants.
Hi durgan; There has been interest in Western Canada in the crop. http://www.wireservice.ca/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=47 http://www.parklandagroforestry.com/other-products-wolfberry.htm Hope this helps Cheers Kim
if you are after the anti-oxidant value - some things to consider: there is a wide range of potency in different gogi plants from different places. earl mandell the guy who wrote vitamin bible - i think he was a an MD - has done the major research on the best goji. he apparently found certain types that grow with the best "polysachharides" - 4 of them I believe - and figured out a way to test to see which berrries had them/plants produce them. very interesting. If anyone comes up with seeds from mandell's favorite goji plants i would be very interested in growing them here in New Zealand. can find more about mandell.. http://www.benefitsjuice.com
Please visit my web site: go-goji.com for truth of goji. Goji is also called gou-qi or gou-qi-zi, in Chinese it is 枸杞. Wolfberry is one of its common name. There are no difference between so-called 'Tibetan goji' and Chinese goji or wolfberry because goji is not produced in Tibetan. The place famous for growing goji is Ningxia province, especially Zhongning county in China. I am from that area. Currently my web site is still under construction but I have got started with a super goji cultivar called No 1 of Ning-qi. You can find more information from my website. Thanks!
(Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) unit, ORAC value in plants. yes! I am interested in the anti-oxidant values ...do you know of the The ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) unit, ORAC value, or "ORAC score" from the National Institutes of Health.? Spices, cloves, ground value as (314,446) ..is the highest value on their list but couldnt find goji or wolfberrie here is the reference http://oracvalues.com/sort/orac-value/ im looking for similar info, that will include wild plants, and less common known foods. ricardo
I bought Wolfberry seeds from Jim Ternier at Prairie Garden Seeds in Cochin, SK (I think his website is www.prseeds.com). They are so tiny they looked like dust, but they had a great germination rate and grew like crazy even through the drought we had. Most of my 50 or so plants hit 2 feet in one summer (started indoors in March or so) and a big bonus for me is that the deer don't seem to like them. My Goji berry bushes haven't overwintered or fruited, but I have high hopes for their hardiness as Cochin is about zone 3.
Howdy Pipestone, Don't worry, your plants will overwinter. You may get some tip kill in the first year or two. Goji has a relatively long history in Edmonton - it was planted by the early Chinese who settled in the city after the railroad was completed. After better transportation made dried berries more readily available from China, the planting was abandoned but the bushes were still growing until they were ripped out during the construction of the Shaw Conference Centre. The last time I checked (about 8 years ago), the single plant that they missed was still growing by the riverbank. Today, there are quite a few gardeners in Edmonton who plant this berry and also another species that only produces leaves. The latter is a popular leafy vegetable among the Orientals. Fresh berries are sweet but have a bitter after taste. I'm interested in locating those that do not have the bitterness so that they can be eaten as fresh berries. Having said that, even the most bitter ones loose the bitterness completely if the berries are harvested in spring after they have dried up on the bushes in winter. Peace Thean
I've heard some goji growers in North America complained bitterness of goji's taste, just very curious since goji I tried always tast sweet, might be a little sour. What's the cultivar of your goji? I guess cultivated goji are the ones that can be consumed by humans, for other varieties better be careful, because they are not the ones used in Chinese medicine and can contain certain toxin. I am working to introduce a super goji cultivar to NA, visit go-goji.com for pictures and more info.
Hi Thean, Is this Thean P. involved in the Dev. Bot. Gar. Fruit growers group???? Thanks for the info. Any idea how long they take to start fruiting? I'm down by Pigeon Lake so you are welcome to come taste some berries when they show up. I don't have any idea what variety I have. I bought the seed Jim carries labeled "Wolfberry" (I don't even know if he grows the parent plants, but he says they are good to eat) and he also sent me some seed from dried fruit purchased at a Chinese market. Unfortunately, the seedlings got mixed up so I have no idea which are Chinese in origin and which are NA. I'm going to try again this year and hopefully do a better job of labeling things! Sarah E.
Howdy Sarah, Yes, you got the right person. Pigeon Lake is a little colder and has a shorter growing season than Edmonton. As such you may get more winterkill. Having said that since you can grow Evans sourcherry, your place may be ok. Since your plants are from op seeds, it gives you the opportunity to yank out the weak and less hardy. Thanks for offering me the opportunity to taste the berries. It takes about three years but I have seen plants as young as two years old fruiting. My daughter has cutting that rooted in the winter, planted in spring and fruited later in fall -not much, just a handful but those that did ripen before the frost could be counted on one hand. Peace Thean PS. Thanks for the Evans cherry jam.
Hi Thean and Sarah, I'm new here. I was wondering where you two got your seeds, or if you'd share some. I'm from Drayton Valley, but sometimes go thru Pigeon Lake, and i'm often in Edmonton. Bonnie
I bought my Wolfberry seeds from Jim Ternier at Prairie Garden Seeds in Cochin, SK (I think his website is www.prseeds.com). His seeds are really inexpensive (2 or 3 dollars a pack) and he likes to bring them to you at the Seedy Saturday in Edmonton (not the one in Devon). I haven't talked to him yet to find out when it is as I haven't ordered from Jim yet this year. I don't have any Wolfberry/Goji Berry seeds right now as I already planted the left over seeds I had from last year. Another source for seeds is Windmill Point Farm in Quebec. If you are interested in plants, check out Windmill Point Farm, The Saskatoon Farm and Dominion Seeds. Since you are local, if you are interested in meeting other fruit growers, come to the Devonian Botanic Gardens for the seedy Saturday (April) and the fruit growers festival in September. We also have a budwood exchange at the seedy staturday and speakers/sampling at the festival. If you are interested in a farm visit to see if my Gogi Berries survived the winter, let me know in spring. I love to visit with other growers! And if you have kids/grandkids, we also have a working petting zoo.
Howdy Bonnie, Sarah has given you the list of suppliers. The cheapest source is Oriental grocery or herbal stores in Edmonton. All these stores sell dried berries for cooking but the seeds are viable. However, these berries come from China and may not be hardy enough. Having said that, many growers are happy with the results. I'm sure you can also buy them in health food stores. The likely date for the Seedy Saturday at DBG is April 18. Sorry, I don't have any Goji seeds to spare but if you are interested in a different species that is grown exclusively for its leaves, you are welcome to have cuttings. This species is called Goji Choi in Cantonese. It blooms freely in Edmonton but does not set fruit. Peace Thean
Hi Thean, All goji berries are produced in China - the major production area include Ningxia, Xingjiang, He-Bei, Inner Mongolia and Qinghai (very limited). Main production areas are all thoursands of miles out of Himalayas mountains. For variety of Lycium barbarum, there is no difference of cold tolenrance geographically, though there may be some slight difference among different cultivars. You are right regarding Goji Choi - it is typically used as edible vegetable in southern China. Regarding goji seeds, yes you can buy some berries to extract seeds from them to grow - but keep in mind plants grown from seeds are always inferior to their parents in yielding and other qualities. It is OK for a casual goji grower for fun, for serious goji farmer, however using the best cultivar is always my recommendation. See more on go-goji.com
Hello to all goji posters. I stumbled into the goji post by chance. I am in Edmonton and I have a goji plant that is more that 15 years old. It is a prolific bearer. My wife uses the fruits fresh in soups. She freezes the harvest for use during winter. I am willing to give away cuttings. The cuttings root very easily. Sengyan
How old the goji berry plant has to be to bear fruit? Has anyone grown goji berry plants in pots and found it fruitful?
Hi, I live just South of Edmonton at Pipestone. Please may I get a cutting from you? I would love, cherish, happily pay for and generously share with others any such goji cutting I got from you (...my attempt at sounding grateful and funny!)! When do you take cuttings and how do you root them? My private email is: skkewing@yahoo.com Sarah
Hi Ottawa-Zone5. My gayji plant fruited in its second year but the crop was small. I had large crops from the 3rd. year on. Not having planted gayji in a pot I cannot give an opinion. But why not grow it outside in the ground? Sengyan
