Saskatoons

Saskatoons, 2023

Saskatoons, also known as Service Berries or June Berries, are a sweet, mild berry. They are good eaten fresh and also good dried, juiced or used for making pies, jams, syrups, etc.
Saskatoons are extremely hardy, reportedly withstanding winter temperatures down to about -75 degrees Fahrenheit (-60 C). They can be grown in partial shade, but do best in full sun.   As with most fruit trees, they do best in well drained, loam or sandy loam soil.  Saskatoon bushes grow very tall (up to 26 feet or so) if not pruned. Many saskatoon varieties are prone to spready from their roots "suckering" which can be good if you want a hedge but not so good if you want to keep your bushes to a confined area.
When planting new saskatoons, weed or much around the base of the bush. They have shallow roots and thus are vulnerable to competition.
Saskatoons are somewhat self-fertile, but will  produce more fruit if pollinated by another variety, so if you have the space, we recommend planting two different varieties. 

Saskatoons in Bloom

Saskatoon Harvest

Dried Saskatoon "Raisins"

Saskatoon Varieties:
Honeywood - produces fruit later in the season than many other varieties. Ripens evenly. The fruit is large. Not a lot of suckers. 

Martin - has very large fruit which ripens uniformly. It does not produce as much fruit as some other varieties. It is has moderate suckering.

Northline - another later producer. It has large fruit that ripen at the same time. It suckers freely and is the most common commercial variety of saskatoons used in Canada.


Regent  - has small fruit with very little suckering. This is a good choice for a smaller space. 

Thiessen - produces fruit early in the season and continues to produce over a large period of time. The fruit is large and has an excellent flavor. It is low suckering.

Smoky - Produces heavily, fruit ripens fairly evenly. Heavy suckering. 

A lot more information about growing Saskatoons to be found on the University of Saskatchewan website, which is where a lot of the information above came from. 

Foe those wanting a deep Saskatoon dive there is the Saskatoon Berry Production Manual by the Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development.