The small red berries are very much in line with the he althy eating trend. We show how you can grow the exotic fruits in your own garden.
For several years now, the fruits of the goji berry (Lycium barbarum var. goji ), also called wolfberry, can be found in our stores. The dried fruits were introduced with the trend towards "superfoods", i.e. foods with a particularly high content of he alth-promoting substances. But did you know that you can also grow the Asian miracle fruit in your own garden? Here you can find out everything you need to know about varieties, procurement and cultivation of the goji berry.
Goji originally comes from South Asia and especially from China, where it has had a permanent place in traditional Chinese medicine for many thousands of years. Its antioxidant and thus cell-protecting effect as well as its high vitamin C content brought it fame. In the meantime, the plant has also spread to Central Europe, which is mainly due to its winter hardiness down to -25 °C. It belongs to the nightshade family and is so distantly related to tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) and the potato (Solanum tuberosum ) related. The goji grows as a deciduous shrub up to four meters high, with the long branches hanging down like sour cherries (Prunus cerasus) like rods. From June it forms small, deep purple and self-fertile flowers, which turn into small bright red to yellow, oval or teardrop-shaped berries by October. The goji can spread extensively underground through rhizome offshoots.
Goji berries: varieties and sources of supply
The goji berry is divided into only a few varieties, which differ mainly in the color of the fruit and the size of the berries. Here we present some varieties for the home garden.
'Ningxia': variety from the main growing area of China, the province of Ningxia; high-yielding plant with typically light red fruits
'New Big': This goji forms deep orange fruits up to 2 cm long; the calyx turns slightly purple at maturity; sweet and aromatic variety
'GoldenHoney': One of the few varieties with golden-yellow fruits; the berries have a particularly mild and sweet taste
The pretty exotic plants are mainly offered as perennial plants and have even found their place in the usual garden centers. You can now find plants at Dehner, but also online at the German rarity nursery Deaflora. Some seeds are also offered, but the seedlings need a few years to bear fruit.
Plant goji berries
The wolfberry feels at home with us both as a pot culture and in the bed. The plant loves particularly humus-rich and at the same time permeable soils in the sun or in partial shade. But even on poorer and nutrient-poor soil, the goji still thrives because it is quite undemanding. The shrubs usually bear fruit from the second or third year after planting. If you want to plant the goji berries outdoors in the bed, it is worth working in a little compost or slow-release fertilizer before planting. Now you dig a sufficiently large hole and put the plant in the ground. If you do not want the goji to overgrow the bed over time, it is advisable to use an additional 30 centimeter deep root barrier. For pot culture, fill the prepared pot with some potting soil. The peat-free Plantura organic tomato and vegetable soil, for example, is ideal for this. Then transplant the plant and fill the pot with soil. Now water and you can admire your own goji plant. As soon as the pot has grown densely with roots and these are already protruding from the bottom of the pot, the goji should be moved again to a larger container.
Care for and fertilize goji berries
As a perennial plant, the Goji is happy about a pruning from time to time. When planting, the plant is therefore first cut back to 20 centimeters so that it branches well. The following year after the harvest, five to six large shoots are left, which are then pulled as branches. Every five years, the old shoots should then be removed and replaced with new shoots. This ensures a long gestation period for the Goji and rejuvenates the plant at the same time. If the goji grows taller over the years, it makes sense to support the fruiting branches a little. Otherwise, the robust plant does not require any special care. As far as fertilization is concerned, the Goji is also rather modest. It's enough ifspreading a charge of mature compost or slow-release fertilizer around the shrub once a year, preferably in spring. Our Plantura organic tomato fertilizer is ideal for this.
Diseases of Goji berries
Goji is regularly attacked by powdery mildew (Erysiphaceae). A good cut with sufficient ventilation prevents this disease. Affected plants can be treated with a broth made from field horsetail. However, the fruits can also be harvested and processed from diseased plants without hesitation. Since the Goji fruits ripen quite late in late summer and autumn, they can also be attacked by the spotted wing fly (Drosophila suzukii). With the help of a net over the plants and a fruit flytrap, the pest that has migrated from Asia can be kept in check.
Harvesting and processing goji berries
From August to October, the small vitamin bombs ripen one after the other, so you can harvest continuously from the bushes. Now you can either eat the fruits directly and freshly or preserve them. Drying in particular is very suitable for year-round enjoyment and this is also where the aromas are best preserved. For this purpose, the stalks are removed after the harvest and the red berries are dried either gently in the sun or in the oven or dehydrator at a maximum of 40 °C. The door of the oven should always remain open so that the moisture can escape. Dried berries are great for tea and as a tasty addition to muesli. Of course, the berries can also be frozen whole and used freshly thawed again and again. In this way, you can also ensure a supply of many important vitamins and minerals throughout the winter. If you are also interested in superfoods in general, you can find more information on the subject in this article.