Elderberries: How to Grow and When to Plant in Your Backyard or Patio Garden!

By CarrieGrowing Food, Growing Guides
Elderberries blog post
Elderberries grow on large shrubs. They produce beautiful white flowers in the spring followed by the dark berries in the summer. This large shrub is a terrific attractant to beneficial insects and hummingbirds as well!

How to Grow:

Plant elderberry shrubs after your last spring frost and 8 weeks before your first fall frost. You can see specific dates for your location using our FREE iOS, Android, and Universal Web App.

Dig a hole a couple inches deeper than the pot that the elderberry shrub came in. It is not typically recommended to do square foot method with elderberry shrubs, but they can be planted over at least 5 square feet if kept pruned.  Plant elderberries in the full sun to part shade. Take care to notice what plants are around the area as well, see the companion plant section below. Keep elderberry shrubs well watered.

Companion Plants:

Companion planting is a vital part of organic gardening. Companion plants assist in the growth of others by attracting beneficial insects, repelling pests, or providing nutrients, shade, or support. There are also plants that do not like being next to each other. Some plants get too tall and can provide too much shade for your plant. Sometimes certain plants attract the same pests, so it is important to try and separate these. Herbs are especially great companion plants because they help to repel pests from your other plants!

         GoodBad
BlueberriesParsleyNONE!
MarigoldsRaspberries 
MarjoramRosemary 
OreganoTarragon 

 
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Pests:

Pests can be one of the most difficult challenges you face in the garden. We strive to grow food without the use of pesticide and luckily there are natural solutions for most of these nasty pests! The pests listed below are common pests for elderberries:

Learn more about how to manage pests and attract beneficial insects in our FREE iOS, Android, and Universal Web App!

Harvesting:

You can start to harvest elderberries the second year after you transplant. They will typically ripen towards the end of summer. The best way to harvest is to use scissors and cut clusters from the shrub.

Cooking & Eating!

Elderberries are used in a wide variety of ways. You can make jams, jellies, pies, juice, wine, and even medicine! Elderberries have shown to help with the flu and colds. Make sure to cook the elderberries prior to eating and remove all stems because it can cause stomach issues.

 

Learn more about growing over 80+ different foods, including how to manage various pests in our FREE iOS, Android, or new Universal Web App!

elderberries

2 thoughts on “Elderberries: How to Grow and When to Plant in Your Backyard or Patio Garden!”

  1. This is another one that need specialized pruning. New canes do not produce in their first year. They produce in their second year. If pruned out before their third year, canes that are a years younger will replace them and produce the following season. Regular removal of two year old canes will promote a constant supply of one year old canes to produce. Elderberries can be allowed to keep their canes, but the longer they stay, the less productive and more out of reach they become,

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  2. Pingback: Garden Pests: How to Manage Japanese Beetles - From Seed to Spoon Vegetable Garden Planner Mobile App

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