Japanese Wineberry

**Snadger** · 11-04-2019, 06:54 PM

Just realised I mis-spelled Wine berry in the title...…….can a mod sort it? TVM

**veggiechicken** · 11-04-2019, 06:58 PM

Sorted!!
I have a couple of wineberries - never yet tasted a fruit. They're puny little bristly looking fruits, don't look at all tempting.
Think I only bought them becuaes of a thread on here raving about them!
They're selling the plants in Morries for �2 - don[t know if that's where you bought yours.

Coupla threads!

https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...hem_85850.html

https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...rry_93086.html

**Brack** · 11-04-2019, 07:24 PM

Have two of them. Plenty fruit last year (nowt for first two years, but they came in 9cm pots off a random eBay seller). Very nice, and fruit sort of in between my raspberries, time wise. The spines may be soft but they still hurt.

In the universal scale for rating unusual fruit hyped by gardening authors/presenters there are 3 categories:
James Win: For those that are actually good (Japanese wineberry, Chilean guava, actinidia arguta)
James Wrong: for the ones that don't fruit or are not worth it (goji berry, honeyberry).
James Wonga: where the plant in question is so bad he must've been paid well to recommend it (the Charlotte Russe mulberry is currently sitting in this category - I want it to succeed, but it isn't justifying its position at all).

**chrisdb** · 11-04-2019, 07:47 PM

I have several plants which I grew from seed years ago. The fruit are small but quite nice. They taste a lot like other rubus fruits (raspberries, blackberries), quite sweet, but with a jelly-like texture that reminds me of gummy bears. Nice to munch on while wandering round the garden, but I don't normally bring them back inside because picking a bowlful is too much effort.

**Gman** · 12-04-2019, 06:16 AM

Just plain Wong

Originally posted by Brack View Post

Have two of them. Plenty fruit last year (nowt for first two years, but they came in 9cm pots off a random eBay seller). Very nice, and fruit sort of in between my raspberries, time wise. The spines may be soft but they still hurt.

In the universal scale for rating unusual fruit hyped by gardening authors/presenters there are 3 categories:
James Win: For those that are actually good (Japanese wineberry, Chilean guava, actinidia arguta)
James Wrong: for the ones that don't fruit or are not worth it (goji berry, honeyberry).
James Wonga: where the plant in question is so bad he must've been paid well to recommend it (the Charlotte Russe mulberry is currently sitting in this category - I want it to succeed, but it isn't justifying its position at all).

Lol I like the scale. I grew cucamelons on advice of this guy�s book. Yuck. I will add these to your James Wonga category.

I bought a Japanese wineberry earlier this year and it looks pretty enough in my garden but no real growth yet.

**Brack** · 12-04-2019, 03:59 PM

I had cucamelons down as wrong - two plants gave us two fruit. Not enough to form much of a judgement on for taste, but they were pitiful.

In fairness to the plummy voiced gentleman (who's programmes I usually enjoy and who's book is useful for ideas), I suspect some things might grow better in his London urban heat island garden compared to the outskirts of Durham. I couldn't even get new Zealand spinach to germinate!

**Gman** · 12-04-2019, 04:23 PM

Indeed Brack, not intended as abuse - I quite liked his book, inspired me to try growing stuff, but 7-8 little cucamelons from a triffid in the greenhouse. Skin like green leather and no taste. Boak. And right beside a proper cucumber plant that took up about the same space and produced about 40 delicious wee cucumbers. Definitely wonga for me.

Had a bit more luck with NZ spinach. Germinated in a modular tray on a warm windowsill but took blimming ages and only about 2 out of every 5 sprouted at all. Good tasty crop from it though so we'll grow again

**Ocelot** · 12-04-2019, 05:12 PM

I bought a Japanese Wineberry last year. It did produce fruit, which taste quite nice, but are quite small.

Before I had a chance to plant it it had layered itself, so now I have two!

It seems quite vigorous this year so far.

I also have three Chilean Guavas, but none produced any fruit last year (have done previously).

Both are very hardy.

**SarrissUK** · 12-04-2019, 09:16 PM

Originally posted by Brack View Post

I had cucamelons down as wrong - two plants gave us two fruit. Not enough to form much of a judgement on for taste, but they were pitiful.

In fairness to the plummy voiced gentleman (who's programmes I usually enjoy and who's book is useful for ideas), I suspect some things might grow better in his London urban heat island garden compared to the outskirts of Durham. I couldn't even get new Zealand spinach to germinate!

I grew cucamelons a couple of years ago in Lincolnshire near the coast, and I had a fair harvest. Not enough to call it a glut by any means, but probably the equivalent of three punnets of strawberries from three plants.

**DannyK** · 13-04-2019, 11:44 AM

If you site the wineberry so it's between you and the sun the fine red prickles are pretty.

Had heavy crop of cucamelons outside. Not worth growing, they ended up in soup.

Had nice variegated Chilean guava but it's disappeared.

Have had couple of feijoa for six years. No fruit but flowers are sweet.

**Snadger** · 13-04-2019, 03:26 PM

Originally posted by Brack View Post

Have two of them. Plenty fruit last year (nowt for first two years, but they came in 9cm pots off a random eBay seller). Very nice, and fruit sort of in between my raspberries, time wise. The spines may be soft but they still hurt.

In the universal scale for rating unusual fruit hyped by gardening authors/presenters there are 3 categories:
James Win: For those that are actually good (Japanese wineberry, Chilean guava, actinidia arguta)
James Wrong: for the ones that don't fruit or are not worth it (goji berry, honeyberry).
James Wonga: where the plant in question is so bad he must've been paid well to recommend it (the Charlotte Russe mulberry is currently sitting in this category - I want it to succeed, but it isn't justifying its position at all).

Ah well, according to your scale I win some and lose some.

I've also bought a Charlotte Russe Mulberry!

**Snadger** · 13-04-2019, 03:27 PM

Originally posted by veggiechicken View Post

Sorted!!
I have a couple of wineberries - never yet tasted a fruit. They're puny little bristly looking fruits, don't look at all tempting.
Think I only bought them becuaes of a thread on here raving about them!
They're selling the plants in Morries for �2 - don[t know if that's where you bought yours.

Coupla threads!

https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...hem_85850.html

https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...rry_93086.html

Yep VC, Morries it was.

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