Juliana Hess

I live near Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada, zone 3a.  I got 2 female and 1 male Sea Buckthorn plants from Richters Herbs at Goodwood, ON (they have several cultivars).  They were very small, like 6 inches high.  They grew at a reasonable rate in straw bales over this awful gravel and clay of the ancient shore of Lake Superior (I am 30 minutes up hill from Thunder Bay).  Finally last summer (year 4) they produced fruit.  I didn't get to eat any because I was away for 6 weeks - they weren't ripe when I left and the birds got to them while I was gone.  The bushes are now 7 feet tall and have some runners which I disconnect from the parents with a few jabs of a shovel (not so easy since they are well rooted into the gravel now).  Then after they have survived on their own for a month I dig them up and gift them to others who have asked for them.  I have a waiting list.  Yes they have thorns but then no worries about deer eating them.  I have read about all their amazing health qualities and look forward to some berries although I like to plant things for birds since I don't provide any bird seed unless there is a blizzard.  Somebody is growing them in Canada for the retail trade because I bought frozen, certified organic Sea Buckthorn berries at my local Metro grocery store last year to my amazement.  They have an interesting, unusual flavor I can't really compare to anything else (sour oranges with a hint of mushrooms??) and went well in green smoothies.  Most of the cosmetic uses are of the seed oil which I can't access.  MY Vita Mix blender ground up the berries and seeds completely so I am getting all the nutrition that way.  I don't know that I would enjoy them by them selves but tree ripened might be sweeter than the frozen ones were.  They were with blue berries and huge amounts of greens in the smoothie which was delicious.  Without removing runners, in a few years, I'd have a forest only birds could penetrate.  Although that would be OK too.  I will prune them some early this spring or they will be too tall to harvest.  They get well watered along with the rest of my garden since they are on the east edge of it.  I'd suspect that they need really good drainage and they have that here.  The cold temperatures here don't faze them.  And they do fine with harsh south and western sun.  They are a bit shaded in the morning from forest right behind them on the east.  All in all I'd say they are extremely hardy bushes and fruit even in our short summers.  Good luck with yours.

My fav color is Burgundy, please add to poll.

Personally I do not ever buy anything in plastic.

An alternative to freezer bags is good old glass mason jars.  I've been using them for years with great results.

Hi there, we of the broken toe tribe.  Maybe it is genetic, my mom and sister have a penchant for breaking toes too. .  One added bit - the million dollar athletes ( and me ) use arnica homeopathic as a tincture, or salve - some brands - Traumeel or Trauma Care as salve in a tube - I get it at my local drug store or health food store here in Canada - or the tincture from my local homeopath or Thompson Homeopathic in Toronto.  Works for pain, bruising, healing...  I wouldn't go anywhere without it.  Please give that toe at least 6 weeks to heal before putting it to lots of walking and protect it even if it is just thick socks and moccasins.  My families problem has been going barefoot and hooking a toe on whatever is nearby as we whiz past.  You'd think we'd learn but the barefoot among us are incorrigible.  Best wishes for healing from Juliana