Sea Buckthorn

A neighbor of mine and I are putting in a lot of perennial fruiting bushes that are hardy in our zone. We're looking now into Sea-Buckthorn. Wow does this plant look amazing! It's A SUPER FRUIT. Possesses the highest antioxidant level of all known fruits.

http://tcpermaculture.blogspot.com/2012/07/permaculture-plants-sea-buckthorn.html

http://foodspring.com/content/sea-buckhorn/

It is reportedly a little too acidic to drink the juice by itself, but will 'supercharge' whatever you mix it into.
From one review I read, if you mix 1 ounce with 7 ounces of orange juice, you will end up with more than double the vitamin C of an 8 ounce glass of pure orange juice.

In parts of Canada, it is being treated as an invasive...it chokes out the native competitors.

Make sure to let some of the berries overwinter. The non-migratory birds will enjoy them throughout the cold months.

If you plan to plant from seed, I highly recommend Trees&Shrubs.
Their minimum order is 1 ounce (about 2,500 seeds) for $5.70

i've only recently come across this plant too and have been really excited about it. i wish i had known the source just mentioned but i have seeds and plan to work them into the system. they do seem to be highly opportunistic though which should be considered in planning their location. the fact that birds love them and they are tenacious expanders underground as well, makes them a potential challenge for the habitat you want to encourage. i'm not a "native" only person and i recognize most of the land i've had access to work has already been disturbed with a sad state of diversity. opportunists that can push the accelerator on establishment (like new earthworks and raised beds) are worth considering. i do my best to mitigate potential movement that can disrupt other systems from regenerating. its the plants that you don't care for a mile away that can cause problems, where a thankful bird leaves droppings. i'm considering netting (something capable of handling the thorns) on the plants i intend to harvest from and use the others as green mulch for crop plants and short-term pollen/nextar source.

They are really an "extreme" flavor. Don't buy them for the fruit if you like Thompson seedless grapes, red delicious apples, donuts and white bread. They are tiny and powerful. I like them, but I like strong flavors. More of a flavor/medicine than a high calorie substance food, like potatoes. I also like that they fix nitrogen, are pest/disease free, and balance the biodiversity of the yard.
John S
PDX OR

I'm considering netting (something capable of handling the thorns)

Perhaps you can salvage some discarded chain link fence. LOL

Between their ruthless thorns, and dense growth habits, you could probably grow a pretty animal proof fedge.
The commercial growers seem to jerk the entire plant out of the ground for harvesting.
Slow picking because of the thorns.

Nitrogen fixing, hardy to zone 3, grow in any soil, indestructible, winter wildlife food. They do have a lot of pluses.

I think I've come to the conclusion that any perennial fruiting bush that produces fruit that has health benefits and does well in this zone is invasive. Seriously, everything I look up. So I'll just have to watch everything I put in. However our soil is very thick and dense and I can't see the plants going crazy in this soil.

John Polk wrote:It is reportedly a little too acidic to drink the juice by itself, but will 'supercharge' whatever you mix it into.
From one review I read, if you mix 1 ounce with 7 ounces of orange juice, you will end up with more than double the vitamin C of an 8 ounce glass of pure orange juice.

In parts of Canada, it is being treated as an invasive...it chokes out the native competitors.

Make sure to let some of the berries overwinter. The non-migratory birds will enjoy them throughout the cold months.

If you plan to plant from seed, I highly recommend Trees&Shrubs.
Their minimum order is 1 ounce (about 2,500 seeds) for $5.70

Hahaha good to know. I drink juniper needle tea and eat seaweed, so I look forward to the different taste. I'm into health so not a donut/ white bread person. I love the nitrogen fixers!

John Saltveit wrote:They are really an "extreme" flavor. Don't buy them for the fruit if you like Thompson seedless grapes, red delicious apples, donuts and white bread. They are tiny and powerful. I like them, but I like strong flavors. More of a flavor/medicine than a high calorie substance food, like potatoes. I also like that they fix nitrogen, are pest/disease free, and balance the biodiversity of the yard.
John S
PDX OR

There is a colony of these in a provincial park/lakeshore east of here- I think they have been trying to control or eliminate it, since I have seen large dead patches (haven't been back in the last year or so to see what's going on).Thickets are very dense, and as far as I noticed, had no other plants within them. My impression was that it was not a first choice for birds, since I was there in late fall/early winter and there were lots of berries- most native berries are cleaned off the second they are ripe if not sooner (though again, I am not at that site often enough to be sure).
Personally, I did not find the taste medicinal, to me it was more reminiscent of tropical fruit, but I may have only had berries after frost, which usually mellows berries.
I still plan to get some going on the acreage here, but am thinking about siting to make sure they cannot spread anywhere I don't want them- probably with a windbreak along the road on one side (where they would have to grow under spruce to spread that way, and can only add dust protection/privacy enhancement/natural fencing, and would be mowed on the other side....