Since many imported goji berries are unfortunately contaminated with pesticides and other pollutants, the berry, which is particularly valued in Asia, is now also widely grown in Germany. With the right plant variety, you can soon look forward to your first harvest from your own garden, even on poor soil.
When are goji berries ready to harvest?
Goji berries can be harvested between August and September when they are orange-red in color and taste slightly sweet. It is best to harvest at different times, as the berries on the bush have different degrees of ripeness.
The right time for harvesting
Goji berries usually first bear fruit as a three-year-old bush in a sunny and warm location. If a buckthorn bush doesn't bloom at all, then the plant is usually either too young or it is an offshoot of a poorly fruiting wild variety. After flowering, it takes until August or September until the bright orange-red fruits are ready for harvest. In general, these should not be picked from the bush too early so that the somewhat tart and sometimes bitter tasting berries have at least some sweetness. Late-ripening goji berries should definitely be harvested before the first night frosts are expected in autumn.
Care and pruning make harvesting easier
The so-called buckthorn or devil's thorn is not popular with all hobby gardeners due to its sprawling growth habit. Several specimens should definitely be planted in the garden bed at a sufficient distance from one another and prevented from uncontrolled propagation by barriers such as a rhizome barrier. Goji berries should be cut back regularly, otherwise they tend to form very long, overhanging branches. The long shoots can also be tied like blackberries and raspberries, which makes it easier to harvest the ripe berries later.
Enjoy goji berries in different ways after harvesting
Goji berries can be eaten in different ways:
- fresh from the bush
- dried
- frozen and processed into ice cream or smoothies
- as juice
- as an ingredient in bread, cakes, soups and sauces
- mixed with cherries or other berries as an ingredient for jam
For fresh consumption, goji berries should be picked carefully from the bush. For reasons of appearance and durability, it can also make sense to pick the berries including the green stem and only remove it immediately after consumption. You have to be less careful if the berries are then processed into juice or dried anyway.
Tip
As a rule, not all goji berries on a bush ripen at the same time. You can therefore harvest them with a delay as soon as the respective fruits are perceived as sufficiently ripe based on their color and consistency.