Wonderberry - Seeds

Description

The wonderberry bush (Solanum melanocerasum), sometimes called a sunberry or garden huckleberry and often confused with the common, but unrelated, huckleberry, is an easy-to-grow plant. The bush grows 2 feet tall or taller and produces small white flowers, which in turn produce dark black or purple berries. The fruit is typically mixed with sugar to produce sweets, but make sure fruit is ripe before eating it, since the green, unripe berry is toxic to humans.

Season, seeding to harvest: For leaves, 2 to 3 months. For fruit, 3 to 4 months.
Use: Leaves as pot herbs, fruits culinary.
Parts of plant consumed: Leaves and whole fruits.

How to Grow:

1. Scrub a small pot clean with dish soap and water. Rinse well. Alternatively, use a small cardboard pot made specifically for seed starting. 

2. Pour new potting soil into the clean pot. 

3. Water the potting soil until liquid drains from the bottom of the pot. Allow the water to drain until the top inch of soil is damp but no longer soggy. 

4. Place one wonderberry seed in the pot and cover it with ¼ inch of soil. 

5. Place the pot in a warm, sunny location and keep the soil evenly moist. A sunny window will suffice, and a heating mat may be used under the pot, if desired. The seed should germinate in about two weeks. 

6. Transplant the seedling after the last threat of frost -- no later than June. Allow at least 2 feet between seedlings. 

7. Water well.