Fruit Tree Planner

Bob Gordon is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with soft, juicy flesh and small fruit. In this group, this is one of the sweetest and richest picks. Choose it for juice, syrup, wine, and prairie-climate very high yields, but skip it if you want fresh eating straight from the bush or growers outside the prairie belt. It usually ripens around late August, in the middle of this group.

Haschberg is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with soft, juicy flesh and medium fruit. In this group, it gives some of the largest fruit and feels more substantial than most of the others shown. Choose it for juice, syrup, and commercial-style high-yield plantings, but skip it if you want the most flavorful wild-style elderberries or extreme cold hardiness. It usually ripens around early September, in the middle of this group.

York is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with soft, juicy flesh and medium fruit. In this group, it gives some of the largest fruit and feels more substantial than most of the others shown. Choose it for juice, syrup, jelly, and the highest yields with the best flavor, but skip it if you want very early harvests or extreme cold-climate performance. It usually ripens around mid September, later than most of the others shown.

Adams is sweet with a soft acidic lift, with soft, juicy flesh and small fruit. Choose it for syrup, jelly, wine, and cooked preserves, but skip it if you want fresh eating straight from the bush or a firm snack berry. It usually ripens around late August, in the middle of this group.

Johns is sweet with a soft acidic lift, with soft, juicy flesh and small fruit. Choose it for juice, wine, jelly, and heavy-yielding backyard elderberry plantings, but skip it if you want fresh eating or the sweetest, mildest elderberry flavor. It usually ripens around late August, in the middle of this group.

Marge is sweet with a soft acidic lift, with soft, juicy flesh and small fruit. Choose it for syrup, juice, and reliable backyard elderberry harvests, but skip it if you want the very highest yields or the most ornamental appearance. It usually ripens around late August, in the middle of this group.

Nova is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with soft, juicy flesh and medium fruit. In this group, it gives some of the largest fruit and feels more substantial than most of the others shown. Choose it for juice, syrup, wine, and one of the best-flavored named elderberry varieties, but skip it if you want ornamental use or growers in the driest climates. It usually ripens around late August, in the middle of this group.

Ranch is sweet with a soft acidic lift, with soft, juicy flesh and small fruit. Choose it for syrup, juice, and prairie-adapted elderberry plantings, but skip it if you want the sweetest flavor or the highest individual berry size. It usually ripens around late August, in the middle of this group.

Scotia is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with soft, juicy flesh and small fruit. In this group, it is one of the sweeter, lower-acid choices. Choose it for juice, jam, and compact Canadian-climate elderberry plantings, but skip it if you want maximum yield or the richest, darkest elderberry intensity. It usually ripens around mid August, earlier than most of the others shown.