How Long Does It Take to Establish a Goji Berry?

Ornamental and Edible

• Medium-green, linear leaves emerge in early spring, followed by purple trumpet-shaped flowers in early summer. The flowers are self-fertile, so a single bush bears fruit, sometimes as early as the first year after planting. If you have several bushes, they also cross-pollinate. Green oval fruit appear after the flowers fall, ripening in summer and fall into glossy, bright red berries. The plant has a sprawling habit and benefits from regular pruning and perhaps staking for efficient fruit harvest.

Third Year's a Charm

• Goji berry tolerates most soils as long as it has good drainage. It generally takes two years of care to establish a garden plant. Keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy during the first two years, being watchful during drought periods. The plant will usually produce some fruit in the second year, but isn't heavily productive until the third year when it is established with a strong, deep root system. After that, it is also drought-tolerant, but for best fruit production, provide supplemental irrigation. Maximum fruit production begins in years four and five. Locate goji berry in full sun except for the desert Southwest, where partial or afternoon shade is better.

Convenient But Smaller Plants

• You can grow goji berry in containers, but bushes won't get as big as those in the ground. In containers, they are more likely to bear fruit in the first or second year. Use a container about as deep as a 5-gallon container, with an 18-inch diameter and drainage holes. Depending on the size of the plant and container, it takes one or two years for the roots to fill out. The plant becomes established after the second year when it is well rooted into the container. Container plants will never have the sustainability of established garden plants. Be vigilant in watering, since roots are confined and more vulnerable to dryness, heat and cold.

Prune Properly, Harvest Promptly

• Goji berry blooms and bears fruit on new growth. Bushes bear well without pruning, but to encourage branching and more fruit production, prune the horizontal branches back lightly in late winter or early spring. Once berries turn bright red, allow them to remain on the bush for a few weeks to develop sweetness. Pick the berries as they ripen, harvesting frequently throughout the fruiting season, and remove all the fruits before the first frost. Eat the fruits fresh or dry or freeze them.