Sea buckthorn is the secret superstar among wild fruits. What looks like an unwieldy, thorny dune shrub bears bright orange berries in autumn that rival any citrus fruit for vitamin C. No wonder sea buckthorn has been valued as a medicinal plant for centuries and is found today in every health-food shelf as juice, puree and oil.
In your own garden sea buckthorn is a grateful, robust shrub that thrives exactly where other fruit trees give up: on poor, sandy, sunny soil. But two things you must know, otherwise the harvest fails to come: sea buckthorn needs a male for pollination, and the harvest wants to be tackled with a trick. This article shows you both and more.
One male for several females
The most important point about sea buckthorn comes at the start, otherwise disappointment follows later: sea buckthorn is dioecious. That means there are purely male and purely female plants. Only the female ones bear fruit, and even that only if their flowers are fertilised by the pollen of a male plant. Whoever plants only a single shrub and has bad luck with the sex waits forever in vain for berries.
The solution is simple: plant at least one male among your females. One male shrub suffices arithmetically for up to six females, provided it stands favourably for wind, because sea buckthorn is wind-pollinated. So set the male in the main wind direction in front of the females. In the trade the sexes are labelled at purchase, often with fancy variety names for the productive females and a plain male variety like ‚Pollmix' for pollination.
Why poor is better
Sea buckthorn comes from coastal dunes and river gravels, that is from extreme sites with poor, free-draining soil. That is exactly what it wants in the garden too. On too good, rich soil it grows lushly but becomes less fertile and more susceptible. A lean, sandy, full-sun spot brings the best harvest.
A special feature makes it a soil improver: sea buckthorn lives in symbiosis with nodule bacteria on its roots that fix nitrogen from the air. Thereby it fertilises itself practically and needs no nitrogen. Too much fertiliser even harms it. How to feed berry shrubs moderately in general, without over-supplying them, is in Feeding berries correctly.
A word on its vigour: sea buckthorn drives strong root suckers and can spread widely. In a wild edible hedge that is desired, in a tidy bed less so. Whoever wants to keep it in check sets a root barrier when planting, as known from bamboo.
The harvest with the freezer trick
Harvesting sea buckthorn is notoriously laborious. The berries are soft, burst easily and sit tight and dense between small thorns on the branches. Whoever tries to pick them individually crushes half and needs hours for a bowl. Plus the sticky, sour mess on the fingers.
The gardeners on the coast know a simple trick that changes everything.
Cut whole branches
Instead of picking individually, you cut off the fruit-bearing branches completely. That is at the same time a thinning cut, because sea buckthorn bears on two-year-old wood.
Freeze the branches
Lay the cut, laden branches flat in the freezer. After a few hours the berries are frozen rock-hard.
Shake or knock the berries off
Take the frozen branches out and knock or shake them over a bowl. The hard berries fall off cleanly without bursting.
Process at once or store frozen
Process the shaken-off berries directly into juice or puree or freeze them in portions. That way you have vitamin C at hand all year.
The side effect: by cutting the branches you automatically thin the shrub and stimulate new, productive growth. Harvest and cut thus fall into one work step.
Using and enjoying
Raw, sea buckthorn is very sour, hardly anyone nibbles it neat. Its strength lies in processing. Classically it is pressed into juice and syrup, cooked into jelly and puree or preserved as a fruit spread. A spoonful of sea buckthorn puree in yoghurt or tea brings a concentrated dose of vitamin C in winter. The oil obtained from the berries is also sought after, in the kitchen as in skincare.
Important when processing: sea buckthorn tolerates no long, hot cooking times, because part of the vitamin C is lost. Gentle methods like cold juicing or brief heating preserve the ingredients best. Whoever simply freezes the harvest preserves the vitamin C entirely without heat.
One male to several females, a poor sunny spot and the freezer trick at harvest. Whoever heeds these three things harvests the most vitamin-rich fruit of the garden.
The core rule for sea buckthorn
Frequently asked questions
Why does my sea buckthorn bear no fruit?
Usually the pollination is missing. Sea buckthorn is dioecious, there are male and female shrubs. Only females bear fruit and need a male nearby for it. Whoever has only one shrub, or two of the same sex, harvests nothing.
How many male sea buckthorn plants do I need?
One male shrub suffices for up to six females. Since sea buckthorn is wind-pollinated, you best set the male in the main wind direction in front of the female plants so the pollen is carried to them.
What soil does sea buckthorn need?
Poor, sandy, free-draining soil and full sun. Sea buckthorn comes from dunes and river gravels and sulks on rich, moist garden soil. Thanks to nodule bacteria on the roots it fertilises itself with nitrogen and needs no feeding.
How do you harvest sea buckthorn most easily?
With the freezer trick: cut off the fruit-bearing branches, freeze them and knock or shake the then rock-hard frozen berries off over a bowl. That way they do not burst, and you thin the shrub at the same time.
Can you eat sea buckthorn raw?
Raw, sea buckthorn is edible but very sour, so hardly anyone nibbles it neat. Its strength lies in processing into juice, syrup, jelly and puree. Gentle methods preserve the valuable vitamin C, which is partly lost in long cooking.
