Ep. 240 Beyond the usual: Exploring some lesser‑known fruits for the garden | #GoodGrowing
From Good Growing by Chris Enroth
February 20, 2026 · 50 min · Episode 281
About this episode
This episode explores unique and lesser-known fruits suitable for growing in Illinois gardens.
Curious about adding something a little different to your backyard orchard? On this week’s Good Growing Podcast, we dive into the flavorful world of lesser-known fruits you can grow right here in Illinois. From early‑ripening honeyberries and fall-bearing primocane blackberries to compact bush cherries and Illinois-born PRI apples, we explore unique fruit crops that offer exciting alternatives to the usual. Watch us on YouTube: https://youtu.be/XAVtrBFKB40 Skip to what you want to know: 01:30 – Welcome, Grant McCarty! Illinois Beginning Orchard Academy. 03:22 – Some not-so-successful crops for Grant in northern Illinois. 07:35 – Where in Illinois can we reliably grow/harvest peaches? 09:53 – Honeyberries. How to grow and what do they taste like? 14:52 – Are honeyberries problematic like many other honeysuckles? 17:32 – Primocane fruiting blackberries. 21:38 – Is the care of primocane blooming blackberries different than other blackberries? 23:45 – Is there a link to Illini Hardy blackberry? 27:20 – Bush cherries. How are they different than cherry trees? 33:57 – Apples. What are PRI apples? 38:51 – High-density apples 44:31 – Any PRI resources out there? 48:10 – Wrap-up, what’s…
People in this episode
Host: Chris Enroth
Guest: Grant McCarty
Topics covered
- lesser-known fruits
- backyard orchard
- honeyberries
- blackberries
- bush cherries
- PRI apples
Keywords
- honeyberries
- blackberries
- bush cherries
- PRI apples
- Illinois gardening
- fruit crops
- backyard orchard
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Saskatchewan
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