Honeyberry Farm Profile
 
Honeyberry Fruit

The Honeyberry Farm at Bagley, MN Jim & Bernis Ingvaldson
 

Honeyberry Farm Profile

The Honeyberry Farm's webstore, HoneyberryUSA, was launched in the fall of 2010 from the log cabin of Jim & Bernis Ingvaldson, located 25 miles west of Bemidji, MN, and 25 miles north of the headwaters of the Mississippi River. With our international connections, (Bernis originated in Canada, Jim in the USA!) we aspire to provide the best selection of cold hardy fruit trees to our customers. Our U-Pick orchard offers delicious fruit all summer and fall. We have 2.5 acres (~1800) honeyberry bushes, an acre of tart cherries, and approx half acre each of saskatoons, currants, and elderberries in our U-Pick. Find out more about us at: Brief Farm History and The Honeyberry Farm blog

In the News:

Farm-stays

We enjoy having guest helpers on the farm. For seven years we were a host farm with Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms. Read about some of our guests' experiences: Krystal and Tyler in 2013, Carla in 2017 and Hallack family in 2019. We now accept applications personally via our Contact page. Drop us a note of introduction and we will send you more information and communicate with you to see if we have a place for you to fit in for a day, a week, or even more.

Our guests enjoy visiting Itasca State Park. Special events are listed at Minnesota State Parks and Trails Events Calendar and Friends of Itasca.

Miscellaneous Farm Notes

farmhack.org inspires us with their innovative ideas!

Organic Farming and Gardening Skills USC Santa Cruz

Poison Ivy is very common along the forest edge in our area. Here are a few Natural Remedies. Read more at Campingcooks.com

Deer Control

 

We put up 7 1/2' woven wire (sheep netting). Deer like to nibble fresh growth on the honeyberries, but they totally prune the cherries. Rain diminished the effect of Plantskyd (blood repellent). Maybe we didn't apply enough. We heard that a liquid mixture of shaved Irish Spring and water applied after each rain is very effective for all nibblers, including rabbits. We personally haven't had much trouble with rabbits but this Garden Web forum has an interesting discussion, from Irish Spring soap on a rope to egg sprays to scented toilet tank cleaners.

Critter fence has been used successfully by some of our customers.


Bird Control

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General Info Bird Control Fact Sheet U of Minn
How to Get Rid of - Overview of Bird Deterrents

LASER
Bird Control Group - This is the company with proven results. The laser is an expanded green beam 1-2” wide that is seen as a physical object by the birds, and with it's constant movement, the birds don't know how to categorize the beam; making the area look uninhabitable, pushing them elsewhere. See FAQ. Units run ~$10,000. Tell them you heard about them from us!

NETTING
Full Overhead Bird Netting Instructions, complements of Bob Thaden, Tongue River Vineyard & Winery, Miles City, MT. Bob says, "If you do it right, you’ll never regret it, and wonder why you didn’t do it sooner!!"

Listen to HoneyberryUSA's KAXE interview regarding netting options.
View PVC Frame instructional video for enclosing a small number of bushes.

Honeyberry Farm netting blog entry

Netting suppliers

Plantra (MN) and Oesco (MA)

We like Plantra's over-the-row netting which installs and stores much easier than other off-the-shelf nets that we have tried. The 3/4" hole is not a problem if suspended away from the plants but traps birds when draped over bushes when they try and stick their heads through. Select Plantra's Multi-Net for netting that birds can't poke their heads through. They also have overhead netting which we haven't tried yet. Oesco's Smart Net overhead netting has worked nicely for us but we did have to mend several rips when the structure was compromised due to very high winds and maybe due to some bird damage.


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Bailer netting strung from wire was effective at one U-Pick in Canada. Shower curtain hooks clamped the netting to the wire.

Bird Control on Grape and Tender Fruit Farms from Ontario Ministry of Agriculture gives a comprehensive overview and mentions that "robins and cedar waxwings are hardly repelled at all" by scare-eye balloons. The more indepth report EVALUATION OF THE EFFICACY OF PRODUCTS AND TECHNIQUES FOR AIRPORT BIRD CONTROL from Transport Canada reports that (the) lasers (they evaluated) are not especially effective and may be harmful to humans.
jagodnik.pl discusses various options of bird control.
Check out DIY bird scare options at Sunny Slope Orchard


Insect Control

Berry Protections Solutions sells 80 gram (.95 mm x .95 mm) insect exclusion netting for Spotted Wing Drosophilia (SWD). Double entry doorway system is important to keep out as many insects as possible when entering and leaving enclosure.

AM Leonard Proteknet .35mm x .35 mm from Dubois Agrinovation.

More info: www.onfruit.wordpress.com

Stylet Oil - Haven't tried it but a grape grower tells me it works great on some insects and powdery mildew.


Rodent Control

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Plantra tubes work great.

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Unprotected young Borealis honeyberry chewed by mice during the winter of 2010.

Gardeners in Alaska personally recommended Lowe's Arbor Edge #92700 for both mouse and weed control. The 27" plastic shield apparently deters mice from tunneling towards the tree trunk. But this wouldn't deter the rabbits.


Weed Control

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Plantra Weed Barriers are a great option.

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Weed badger at our farm.


Wind and Rain
Heavy wind and rain can take down berries.

Soil Sampling

Soil Sampling video

Fertilization

Foliar Spraying Tips



Soil Regeneration
Soil Regeneration Camps - John D. Liu w/ Restorative Justice

Honeyberry Berry Picking
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Czech #17 (Berry Smart Blue)

It takes at least 15 minutes to cleanly hand pick a quart of berries so that's over an hour for a 5 quart ice cream pail.
Shake & Drop is a lot faster, but then you have to pick debris (leaves and twigs) out of the berries.
Leaf blower will do wonders to clean up the berries.
Chute-n-Go is the way to go for larger quantities!


Shipping Tips
Jam: Always put jars in plastic bag in case of breakage, then bubble wrap Individual jars or Dozen Jars USPS Flat Rate Box

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