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.

More info: Brief Farm History and The Honeyberry Farm blog

In the News

Farm-stays

Bird Control

netting two250.jpg

General Info Bird Control Fact Sheet U of Minn

How to Get Rid of - Overview of Bird Deterrents

NETTING

Commercial


Home Gardener

Netting suppliers


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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LASER
  • Bird-x (IL) (1 acre)
  • Bird Control Group - up to 10 acres. This is the company with proven results for haskap/honeyberry fields. 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. Non-refundable set-up fee is $3K, where an installer comes to your site and sets it up. Laser units run ~$13,000 but leasing is also available for $4750/3 months, applicable towards purchase of the unit. Needs power to run the laser most effectively. With solar that pulses only every 3-5 minutes, cedar waxwings will learn when the pulse is, so need full power to keep it on all the time.




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. Also Deer Ban

Insect Control

Ag Resources in MN carries SWD net

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.


Pruning

Pruning Fruit Tree Pruning: The Science and Art of Cultivating Healthy Fruit Trees Paperback - Feb. 20 2025 by Ms Susan Poizner (Author)

Weed Control

"
SunFlex Mulch Mat BSU 250.JPG
Plantra Weed Barriers

Nolt's Greenhouse Supplies Black Woven Landscape Fabric minimum 4' wide

Videos

  • 1870s Homestead
  • Burning holes

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    Weed badger at our farm.

    Mill Creek Compact Mulcher #304 We don't use row mulchers but some other berry farms are very happy with the small version. "I recommend getting the hydraulic version rather than the PTO as it's way easier to connect/disconnect hydraulic hoses than a PTO especially if you only have 1 tractor for loading and pulling the mulcher. Also, depending on your topography, I would be highly cautious of going with a larger capacity model as it doesn't take much weight to start pushing your tractor in a way you may not want to go if it's wet. On our farm I will really only go "up and down" our hills and rarely across the grade as I worry about it being top heavy. The hitch is a pivot hitch so if the mulcher does roll it won't take your tractor with it as well. I haven't used it in our vineyard due to the way the trellis is set up along the grade of the hill, but we use it in our flower beds and it saves a ton of time and compost as it does a good job of evenly spreading. Cost with delivery when we got it was about $16K. It comes on a 5th wheel trailer that you can back onto, connect, and drive off with the mulcher for unloading purposes. Running Hills Farm"
    Another grower says, "It worked wonderfully for chopped up wood chips like the small square pieces, two or 3 inches across, but when we used shredded wood chips, that were 6 inches or longer, they jammed in the shoot, and I often had to go back there and unclog them. The other issue was that my front end loader didn’t quite reach high enough to dump the chips in, so I made a ramp out of chips that got me up to the height for dumping. Stone Creek Farm, MN"


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

    Soil Sampling

    Soil Sampling video

    Fertilization

    Foliar Spraying Tips

    Powdery Mildew Tip

    Powdery Mildew Fungicide



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

    Honeyberry Berry Picking
    2011-07-12Haskap 035BerryBlue250.jpg
    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!


    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

    Local Sites

    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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