Festival Raspberry vs Mountain Huckleberry - TreeTime.ca

Festival Raspberry vs Mountain Huckleberry

Rubus sp. Festival

Vaccinium membranaceum

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

Festival Raspberry
Mountain Huckleberry

The Festival Raspberry is a large, bright-red and sweet berry. These firm berries are great for fresh eating and they typically fruit both in the summer and fall.

The Festival Raspberry is a thornless primocane variety, meaning that it produces fruit on first years' growth. Prune stalks each winter or early spring to get higher fruit yields and easier harvesting.

Mountain Huckleberry is a small shrub known for its tart to sweet berries. The berries range from purple-black to red-black, and can be eaten fresh or used in jams and syrups. It is a plant native to Alberta and the berries are frequently enjoyed by both people and wildlife.

In traditional Indigenous fire management practices, berry patches were burned after harvest. This would reduce the invasion of other plants allowing the Mountain Huckleberry to thrive. Its foliage has low flammability and can survive low severity fires, and even if destroyed they regrow from the roots.

Note: Mountain Huckleberry requires specific soil conditions. They need moist, well-drained, acidic soil with a pH around 5.5.

Festival Raspberry Quick Facts

Mountain Huckleberry Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 5a
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Height: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Moisture: normal
Moisture: any
Light: full sun
Light: full sun
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no
Berries: dark purple
Flavor: sweet, acidic
Harvest: July/September
Harvest: mid to late summer
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: short
Maintenance: medium
Suckering: high
Suckering: high




Other Names: big huckleberry, black huckleberry, tall bilberry, thinleaf huckleberry