Sweet Lifeberry® Goji Berry Plant

A Superfood You Can Grow in Your Back Yard

You can grow a treasured native Asian plant right in your own garden. The Sweet Lifeberry Goji shrub (Lycium barbarum 'SMNDSL') bears fruits that may be unfamiliar to you, but which have catapulted this plant to inclusion on the superfoods list. Aside from the delicious and healthy fruit the Sweet Lifeberry plant bears, you'll love this colorful addition to your garden -- rich purple flowers pave the way for the brilliant red berries that follow!

Steeped in History
Goji berries have been used for thousands of years as a source of traditional Asian herbal medicine. The Sweet Lifeberry Goji is an exceptional variety of the native goji berry -- suitable for North American home gardeners. You'll get the best of both worlds -- East meets West!

A Snap to Grow
Growing new plants is sometimes a hit-or-miss undertaking, particularly when a plant is not as well-known as others. But the Sweet Lifeberry Goji will surprise even novice gardeners with these easy-to-grow guidelines:

Hardiness- Sweet Lifeberry Goji can handle a wide temperature range '– from 100 degrees F to minus 15 degrees F. If you live in USDA plant hardiness zones 5 through 8, you can grow this plant as a perennial.

Sun- For maximum fruit potential, grow Sweet Lifeberry Goji in full sun.

Soil- Sweet Lifeberry Goji is adaptable to different types of soils, but it prefers a slightly sweet soil pH of 7 to 8.

Fertilizer- Sweet Lifeberry Goji is actually in the tomato plant family (Solanaceae), which means you can use fertilizer specifically formulated for tomatoes to keep its nutrient needs balanced.

Staking and Pruning- Left to grow naturally, Sweet Lifeberry Goji is a sprawling shrub that creeps along the ground. You'll find it easier to stake this plant similar to how you'd stake a tomato plant. Drive an 8' stake 1 foot into the ground and tie up the long canes to within 6 inches of the stem tips. The new growth will cascade over the ties, giving Sweet Lifeberry Goji a weeping form, which makes it easier to harvest the berries! Plants don't require pruning to bear fruit, but trimming it back after harvest will keep its shape tidy.

One Plant or More for Fruit Production?
Unlike some fruiting plants, Sweet Lifeberry Goji bears fruit without having a second plant nearby for cross-pollination. But like other self-fruitful plants, planting more than one typically increases the harvest on each plant.

Versatile Fruit
You can enjoy Sweet Lifeberry Goji fruits fresh (for snacking or homemade salsa), frozen (to use later), dried (for longer shelf life) or baked (try adding them to your favorite breakfast bar recipe)!