How to grow Wonderberry

Solanum retroflexum

Growing Wonderberry from seed

Sew direct in warmer climates. In extremely short growing season areas, start indoors six to eight weeks before last frost.

Soil temperature should be kept higher than 18°C / 64°F to ensure good germination.

Harvesting Wonderberry

Do not eat unripe (green) berries, they may be toxic. Harvest when the dark berry turns from shiny to dull.

How long does Wonderberry take to grow?

These estimates for how long Wonderberry takes to sprout, grow and harvest are from real observations from real gardeners, right around the world.

Days to Germination How long does it take Wonderberry to germinate?: 16 days
Average 16 days | Min 9 days | Max 49 days (4)
Days to Transplant How long until I can plant out Wonderberry?: + 36 days
Average 36 days | Min 27 days | Max 55 days (2)
Days to Maturity How long until Wonderberry is ready for harvest / bloom?: + 91 days
Average 91 days | Min 91 days | Max 91 days (1)
Total Growing Days How long does it take to grow Wonderberry?: = 143 days

Wonderberry Folklore & Trivia

They were first named “Sunberries”, and were developed in 1905 by Luther Burbank. He sold the rights to another dealer who then renamed them “Wonderberry”. Burbank claimed that they were a cross of Solanum nigrum guineense and Solanum villosum (from Europe) that he’d been working on for 25 years

Other names for Wonderberry

Sunberry, Garden huckleberry

Solanum burbankii, Solanum x burbankii, Solanum guineense

Misspellings: wonder berry, sun berry

Footnotes

Developed in the early 20 Century by Luther Burbank at his experimental farm near Santa Rosa, California