Elderberries

Growing Uncommon Fruit

Tuesday, February 27, 2024, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Tuesday, March 5, 2024, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Tuesday, March 12, 2024, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Tuesday, March 19, 2024, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Tuesday, March 26, 2024, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Tuesday, April 2, 2024, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM

Expand Your Knowledge of and Connection to Underutilized Fruit

Do you want to learn more about lesser-known fruit? This course will help you determine whether incorporating uncommon fruit into your operation is the right decision for you. We’ll walk you through all aspects of this decision, from possible fruits and appropriate site selection to marketing and profit potential, plus the advantages to including woody perennials into your farm plan. Many of these fruits can be successful in a forest farming setting, so are attractive to people with an interest in agroforestry. Expand your understanding of these promising crops and how they could improve your farm’s ecosystem while possibly also supporting your bottom line. Taught by Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture Program's Small Fruit Specialist Laura McDermott.

This course is designed as a companion to the BF 122: Berry Production course, but you do NOT have to take BF 122 before taking BF 123.

Target Audience

Beginning to Intermediate: Farmers with a few years of commercial horticulture experience will get the most from this course but all are welcome to participate. This course will also be beneficial to very small-scale orchardists/gardeners, permaculture growers, and those with an interest in agroforestry.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, you will know:

How to identify and then measure success when incorporating uncommon fruit into your operation
Factors for primary site selection and analysis considerations
Soil and climatic requirements of an array of uncommon fruit
Potential benefits and costs associated with uncommon fruit in commercial settings
What factors to consider for successful marketing, analyzing costs, and generating income associated with these crops
How to connect with grower-groups and farm resource agencies to support your operation

Webinars

The bulk of the course happens on your own time, with discussions, readings, and assignments in Teachable, our virtual classroom. To add to the experience, webinars will be woven into the online interface of the course to allow you to meet on a weekly basis to learn from presenters and ask questions in real time. If you miss one, they are always recorded and posted for later viewing.

Webinar Schedule

In 2024, this course will be offered live for 6-weeks on Tuesdays from 6:30 – 8:00 PM (Eastern) from February 27 – April 2. While we encourage live attendance, so you have the opportunity to engage with presenters and ask questions, all webinars are recorded and posted in the online classroom to watch anytime. Once enrolled in this course, you will retain access to all materials indefinitely, and can return to participate in the live webinars in future offerings of the course if you wish. Join us!