Fruit Trees and Berries that Grow Best in Your Area Naturally- Continental Climate Hardiness Zone 3

Jess Dee wrote:I'm in north-central Saskatchewan, Canada, zone 3 on the edge of zone 2.

Fruit trees and berries I've had luck with, that have survived at least 3 winters without special care:

Chokecherries (they grow wild here)
Serviceberries (also grow wild here)
Pincherries (wild)
Highbush Cranberries (wild)
Hazelnuts (the Beaked Hazelnut grows wild here; there are also hardy hybrids)
Wild Roses (wild)

Apples, including Honeycrisp, Battleford, Norland, Frostbite / Minnesota 447, and Rescue (crab)

Pears, including Ure and Golden Spice (I have several other varieties, but they haven't made 3 winters yet)

Plums, including Pembina and Brookred (again, I have others, but they are pretty new).  Black knot is endemic in the local wild chokecherry population, and in some ornamental trees in the towns / cities, so some plums won't do well here, even if they can survive the actual winter.

Grapes (particularly Valiant; I am experimenting with others)

Haskap / Honeyberries

Sour Cherries (particularly Carmine Jewel and the other University of Saskatchewan sour cherries)

Raspberries

Strawberries (planted in the ground, not a raised bed, and with straw or snow cover; however, there are also wild strawberries here)

Red Currants

Black Currants

Gooseberries

Mountain Ash

Rugosa Roses (particularly Hamsa)


I also have apricots, burr oaks, aronia / chokeberries, hawthorns, and butternuts, but they have only been through one winter.  I have been told black walnuts, hardy kiwi, chums, and shagbark hickory can do okay here, but have not planted any yet.


While they are not fruit, per se, rhubarb and asparagus do well here, as do hostas, nettles, and sunchokes.


I don't have any on my property, but blueberries grow well in acidic soil in areas in this zone.  My place does not have acidic enough soil for them to be happy.

Steve Thorn wrote:
Awesome list Jess!

I love how you listed varieties you have had success with, great info!

Jess Dee wrote:Thank you! I hope it is helpful to someone.  One of my own early frustrations was knowing that apples would grow well here, but not being easily able to find / figure out which ones would work for me. My list is by no means exhaustive, but might help someone find a starting point.  I was surprised at how many things really do grow here, but, on the other side, it can be quite a challenging climate for fruit and nut trees.  It is -42 C here today.  I guess it will weed out the marginally hardy.

Dem Krebs wrote:Also zone 3 (Minnesota near the Canadian border), and pretty new to growing things like fruits and nuts. I have few established trees, with the exception of one very old apple that I believe is a Haralson and has been here since long before I was. It does phenomenally, even through horrible weather. I've never had a failed crop in zone 3b, regardless of weather.

I have other apples but none established enough to recommend yet. The same goes for plums and pears. And the Manchurian apricots.

Other fruits and nuts I grow include:
Hazelbrush (productive, but the squirrels love them)

Red raspberries (wild, and the cultivars Latham, Boyne, and Killarney)

Serviceberries (no known cultivar, but my wild ones have been selected for fruit quality)

Highbush cranberries (I live in a swampy area and these guys love the permanently wet areas)

Blueberries (wild and both low and high bush varieties like Northblue, Chippewa, Superior, and Northcountry)

Wild plums (Canadian wild)

Rhubarb (it's used as a fruit, so it gets included)

Nanking bush cherries

Hansen's bush cherry

Carmine jewel sour cherry ( the nearby orchard also grows Romeo and Juliet varieties with great success)

Chokecherries (and chokeberries, though I didn't currently have any)

Strawberries (I have Honeoye and Sparkle)

Gooseberry (unknown cultivars, but they are green/white and red)

Currants (red and black but unknown cultivars)

That's all I can think of right now, especially this time of year. Other things I am growing but am unsure of their long-term survival are: autumn olive, pink popcorn blueberries, goji berries, black raspberries, and Siberian stone pine)

Other fruits that are in plans to try are mountain ash varieties Rabina and Shipova, Victory quince, elderberries, mulberries, lingonberry, bilberry, and grapes.

Jess Dee wrote:I did up a blog post of apple varieties that are hardy to zone 2 or 3 (many of which we have here at my place in Saskatchewan), plus links to Canadian suppliers, which may be useful:

16 Hardy Apple Trees for Zone 2&3

Steve Thorn wrote:

Neat info Jess, enjoyed the blog post!