Saskatoon Varieties

There is a remarkable difference between "wild" Saskatoons and the domestic varieties. The domestic Saskatoon has been selected solely on the basis of its superior fruit size, taste, yield, flowering time and overall productivity. Although there are good patches of wild Saskatoons still around they do not begin to compare to what can be produced by a row of domestic Saskatoons in the average farm garden.

There are now numerous registered Saskatoon varieties that have been released by various institutions, individuals and private nurseries. Northline, Smoky, Thiessen and Honeywood are the varieties which are well recognized as being the best and account for more than 99% of all Saskatoons planted. Each one has been selected for a particular trait or habit that was found to be unique or of interest.

All Saskatoon varieties are hardy throughout the Prairies. Growing more than one variety is advantageous, to acquire slightly different flowering, growth tendencies and berry flavour.

Smokey - Released in 1952 by the Beaverlodge Research Center, this is full flavoured fruit, exceptionally sweet, large habit, reaching 8 - 10 feet in height. Consistently good yields have been recorded over the last 30 years. This is by far the most widely planted Saskatoon because it was the best known in the past, but is now planted less as other varieties have proven themselves. It’s fruit is not as large as the other varieties but it is often preferred for jam and jelly by processors because of it’s sweetness and good flavour.

Northline - From the Beaverlodge Research Center, this is a large fruited variety with excellent flavour, and grows to approximately 8 feet. It has a very upright and uniform habit of growth, which makes for easy picking. It produces abundant fruit at a young age. We appreciate the later flowering habit (a week later than Smoky). We only have good things to say about Northline and it is strongly represented in our orchards. We feel it is your number one choice.

Honeywood - This variety is somewhat similar to the Northline variety in that it flowers late and is a shorter variety with large flavourful fruit. It’s stout formlike habit and growth and low suckering characteristics make this variety a great saskatoon to grow! We’re excited!

Thiessen - The Thiessen is a very large fruiting variety and fruit can average 1/2 inch in diameter. It’s flavour is good and the height tends to be in the 14 foot range. The flowering habit is a few days earlier than Smoky. The fruit size makes it attractive for U - Pick operations. However, commercial producers feel that the flavour is not quite as intense in the Thiessen variety and that there is little hope of harvesting this variety mechanically.

To summarize, we recommend that more than one variety be represented in your typical garden or small U - Pick orchard. For large scale commercial production orchards, there is some evidence to suggest that although the fruit size of the Thiessen is large, Northline, Honeywood and Smoky varieties are preferred by commercial producers (e.g. jam/syrup producers).