Gooseberry - Ribes grossularia

Elderberries. They grow fast and require minimal maintenance.

What is your soil pH? Most berries do want acidic soil but not so acidic as blueberries like.

My soil pH is somewhere around 7.5 and most berries do very well for me (except for blueberries of course).

You might also want to look into some unusual things such as goumi and sea buckthorn. Dwarf varieties of mulberry might fit the bill too.

I haven't checked my soil ph....I probably need to for sure. I can't seem to find elderberries online unfortunately

Everyone's tastes are different, but elderberries aren't generally well liked for fresh eating. If you really want them, indianaberry.com has them under the "novelty plants" section. For berries, your biggest problems will be spotted wing drosophila and birds. Birds are easy to take care of with netting. SWD, however, is a pain. If SWD is in your area, it can be devastating to all but the earliest ripening berries. It shows up around July 20th for me. Do some research on this pest before you plant. In Ohio (where I am), black raspberries seem to be early enough to avoid it but blackberries and red raspberries get hit bad. Gooseberries haven't been bothered too much by SWD for me and some of my varieties are very good fresh (i.e. Poorman, Black Velvet). Don't overlook strawberries either. They are relatively easy to grow and very rewarding. I'd get an early ripening variety so SWD doesn't bother them. Carmine Jewel tart cherry is also a good choice and has avoided SWD so far for me, but you'll have to worry about plum curculio.

Elderberries aren't eaten fresh. They're used for pies, jellies, wines, etc.

Any thoughts on Mulberries? They seem interesting? (I know they stain stuff though)

If you would be willing to have them in pots, blueberries are actually pretty easy & low maintenance. The trick is to fill the pots with 75% or so peat moss, the other 25% with chopped leaves/compost and a little sand. That is what has worked for me, anyway. Cranberries also need acid soil I think; I've tried but had no luck so far with them.

Mulberries grow wild around here, and I do like them, but to me, other things taste better for fresh eating. I've always thought they are kind of bland; but I've read that they are good for making preserves or baking.

Im also going to def. try to plant aronia berries, since they are native to this area. And super hardy.

Have you heard of bush cherries? I find them extremely hardy, fast growing, and beautiful. They have pretty flowers in the spring, nice green foliage in the summer and they form these delicious sweet tart cherries. ALOT OF CHERRIES. They come in sets of 2 for $10. After growing 4 myself, I cannot believe these are not more popular. They set fruit the spring after you plant them!

Hmm I have not heard of bush cherries. Well have to check those out!

Do amelanchiers grow in your area? There’s a dwarf variety, ‘Isaac’, about 4-5 feet in height and width.

Amanda Tyner, I've long wondered about bush cherries! How large are the cherries? And pits? Lol. How do you use/eat them? Also wondering about their growth rate and habit so I'll know where to plant some!

Honeyberry - Lonicera caerulea

Honeyberry is a good source for bush cherries. These are technically "sour" cherries but new varieties are as sweet or sweeter than a bing (not as crunchy though). I've got two of the U of Saskatchewan "romance" series, Romeo cherry and Juliet cherry. They arrived small, are slow growing and won't bear for several years, but the blossoms alone are showstopping.

The growth rate is impressive. They triple in size the first year! The cherries won’t keep long after picking. At least mine didn’t. They are not like cherries from the trees. I would say it’s a bit smaller than the tree cherries but the numbers make up for it! They are massive producers. I don’t think the pit to flesh ratio is much different than tree cherries.

Huh??? Honeyberry is NOT a cherry. It doesn't look, taste or grow like one. It is actually a type of honeysuckle, Lonicera species.

Party_music- darn it, I just order a giant Kiowa blackberry bush with the hope it won’t be very high maintenance hahaha. Oh well, I love being out in the sun and I hope I get lots of berries!

Honeyberry is not just a type of edible honeysuckle. It is also the name of a nursery. They sell the very hardy Romance series sour cherries. Romeo, Juliet and Carmine Jewel are getting easier to find, though crimson passion can't be found anywhere else to my knowledge. (Or perhaps in Canada. You certainly don't see them at garden centers here.) You can order plants at www.honeyberryusa.com

One thing you will learn about "minor" or "novelty" fruits is that they are called that for a reason. They are okay if you have a lot of space but if I had limited area I would be sticking to blue,black,raspberry. Many people do not like the taste of honeyberry, aronia is also called chokeberry for a reason, Elderberries need to be processed, goumi is very seedy. You could try a "Hardy Chicago" fig and mulch it heavy it should come back from roots every year in your zone. Girardi dwarf mulberry and north star dwarf sour cherry could work too

Have you had Aronia berries before? personally i don't like the taste of them so i wouldn't recommend them.

The Romance series of cherries are naturally dwarf and can resemble a bush, they are also good for fresh eating as well as juice and baking.

A Chicago Hardy fig could be very rewarding if you protect it over the winter. I have one here in Zone 5, and the figs are absolutely delicious.

Goji berries are not great raw. What people eat from the store is usually dried and tossed in sugar to make it seems sweet. Raw, they have a bit of a tomato flavor to them (they are actually in the same family as tomatoes).

Goumi berries have the benefit of being a nitrogen fixer, so it can help nearby plants. But i wouldn't grow it just for the fruit if space is limited.

Personally i like the elderberries that i have fresh. Unfortunately i don't know the specific variety that i have, so it would be a roll of the dice to buy a plant and it end up only good for juice/jam.

Honeyberries, raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, currants (i would recommend black), and strawberries are all going to be solid, standard choices. Just from within these types, there are so many varieties that you can get a good diverse harvest each year. Strawberries also make a great boarder plant, so you can plant your bushes and do a line of strawberries in front of them (assuming the sunlight is there) to maximize the space.