Mulberries can be delicious, if they’re perfectly ripe and from a good tree. They will also stain clothes, fingers and paving, but that’s no excuse for not growing them – just bung them down the backyard where the kids can climb the tree and eat the fruit – just make sure they’re wearing old clothes when they do.
How to grow
Very adaptable tree once established – drought and frost hardy. So can be planted throughout Australia except for the wet tropics (unless you have very green fingers) and the most arid deserts(ditto). It’s a great tree to grow – little work, no pests, and if you don’t want the fruit, the birds will eat it for you.
Mulberries bloom late, so they don’t get zapped by frost. Trees often sulk for a year or two after planting, then grow very fast indeed – and they make wonderful climbing trees. A large part of my childhood was spent up a mulberry tree.
If the berries taste sort of ordinary, or fall before they are really rich and ripe, try feeding two or three times a year – trees can grow vigorously but still need feeding for a decent crop. As to which mulberry to buy – Black English has a short season, but superb fruit, Hicks Fancy has a longer season and smaller reddish fruit, and Downs Everbearing has longer black fruit. You can also buy white mulberries, which don’t stain your clothes and don’t taste of anything much either, except sugar – they are very, very, very sweet.
Don’t pick the berries till they are really ripe – they don’t ripen off the tree.
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