All Zone 3 (or Hardier) Plants

2026/2027 Staff Favourite

Heritage raspberries are Amanda's favourite this year! She picked them because they are "award winning and everbearing! Heritage can be harvested from June to September and produces fruit in its first year. A great choice for anyone who can't get enough raspberries!"

All Staff Favourites are 20% off. The Staff Favourite Discount cannot be combined with other quantity discounts.

Species: Rubus sp.

History: Heritage raspberries were developed by Cornell University in New York and introduced in 1969. It is one of the most widely grown raspberry varieties in the world due to the quality of its fruit and its extended bearing season. This variety is considered the standard for everbearing varieties and in 2004 it even received the Outstanding Fruit Cultivar Award from the American Society of Horticultural Sciences.

Why We Grow It: On top of the accolades mentioned above, these medium-sized red berries can also be harvested within the first year! You can enjoy them fresh or in baked goods, or freeze, dry, or preserve them to enjoy in the winter months. We find these to be sweeter than Nova, but with a milder flavour and slightly crumbly texture. The canes are thorny so exercise caution when working around this variety! You can cut down the canes in the winter for a large fall crop, or enjoy a more spread out crop from June to September. We have found cutting the patch down annually also helps with borer problems.

The second product photo shows Nova (right) compared to Heritage (left).

The third photo shows a Heritage and Nova raspberry tart Steph made!

History: Sweet Sixteen was developed by the University of Minnesota and introduced in 1977. It is one of nearly thirty varieties released by the university since its breeding program began in 1888.

Why We Grow It: Some apples taste better when grown in colder climates, and Sweet Sixteen is one of them. For a fresh-eating apple, this is a favourite. Sweet Sixteen provides that crisp first bite that so many people love in an apple, and the pure white flesh will not disappoint for flavour with a very unique, distinct honeyed flavour. Its cold-hardiness and general disease-resistance (tolerant of scab and cedar rust) make it winner for the grower too.

History: Crimson Passion dwarf sour cherries are one of several dwarf sour cherries developed and released by the University of Saskatchewan with the goal of creating sour cherries that were cold hardy, shorter in stature, and produced good quality fruit. This initiative began in the 1940s and Crimson Passion was released as part of the Romance series in 2004. It is the sweetest of the Romance series cherries.

Why We Grow It: Crimson Passion produces large sweet fruit, excellent for fresh eating or processing. It contains the same sugar content (20-22 Brix) as sweet cherries, but also contains the tangy flavour of sour cherries, combining the best of both worlds into one cold-hardy shrub. This variety reaches up to 10' at maturity, great for anyone with limited space.

Check our our blog post with some tasty sour cherry recipes!

Species: Rubus sp.

History: Nova red raspberries were developed at the AAFC Research and Development Centre in Kentville, Nova Scotia as part of a breeding program. They were bred as a cross between Southland and Boyne raspberries and released in 1981.

Why We Grow It: These nearly thornless canes bear a plentiful yield of bright red, large-sized berries. The finer textured fruit is less crumbly and has a bold flavour. Nova red raspberries are very hardy and are summer-bearing in colder climates and ever-bearing in warmer ones!

The second product photo shows Nova (right) compared to Heritage (left).

The third photo shows a Heritage and Nova raspberry tart Steph made!

2026/2027 Staff Favourite

Snow is Mouse's favourite this year! In their eyes, “Snow is a standout Canadian heritage variety! This cold hardy apple is named for its snow-white flesh and it has a distinctively sweet flavour. For fans of Canadian and/or heritage apples, Snow apples are often a favourite!”

All Staff Favourites are 20% off. The Staff Favourite Discount cannot be combined with other quantity discounts.

History: Snow, aka Fameuse, apples originated near Lake Champlain in Quebec some time before the 1730s. The exact origin is unclear but this variety is thought to have originated from a seedling or cutting brought from France. From about 1750-1850, this was one of the most commonly grown apples in Quebec until the orchards were almost wiped out in the latter half of the 19th century by disease and failed to regain their popularity. However, these lovely apples may still be with us in their own way as they are one of the potential parents of McIntosh.

Why We Grow It: It is easy to see why Snow apples were once so popular. These apples have a lovely deep red skin with pure white flesh with a sweet strawberry flavour. These trees are also quite cold hardy and produce heavy crops.

Species: Ribes nigrum

History: Titania black currant was developed by Pal Tamas in Sweden. It was bred as a cross between the varieties Consort, Kayaanin Musta, and Altaskaya Dessertnaya in 1969 and chosen for further evaluation in 1974. Since its release it has become one of the most popular currants in North America.

Why We Grow It: It is easy to see why Titania has become so popular. It produces large, juicy berries with a rich, mild flavour. It is also resistant to White Pine Blister Rust and mildew. The berries are great for a variety of uses, such as the black currant scones and black currant and blueberry tarts Steph made (see pictures)!

History: Nova Easygro was developed at the AAFC Kentville Research and Development Station in Nova Scotia and introduced in 1971. 

Why We Grow It: Living up to its name, Nova Easygro is hard to beat if you're looking for a low-maintenance backyard tree or a clear winner for organic orchards. This variety is resistant to numerous common apple diseases and tastes great. The flavour is pleasant and sweet and the flesh is firm and white with the perfect texture, earning this apple favourable reviews at our tasting event.

History: Cortland apples were first bred in 1898 by Cornell University in New York and introduced in 1915. Since then, they have become one of the top fifteen apples in the US and Canada, although the majority are still grown relatively close to the university where they originated. Cortland Nova Red is a redder sport of the original Cortland apple, making a more attractive fruit for those who value red apples.

Why We Grow It: Cortland is a sweet apple with crisp, juicy flesh. It is great for applesauce or drying as the flesh is slow to brown. The fruit keeps until Christmas under home storage conditions although the crispness and flavour does fade over time. This variety crops well annually and makes a good pollinator for others. The redder skin on this sport is quite attractive!

History: Debbie's Gold was introduced by Aubins Nursery in Manitoba in 1980.

Why We Grow It: Debbie's Gold is a relatively new but promising apricot variety for us. It is very cold hardy and late blooming, which improves the chance of a crop in our climate. It produces small fruit with a rich apricot flavour with spicy notes.

History: Flemish Beauty originated in Belgium in the early 1800s. At one point Flemish Beauty was one of the most common commercial varieties in the US.

Why We Grow It: Flemish Beauty's cold hardiness and good flavour makes this a popular variety. The fruit is large and greenish-yellow without much neck. It is known for being sweet and very juicy, great for fresh eating.

History: This apple was discovered as a chance seedling in 1856 in Boskoop, Netherlands where it has remained popular ever since. 

Why We Grow It: Here's one for those of us who love some sharpness in an apple. With its sharp taste and large, greenish-red fruit, this apple is still popular at farmer's markets throughout Europe for both fresh eating and cooking (keeps its shape). It has value as a sharp in hard cider blends as well.

History: Wolf River was raised from seed by Quebec lumberman William Springer in the latter half of the 19th century. When Springer and his family were moving by wagon to Wisconsin, they bought a bushel of Alexander apples along the way. Upon arriving at their new home, he planted the seeds from said apples along the bank of the Wolf River and the Wolf River apple grew from there. This variety has since garnered a reputation as a good cooking apple and for the incredible size of its fruit.

Why We Grow It: First and foremost, Wolf River is legendary for the huge size of its fruit. The apples can weigh a pound or more and there are stories of pies being made from a single apple. The fruit, green with red blush and stripes, has a sweet and tart flavour that is good for cooking and it holds its shape well when cooked. The tree itself is hardy and relatively disease resistant as well.

Species: Hippohae rhamnoides

History: Lord was developed by Latvian professor of agriculture, Andrejs Bruvelis, and was likely selected for its relatively few thorns and excellent performance as a pollination partner for female plants. 

Why We Grow It: A vigorous and strong pollinator, Lord has silvery green leaves which may be used as animal fodder- rather than discarding prunings from the plant, try feeding them to birds, or better yet, let some chickens keep the base of the bush clean and sucker-free by purposefully pasturing them through your plants. Sea Buckthorn have nodules on their roots which help fix nitrogen into the ground, and are a common plant in permaculture orchards for this natural 'fertilizer' effect on plants in their vicinity.

History: Kerr is an applecrab (cross between crabapple and apple) with Dolgo and Haralson parentage. It was developed at the Morden Research Station in Manitoba in the 1950s and named after plant breeder and ecologist William Les Kerr who was working at the station at the time.

Why We Grow It: The fruit is a pleasant dark red and unlike true crabapples, has a pleasantly sweet and tart flavour that makes it good for fresh eating. Although small, the fruit stores well and are quite juicy which makes them good for pressing. The juice does well when added to cider blends.

History: Juliet dwarf sour cherries are one of several dwarf sour cherries developed and released by the University of Saskatchewan with the goal of creating sour cherries that were cold hardy, shorter in stature, and produced good quality fruit. This initiative began in the 1940s and Juliet was released as part of the Romance series in 2004.

Why We Grow It: With good yield and deep red medium-sized fruit, Juliet is a favourite for those that enjoy the sweet-tart flavour! This is an excellent variety for the fresh market or processing. For anyone short on garden space, these cherry bushes reach 6-8 feet at maturity.

 Check our our blog post with some tasty sour cherry recipes!

History: Dolgo is a variety of Siberian crabapple (Malus baccata) that originated in Russia. Due to the slightly elongated shape of the fruit, this variety was named 'dolgo' which means 'long' in Russian. They were brought to the United States by N. E. Hansen around 1897.

Why We Grow It: Dolgo is a classic crabapple with a vibrant flavour, very tangy and delicious right off the tree in the heat of summer- as refreshing as lemonade! The bright red fruits are about the size of small plums. These apples are excellent for making jelly or as a unique addition to a cider blend. Along with being exceptionally cold hardy, the trees themselves are quite pretty and are often planted ornamentally.

History: Yellow Transparent (aka White Transparent and Glass Apple) originated as a chance seedling in a nursery in Riga, Latvia around 1850. At the time Latvia was part of the Russian Empire so this variety is often considered Russian. Due to its early ripening and cold hardiness, this variety was widely grown in Europe, especially northern countries, where it is still grown today. It was imported to the US in the 1870s as part of an effort to import cold hardy Russian species that could potentially survive in states with harsher winters and became quite popular. 

Why We Grow It: This classic early apple deserves a home in every home orchard. The fruit features pale yellow skin that almost looks transparent and white flesh with a sharp, sweet flavour. It can be eaten fresh but also makes a great applesauce. Like many early ripening apples, the fruit does not last long. 

History: Wealthy apples were created by horticulturalist Peter Gideon after spending years trying to breed an apple variety that could survive Minnesota's harsh winters. With the very last of his money, he purchased seeds and scions in 1868 in one final attempt and was able to produce the Wealthy apple which he named after his wife, Wealthy Gideon. He gave scions away freely and Wealthy became one of the top five apples grown in the US.

Why We Grow It: A medium to large sized apple, Wealthy makes splendid applesauce, but is also very good for fresh eating with a balanced sweet-tart crunch. The tree is scab resistant and cold hardy, makes an excellent pollinator for other apples, and is well-suited for organic orchards.

History: Porter's Perfection originated in Somerset in the UK some time in the 1800s. It became extremely popular in England although its popularity began to wane following the 1910s. It is still grown today but not as commonly as it once was. It shows promising results in the North American climate, unlike some other European cider cultivars.

Why We Grow It: This English cider apple produces a medium bittersharp cider. It has done well in different studies in Ontario with the Vineland Research Station with regards to juice composition, disease resistance and overall performance. The tree is a heavy cropper and grows vigorously.

History: Romeo dwarf sour cherries are one of several dwarf sour cherries developed and released by the University of Saskatchewan with the goal of creating sour cherries that were cold hardy, shorter in stature, and produced good quality fruit. This initiative began in the 1940s and Romeo was released as part of the Romance series in 2004.

Why We Grow It: Romeo boasts very dark red fruit that has a nice sweet-tart flavour and plenty of juiciness. It has a high flesh to pit ratio, making each cherry just that much more enticing. Although the bush only reaches 7-8ft at maturity, it still yields around 25lb of fruit per plant.        

Check our our blog post with some tasty sour cherry recipes!

Species: Ribes rubrum

History: Pink Champagne currants are a cross between red and white currants. Although the exact origin is unclear, this variety was listed in the catalogue of William Prince's nursery in New York as early as the 1800s. 

Why We Grow It: Considered to be one of the best fresh eating currants, Pink Champagne produces beautiful translucent pink berries that have a sweet, delicate flavour. They are easy to grow and produce numerous clusters of hanging, pink berries.

Species: Celtis occidentalis

History: Hackberries can be found in parts of southern Canada and in the eastern and central United States. The berries produced by the tree are commonly eaten by winter birds and mammals like squirrels. Indigenous peoples traditionally eat the berries raw or use them in several dishes. Although they tolerate urban conditions well, they are relatively uncommon as street trees except in Sombor, Serbia, and Bratislava, Slovakia where they have been planted extensively.

Why We Grow It: These beautiful native trees resemble the American elm, but without the disease issues. Both birds and butterflies enjoy this tree. The sweet small fruit taste like dates with a large crunchy pit that can be eaten or discarded. Thanks to their unusually high levels of proteins, calories, and vitamins, they are a great food source. You can learn more about Hackberries as a food source via this blog post by Alan Bergo.

Species: Lonicera caerulea

History: Aurora haskap was developed at the University of Saskatchewan. After a decade of breeding and trials, it was released in 2012. It was originally selected as a pollinator for Borealis haskap but its superior flavour and greater productivity compared to other varieties quickly made it more popular.

Why We Grow It: A sweetly flavoured favourite! Aurora tastes like a cross between a raspberry and a blueberry, with a satisfying chewy texture. The deep blue fruit are 3 cm long and juicy. Allow to sit out a few days after picking for optimally sweet fruit.

Species: Amelanchier alnifolia (aka Western Serviceberry)

History: Northline was developed by John Wallace at Beaverlodge Nursery in Beaverlodge, Alberta during the 1950s. Selected for its large berries and good flavour, Northline was later introduced in 1960.

Why We Grow It: Northline's large, sweet purpley-blue berries are excellent enjoyed fresh! Northline grows in an upright fashion and reaches about 2.5m tall, this making for an ideal u-pick bush. The fragrant showy flowers add aesthetic charm to the bush, along with the deep green foliage which turns fiery orange in the fall. Saskatoons by nature are slow growing, and while they will bear fruit in 3-5 years, it can take up to 15 years for a full crop.

Species: Lonicera caerulea

History: Boreal Beast was developed by Bob Bors at the University of Saskatchewan as part of the Boreal series of haskaps. The goal of the Boreal series is to cross haskaps from Russia, Japan, and the Kuril Islands to create superior cultivars with the best qualities of all three strains. Boreal Beast was rated very highly for flavour in the breeding program. Named after Beauty and the Beast, Boreal Beast was intended to be the pollination partner for Boreal Beauty but in practice it has been found that their pollination times don't quite overlap.

Why We Grow It: Boreal Beast is noted for its excellent flavour with a great aroma and pleasant aftertaste. The shrub itself is quite vigorous and sturdy, and produces good-sized crops of delicious medium-sized berries.

Species: Lonicera caerulea

History: Boreal Beauty haskap is part of the Boreal series of haskaps developed by Bob Bors at the University of Saskatchewan. The goal of the Boreal series is to cross haskaps from Russia, Japan, and the Kuril Islands to create superior cultivars with the best qualities of all three strains. Boreal Beauty was released in early 2017, chosen for its large size, firmness, and good flavour. Its name, a reference to Beauty and the Beast, was meant to be a handy way to remember that Boreal Beast is the recommended for pollination partner for this variety, but in practice unfortunately the two don't overlap quite enough for pollination to be optimal.

Why We Grow It: Boreal Beauty sports large berries that are more oval-shaped and firm than other haskaps while maintaining with good flavour. This variety could show promise for mechanical harvesting. It is also quite vigorous and produces heavy crops. 

2026/2027 Staff Favourite

Chestnut is Steph's favourite this year! When reflecting on it, Steph said, “Every year I seem to discover a new (old) apple to marvel over, and most recently, Chestnut has stolen my heart. An unassuming little fruit with a unique netting of russet over its cheery yellow-blushing-red skin. Bite in and enjoy the classic nutty, sweet-tart russet taste with crunchy dense flesh at least a month before most other russets are ripe. In sum, an excellent early season russet worthy of any orchard.” 

All Staff Favourites are 20% off. The Staff Favourite Discount cannot be combined with other quantity discounts.

History: Chestnut crabapples were bred at the University of Minnesota in 1949. They are one of about thirty varieties that have been produced by the university's breeding program since it started in 1888. 

Why We Grow It: The rosy-red Chestnut crabapple produces fruit that is unusually large for a crabapple with a nutty taste. Unlike other crabapples, it is sweet enough to eat fresh and can be used in cider while still being good for traditional crabapple recipes such as making jellies. 

Species: Lonicera caerulea

History: Boreal Blizzard was developed by Bob Bors at the University of Saskatchewan as part of the Boreal series of haskaps. The goal of the Boreal series is to cross haskaps from Russia, Japan, and the Kuril Islands to create superior cultivars with the best qualities of all three strains. While Boreal Blizzard is only a cross between Russian and Japanese varieties, it has produced some of the largest berries the breeding program has seen while boasting good flavour!

Why We Grow It: Boreal Blizzard produces exceptionally large berries that are meaty and sweet. This heavy cropper is ideal for U-pick operations and small farms where the larger berries make them more suitable for hand-picking. 

History: Fireside apples originated in 1943 from a breeding program at the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station. They are one of nearly 30 varieties that have been introduced by the university's breeding program since it began in 1888.

Why We Grow It: Fireside stands as an icon of toughness in the world of apples, thriving in cold northern areas. But don’t let this image fool you—Fireside has a warm heart! The flesh is amazingly sweet and very juicy.

History: Golden Spice was developed by the University of Minnesota and introduced in 1949. It has Ussurian pear (Pyrus ussuriensis) heritage, a separate species from standard European pears (Pyrus communis).

Why We Grow It: Golden Spice is a Ussurian variety with excellent cold-hardiness. The fruit is small and yellow with a sweet, spicy flavour. It is resistant to fireblight.