Fort Collins Nursery has a broad selection of small fruit vines and bushes. You’ll find more than a dozen popular varieties like blackberry, blueberry, rhubarb, raspberry, and grape, plus some of the less common varieties like currant, goji berry, haskap berry, and serviceberry.
There are many mouth watering reasons to add small fruits to your garden landscape. They produce beautiful blooms and fragrance as well as a bounty of delicious edible fruits to snack on throughout the summer. They not only taste better than most store-bought fruits but they can save you money during peak season pricing as well. You’ll also take pride in the fact that you grew them all by yourself!
No disrespect to fruit trees, but small fruits do offer some advantages over their larger relatives. Most fruit trees produce their fruit in the fall and require some patience to reap the rewards until harvest time. On the other hand, you’ll be able to snack on most small fruit and berry varieties all throughout the summer months. Fruit trees require a large space to grow but you don’t need a large yard or an orchard to grow small fruits. Berry plants are small enough to look suitable in any size yard and if space is extremely limited, you can try growing your fruit in patio containers as well. Vining fruit varieties like grapes, hops, and kiwi take up more space than most berry bushes and require some training. However, keep in mind that much of the space needed is vertical space which is usually plentiful and under-utilized in most garden designs.
Fort Collins Nursery has over 80 small fruit varieties in stock and here are a couple of tasty examples for you to try:
Aurora Haskap Berry
Lonicera caerulea ‘Aurora’
Aurora is a Haskap berry variety with large, sweet berries with deep flavor. It is a fast grower with good productivity, producing berries larger than other Haskaps that are easily picked. The fruits ripen late spring to early summer. Aurora is not self-fertile, so partner it with Tundra, Borealis, or Boreal Blizzard to ensure fruit production.
- Height: 5-6 ft.
- Width: 5-6 ft.
- Water: Moderate
- Zones: 3
Red Lake Currant
Ribes sativum
Red Lake Currant is a vigorous, high yielding variety that produces medium to large red berries in long easy to pick clusters. The fruits are great for jams, jellies, pies or fresh for those who like tart fruit. This hardy shrub is one of the most popular and highly recommended currant varieties for Colorado.
- Height: 5-6 ft.
- Width: 3-4 ft.
- Water: Moderate to low
- Zones: 3
Saint Theresa Seedless Grape
Vitis sp. ‘Saint Theresa’
Saint Theresa Seedless Grape is a hardy table grape for the Rocky Mountain region. This purple, (mostly) seedless, slip-skin grape ripens in early September. It has excellent flavor, perfect for eating fresh or for jams and jellies. The vine is vigorous and healthy and shows little concern for our alkaline soils. Saint Theresa Seedless Grape was bred by Elmer Swenson (renowned for breeding many selections of cold hardy grapes) and is a 2008 Plant Select introduction.
- Height: 15-20’
- Width: 3-8’
- Water: Moderate
- Bloom: Inconspicuous/ Spring
- Zones: 4-9
Reliance Seedless Grape
Vitis ‘Reliance’
Reliance Seedless Grape is a red seedless table grape with dessert quality. Its vigorous vines produce generous clusters of deep-red grapes packed with juicy flavor. This variety is perfect for eating fresh and makes an irresistible, healthy snack. Reliance blooms late to avoid spring frosts and ripens in August. It is seedless and resistant to anthracnose and mildew.
- Height: Varies
- Width: Varies
- Water: Moderate
- Bloom: White, Green/ Spring
- Zones: 5-8
Pixwell Gooseberry
Ribes hirtellum
Pixwell Gooseberry is an almost thornless plant with berries that hang away from the bush, making them easier to harvest. It produces large, oval, green berries that turn pink in mid-summer when they are ripe and ready for eating. The sweet, juicy fruits are perfect for pies, tarts, jams and jellies. Pixwell is very hardy and adaptable to high elevation. It needs regular watering for best flower and fruit production but can also tolerate dry conditions.
- Height: 5-6’’
- Width: 3-4’
- Water: Moderate to low
- Bloom: Red, Green/ Summer
- Zones: 3-6
Purple Passion Asparagus
Asparagus officinalis ‘Purple Passion’
Purple Passion is destined to set new standards in asparagus taste and tenderness. Its beautiful deep burgundy spears are larger, more tender, and less stringy than green varieties. Its higher sugar content allows them to be snapped off the plant and enjoyed raw. This vigorous plant produces spears ready for harvesting a year earlier than most varieties.
- Height: 3-5 ft.
- Width: 18-24 in.
- Water: Moderate
- Zones: 4-8
Jersey Knight Asparagus
Asparagus officinalis ‘Jersey Knight’
This hardy and prolific all-male strain produces a consistent bounty of large, tender, delicious spears. Its tall stalks can yield up to 3-4 times more asparagus than other varieties. Jersey Knight is a rust resistant variety that performs well even in our heavy clay soils.
- Height: 4-5 ft.
- Width: 12-18 in.
- Water: Moderate
- Zones: 3-8
Originally published on August 6th, 2019. Updated on April 30th, 2025.