Mulberries?

[Gardenarian]

Does anyone grow mulberries? I don't know anyone who does, and am curious.
I've hear that black mulberry Morus nigra grows best in my zone, but I have also heard the fruits make an awful mess (we have lots of birds.)
Do you think they're worth it?

[frugal-one]

Our neighbor has a mulberry tree/bush where they do not harvest the berries. I don't think they know it is a mulberry tree???? We shake the part of the tree that is in our yard over a large bedsheet to collect the berries. We clean them and then freeze. We mainly use them in oatmeal. The berries do fall on the ground when ripe. We have seen deer eating from the tree. It is in a part of our property where there is not a lot of traffic so there is not much of a mess. I think it depends where you are thinking of putting the tree. I think it would be a mess if put in a high traffic area. Other than that I don't think they require a lot of maintenance.

[Gardenarian]

Thanks frugal-one! I have heard that the birds eat them, and you end up with purple splotches all over your car, house, etc. :~)

[ApatheticNoMore]

It depends on how much you like mulberries I guess. The ones that grow near native around here are white mulberries I think. They get purple colored when ripe but I remember reading once they were white mulberries which aren't the best for flavor - they're alright though. A fragile fruit and so you don't often see them in the market, I'm sure they'd freeze though (and I've seen them sold dried). You can make jams out of them of course but it strikes me as a lot of work (the berries are very small even when compared to say commercial blackberries and rasberries, you'd need a lot but would get it on a big tree). The trees I usually find them on are quite large trees (so ideal for if one has a lot of land), but apparently they have dwarf bush versions, though I've never actually seem them. I'd consider it extremely unlikely that birds or critters would get the entire crop on one of those large trees, because there's always plenty left on the trees around here. So yea if one has acerage, land where they can just plop down and compost if unharvested. But limited space I dont' know, I guess it's possible the bush versions would work.

[iris lilies]

We consider mulberries largely "weed" trees although there are other tress that are much worse. I don't hate the trees themselves, they can be decent shade trees if not the best kind. There was one across our street in the vacant lot for years. It was a male tree, no berries. It was a nice old shape.

The mulberries themselves are plump when rain is adequate but bland, or else they can be a little sour if rain is low. OP, if you are in CALIF I wonder if this is the best use of your water for fruite? I would think that bushes or ground fruits would be better for water conservation.

The are REALLY messy if placed near a sidewalk or near a house--everyone will track in the berries and floors get stained.

[Alan]

When I was a kid in S/E Missouri, our neighbor had a mulberry tree in their backyard. We kids tracked mulberry juice everywhere. And the bird droppings! Oh my God, the bird droppings!

I loved to climb the tree and eat them though.

[Gardenarian]

Good information. I have a corner of the yard I need to do something with, and I think this might work.
My one concern is that they need a lot of moisture - though my yard does tend to drain toward that corner.
I'm trying to put more native plants (mulberries are natives) in my edible garden.

[Gregg]

Yes, the berries seem to have a laxative effect on birds. I believe "purple $__t storm" was my Dad's description for the aftermath of mulberry season. If you can work around that part I personally think the berries are delicious. My folks made jam and wine out of them. We would also make a sauce for venison, duck or pork that was wonderful. But oh the birds...

[peggy]

A cherry producer I know planted several around her orchards because apparently birds prefer mulberries to cherries. When I was a kid in Texas, a neighbor had a mulberry and we kids loved to climb up it and stuff our faces. Being kids, and largely barefoot, our feet were always stained purple.

[Float On]

Some of my favorite memories are of me and my best friend laying on the backs of our horses under a mulberry tree (her house) or cherry tree (my house) and eating right out of the trees as we talked and planned our lives. Mulberry - very messy! By the time our tummies were full we and the horses were a purple mess so it was off to dash into the lake to clean us all up.

[Gardenarian]

That's a great image Float on.
One of the things I love about mulberry trees is the umbrella shape that makes a little house underneath.