Sea buckthorn was first planted at Devereux farm in 2009. At that time there was no experience with commercial varieties in the UK. Through international reputation the best varieties available were Siberian, with German , Scandinavian and Canadian as options. By forming a partnership with the Incrops unit at the University of East Anglia a collaboration agreement was made resulting in the importation of 10 different varieties of Siberian varieties – projected to be larger berried, sweeter in taste, heavier in yield and higher in nutritional value. Between 2009 and 2015 around 5000 plants were established imported from Russia, Latvia, Finland and Germany.
The interest in sea buckthorn came from its long history in providing health benefit to animals and humans. Growing a new crop is risky. It was said at the time of starting it would take at least 20 years to develop the right varieties, harvesting methods, product and marketing development. Part of the risk is not knowing whether the plants will adapt to our soils and climate. The first outcome of the project has been having to accept that Siberian plants have adapted to our climate, but by changing their growing habits. They now go dormant in mid October; break their first buds at the end of December and pollinate in early March. In early March the weather will be both windy and wet. For a wind pollinated plants this results in pollen being wildly distributed away from the male plants and much of it lost to the wider environment, resulting in few berries establishing – too few to have commercial value, but enough to provide a feed for the local birdlife.
The Latvian varieties, Sunny, Goldrain, Mary and Tatjana have all done well. They ripen in late July with large berries yielding around 3-5 kg per bush. Planted in 2015 they have provided crops since 2019, but now need a substantial prune. This last year (2025) the prolonged drought resulted in these varieties ripening inconsistently, with unripe, ripe and over ripe berries on the same bush at the same time. The berries were smaller than usual and it was decided not to harvest, leaving branches viable for harvest 2026.
In 2009 we planted seven different German varieties ( Dorana, Frugana, hergo, Askola, Leikora, Habego and Sirola) as a trial. Of these for various reasons the first four of these varieties have been discounted for commercial use. In 2025 Sirola, as an early variety was brilliant. Thee german plants are now large and not pruned back every year. The result is a heavy crop that repeats each year. Sirola has a red tinged colour with a good flavour and ripens in early August. This was followed by Habego and leikora. Also yielding well, but ripening 10 days later than normal possibly due to the drought condition. It has to be said that irrigation would be possible, but we try to ensure the flavour of the berry remains a priority and irrigation might literally dilute this, which customers probably would not want. The penalty risks a lower yield, but as in much of the food industry – taste is king.
So to the future.
2009 is a long time ago. The main area of the Devereux farm orchard is Siberian which does not produce a crop. The harvesting process is reliant upon cutting branches and freezing them in a cold store set at between -20 to – 25 deg C. This process allows the berries to be knocked off without damage so works well. The energy costs however are very high. To justify these costs the orchard needs a larger crop. New plants take four years to establish. The drought in 2025 resulted in a small crop. The government proposal to charge inheritance tax to farms when they move from one generation to another, created a very real question as to whether the whole farm had a viable future at all. As I approach my 70th birthday, it seemed that the time was coming to give up the sea buckthorn.
While all these issues were starting to create a decision to close down the Devereux farm sea buckthorn an approach came from another farm to collaborate in a two year research project looking into how to use sea buckthorn leaf as a product. Sea buckthorn leaf has been the subject of research in Europe and Asia for over a decade.
University based research has indicated it has both anti-microbial and antiviral properties. The leaf has been shown to have value when fed to young animals as its antimicrobial properties reduce infections, gut problems and improve the uptake of nutritional value from feed resulting in better growth rates and lower mortality. The leaf, when used as a tea has become valued in lowering infection from viral diseases.
Harvesting leaf as a single crop has been investigated but there is no harvesting system developed as yet. Leaf is however a byproduct of the berry harvest. Adding value to any crop through using wasted byproducts is always a valued proposition.
This collaboration proposal has come from a high profile farm which has skilled management with a capacity to make this project work. It also provides a new impetus to invest in new plants and a longer term future for Devereux farm. Added to this, the news just before Christmas that the government was adjusting the inheritance tax rules for smaller farms makes the future look positive.
So 2026 starts well – the latvian plants are gong to have a substantial prune which will rejuvenate them for a new ten year cropping cycle. The Siberian plants that have been allowed to return to nature offering a wildlife refuge will be partially opened up to provide resource for the leaf project. The new project will have a partner in Germany and already I am planning for new planting areas that will provide that larger crop to build the sea buckthorn enterprise for the future.
The future is bright.
Thank you for your interest in sea buckthorn.
