Feasibility Study for Establishing, Growing, and Propagating Lycium barbarum in Northern Colorado

Project Leader: Kathy Hatfield, Wellington, CO

Technical Advisor: Cecil Stushnoff, Professor of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture CSU, Fort Collins, CO

Project Year: 2006

Proposal Summary

This project is to test the feasibility of growing Lycium barbarum, also knows as wolfberry, in Colorado. These berries are highly nutritious and have been called the most nutrient-dense food on the planet. They can be used fresh, dried, frozen, or juiced. They are a member of the tomato family and are tolerant of a range of soil types. They have been successfully grown in the Rocky Mountains in Utah and are drought tolerant once established. The bushes produce fruit in the second year of growth and yield heavily by four years. These berries have a great potential market in Colorado, sold fresh or in value-added products.