Goji Juice/Berries FAQ

In this FAQ section I have posted questions from e-mails I have recieved along with their responses, which contain a great deal of useful information. I have grouped it into two sections: one about growing goji berries (you can find more detailed information about growing goji berries here) and one about buying the juice and berries (if you are looking to buy goji juice check this page out for some product comparisons).

Growing Goji Berries

I live in Grayling Michigan and fortunately it seems like it might be a good spot to grow goji's (comparatively) to the goji's that come from the Himalayans... ...Can you offer some direction as to where would be a good location to get authentic berries?

I've done searches on the internet but many places are into just promoting their berries among all others as 'the best' or 'only authentic'.

Could you help an aspiring health brother out?

A: I ordered a bunch of dried goji berries from www.gojiberries.us for consumption purposes, but discovered that each berry contains somewhere around a couple dozen seeds. I have so far germinated 7 seeds and the first two plants, which I planted a couple of months ago, are getting to be fair-sized and I can tell that they are definitely goji berry plants.

As for authentic, I'm not sure there is such a thing as unauthentic goji berries, just a bunch of companies trying to stand out and pretend they are special so that you will buy their berries. I personally wouldn't buy from a company who claims they have something special unless they can prove it, and it doesn't seem to me that any of them can. As for companies claiming that their berries are the only berries from Tibet, etc., I really don't think it matters, unless the soil is less rich where they are grown elsewhere (which I admit is a definite possibility).

Additionally, there are companies who claim they are the only supplier of berries from Tibet, and other companies who claim they also get their berries from there, so who do you believe? Iin terms of getting seeds, however, it really doesn't matter! They sell "seed pods" (goji berries with seeds in them) at www.gojiberries.us, but you could also just buy a bag of berries from somewhere and get a bunch of seeds from them and eat the rest (seeds from sun dried berries may not germinate as well, not sure). The plants are apparently hardy to zone 7 (I have to grow mine in pots to bring inside during the cold season). Hope this helps!

A: You haven't waited long enough yet, be patient. It could take weeks, and I only just sent them a little over a week ago. You just have to keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy, and don't disturb the soil (use a spray bottle set to mist). It is also best to use a light-weight soil mix, preferably even one specifically for seeding.


Q: I live in FL and want to grow my own berries. Are the seeds in the dried berries good to plant? How do I make sure I always have the proper amount of nutrients in the soil?

A: There are maybe 20 or 30 seeds in every berry, and out of the seeds I've planted, about 75% of them have germinated. If you make sure to add organic matter to the soil (replace some of the old soil) once or twice a year, your berries should be good. They don't need any chemical fertilizer. Vermiculite, rotted manuar, and compost are best, and you can add all of them, but the plants do best in "moderately fertile soil"


Buying Goji Juice / Berries

Q: ... I've done searches on the internet but many places are into just promoting their berries among all others as 'the best' or 'only authentic'.
A: See the first question in the Growing Goji Berries area above, as part of this question applied to both areas.