Ruth Nakamura · June 28, 2026
There’s a particular smell to a deck stain that’s been baking in the sun all summer—something between varnish and wood dust—and that’s exactly what I noticed the moment my neighbor appeared with that sheepish grin. A mulberry branch, thick as a small tree limb, lay sprawled across her fence line like an unwelcome guest. Beneath … Read more
Ruth Nakamura · June 26, 2026
Most new mulberry growers assume that your USDA Hardiness Zone is destiny—that if you’re in Zone 5, you pick from the Zone 5 mulberries, and that settles it. But I’ve learned through growing twelve different cultivars that this assumption crumbles the moment you actually compare what different mulberry species can tolerate. The real story is … Read more
Ruth Nakamura · June 25, 2026
The third week of April found me standing beneath my oldest mulberry, secateurs in hand, surrounded by the explosive flush of springtime growth that happens every year without fail. Branches were sprawling in directions I hadn’t intended, reaching past the fence line and into territory that wasn’t theirs. As I worked through the tangle, snipping … Read more
Ruth Nakamura · June 23, 2026
Don’t expect a weeping mulberry to behave like your average ornamental tree. These grafted beauties demand specific handling, or they’ll revert to upright growth and lose the cascading form that makes them worth growing in the first place. What You’re Actually Planting It pays to understand the structure underneath before you dig a hole. Weeping … Read more
Ruth Nakamura · June 21, 2026
It was the last week of June when my kitchen became a purple disaster zone. My mulberry harvest had exploded—hands stained past the wrist, a strainer overflowing with fruit every 36 hours, and my freezer already buried under spring’s jam projects and last year’s frozen berries. I found myself at 11 PM holding a bowl … Read more
Ruth Nakamura · June 19, 2026
My neighbor Sarah showed up one afternoon holding a dark mulberry she’d plucked straight from my tree, examining it with obvious uncertainty. “Before I bite into this thing,” she said, “what’s it actually going to taste like? Sweet? Tangy? Am I about to make a face?” I get asked this constantly, and it’s one of … Read more
Ruth Nakamura · June 17, 2026
I’m standing over my harvest basket with a colander in both hands, water running cold across my palms, when I catch them—those translucent specks that weren’t there when I picked the fruit an hour ago. Tiny, threadlike things moving through the wet berries. My first instinct is to dump the whole basket and never grow … Read more
Ruth Nakamura · June 15, 2026
Medical disclaimer: I am a backyard grower, not a physician or registered dietitian. The information on this page is based on published research and personal experience, but it is not medical advice. If you are managing diabetes, heart disease, pregnancy, or any health condition, consult your healthcare provider before using mulberry products as part of … Read more
Ruth Nakamura · June 13, 2026
Eliminate branches that cross one another, remove anything dead, and cut away shoots that angle inward toward the tree’s center. Target an open vase configuration that permits light and moving air throughout the canopy. Prune in late spring or summer and you’ll trigger profuse sap bleeding—it’s not lethal but it’s messy and depletes the tree’s … Read more
Ruth Nakamura · June 6, 2026
Medical disclaimer: I am a backyard grower, not a physician or registered dietitian. The information on this page is based on published research and personal experience, but it is not medical advice. If you are managing diabetes, heart disease, pregnancy, or any health condition, consult your healthcare provider before using mulberry products as part of … Read more
