Illinois Everbearing and Richard’s Buff Red mulberries are said to be synonyms of the same M. alba, rubra cross. I’ve been growing a couple each in Stuewe TP1020R pots for a few years and can’t tell them apart.
The black berries here are very good, about 1.5 inches long, and production lasts a long time. I’ve been eating them since the end of April and they are still putting out new ones. My other mulberry cultivars stopped producing a month ago.
As I’ve mentioned before, I dare not put them in the ground. Anything on M. alba, macroura, or rubra roots becomes a monster here within 3 years.
Yes you definitely need to allocate a circle of about 45’ to 50’ diameter where it will shade nothing else. My IE is now about 28 years old and occupies about that much space. Since I topped it and tied most scaffolds over, it now droops to the ground around the edges like a weeping willow. We go underneath to pick berries each day for most of the summer as long as I water it each night! As growing season goes the fruit ripens on the exterior more. A lot of nice berries!
Dennis
Kent, wa
