Mulberry

Morus rubra 'Illinois Everbearing'

fruit

Illinois Everbearing is the long-bearing hybrid mulberry (Morus alba x rubra), with dark blackberry-shaped fruit that ripens continuously from July through September. Each 1.5 in berry has a sweet rich complex flavor unlike any commercial fruit, and a mature tree produces 15 to 25 lb of fruit per year. Self-fertile, hardy to minus 20F, and one of the few cultivated mulberries widely adapted to cold US winters.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Comfrey — Mineral-mining mulch returns potassium to surface roots
• White Clover — Nitrogen-fixing living mulch under the canopy
• Yarrow — Attracts beneficial parasitic wasps
• Daffodils — Spring bulbs around the trunk deter voles

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Birds →

  Birds love mulberries (many growers actually plant mulberry near other fruit to lure birds away); netting works only for small trees, otherwise plant extras and share with wildlife

• Scale →

  Dormant oil spray in late winter

• Bacterial blight →

  Prune for airflow; rarely a serious problem on Illinois Everbearing

• Staining

  Site mulberry away from sidewalks, decks, and cars; ripe fruit drops continuously and stains everything beneath

🌾 Harvest & storage

Illinois Everbearing ripens continuously from July through September. Fruit ripens individually rather than all at once; spread a tarp under the tree and shake gently each morning to collect ripe drops. Ripe mulberries are uniformly dark purple-black; red-tinged fruit is underripe and tart. Eat fresh (rich complex sweetness unlike any other berry), freeze whole for smoothies and pies, or dry in a dehydrator. The fruit stains; wear old clothes.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

About 43 calories per 100 g with 1.7 g fiber, 36.4 mg vitamin C (61 percent of DV), 194 mg potassium, and high resveratrol levels. Mulberries are also an exceptional source of iron for a fruit (1.85 mg per 100 g) and contain anthocyanins, particularly cyanidin, which studies have linked to anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.