I planted my first mulberry tree this spring in a huglekulture pile. It is just a yard tall. Was wondering how long I will have to wait for any kind of fruiting, and I heard that these trees grow very fast under the right contions. Do you know how fast is fast?

Mona --- Well, it looks like mine may fruit for the first time at one year in the ground. Of course, I won't expect many fruits, but presumably within a few years, it will be bearing heavily.

Ours branched out a bit and roughly doubled in height, I think, during that first year. That's despite my very bad weeding job --- I let it get pretty much overwhelmed last summer!

I live in Illinois, and on my property, mulberries are weeds. Once you get one established, you will probably have them forever. I'd say these things can grow ten feet in a year. I think it is the birds that spread the seed around. Sorry I haven't watched too closely to see how soon they start fruiting.

All that being said, I am looking forward to feeding some mulberries to my hens. I have heard good things about the quality of eggs when the hens have been eating mulberries.

I also use them as an indicator of when the black raspberries will ripen. The mulberries seem to come about a week before the black raspberries.

RDG --- Yep, definitely a bit weedy, but that's a good trait in a chicken pasture since it means the tree will probably be able to survive chicken scratching without being protected soon. I'll let you know if it reseeds too much. I have a feeling no fruits will survive our chickens.