How to Grow Goji Berries

By the SoilCommander Editorial Team, under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder · · How we check our facts

On this page
  1. Goji Berry (Lycium barbarum)
  2. At a Glance
  3. Quick Facts
  4. Soil & Growing Conditions
  5. Growth Stages
  6. Harvest & Storage
  7. Diseases
  8. Pests
  9. Plan your Goji Berries planting
  10. Growing Goji Berry in another region
  11. Sources
  12. Frequently Asked Questions

Goji berries (Lycium barbarum) — Hardy deciduous shrub, 5-10 years to full maturity.

The short answer

Site
6+ hours of sun, soil pH 5.5–8
Biggest risk
Powdery mildew

Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.

Goji Berry (Lycium barbarum)

Clusters of ripe red goji berries hanging from the shrub — “Lycium barbarum - Oberhausen - Lipperstraße - Knappenhalde - Y 01 ies” by Frank Vincentz is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

3 sources cited · Verified

At a Glance

Dried goji berries for sale in a market
Dried goji berries for sale in a market. Photo by Zhiufook Hung Kwanling, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Lycium barbarum Goji Berry Powdery mildew Birds (fruit) Aphids DISEASES PESTS

Quick Facts

Clusters of ripe red goji berries hanging from the shrub
Clusters of ripe red goji berries hanging from the shrub. Photo: “Lycium barbarum - Oberhausen - Lipperstraße - Knappenhalde - Y 01 ies” by Frank Vincentz, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Factor Value
Soil pH 5.5 - 8
Sunlight 6-8 hours direct sun
Soil texture Clay, loam or sand (RHS); tolerates a wide range, drought-tolerant once established (NC State Extension)
Drainage Moist but well-drained or well-drained; free-draining preferred (RHS)
Lifecycle Hardy deciduous shrub, 5-10 years to full maturity (RHS)
Edible parts fruit

Soil & Growing Conditions

Goji growing as a dense sprawling hedgerow shrub
Goji growing as a dense sprawling hedgerow shrub. Photo by Katrin Schneider / korina.info, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Soil pH range

5.5 8

Span reflects genuine variation between the cited authorities, not a single agreed figure.

Growth Stages

A goji flower next to developing green fruit
A goji flower next to developing green fruit. Photo by AnRo0002, CC0.
Stage BBCH Notes
Propagation and establishment 0 Propagate by seed indoors in spring, hardwood cuttings in winter, softwood cuttings in early summer, layering in autumn, or suckers in late winter (RHS). Train against a wall or fence, or stake, since the plant naturally sprawls (RHS; NC State Extension).
Vegetative growth 3 Grow in full sun in free-draining soil enriched with compost. Once established, tolerates wind, salt-laden air and drought (RHS).
Flowering and fruit set 6 Begins fruiting after 2-3 years (RHS).
Harvest 8 Harvest from late summer until first frosts; only fully ripe fruit is edible, and it should be shaken onto a sheet rather than hand-picked, since handling turns unripe fruit black (RHS).

Harvest & Storage

A dense cluster of ripe red goji berries
A dense cluster of ripe red goji berries. Photo: “Lycium barbarum - Oberhausen - Lipperstraße - Knappenhalde - Y 02 ies” by Frank Vincentz, CC BY-SA 3.0.

When to pick: Harvest from late summer until the first frosts (RHS). Only fully ripe fruit is edible; it turns black if handled, so shake berries gently onto a sheet laid beneath the plant rather than picking by hand (RHS).

Diseases

RHS names powdery mildew as a disease risk.

Pests

Birds (fruit)
moderate

Aves

low

Aphididae (various spp.)

RHS names aphids as a pest risk.

Plan your Goji Berries planting

Timing for Goji Berries follows soil temperature and frost, not the calendar date. The Global vegetable planting calendar explains the method. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.

Growing Goji Berry in another region

Planting dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.

Sources

  1. PFAF entry for Lycium barbarum. Fetched and parsed directly for the USDA hardiness rating.

These source is specific to this region. The full list of 3 sources behind this guide (North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, Plants For A Future (PFAF), Royal Horticultural Society) is in the references of our UK guide to goji berries; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.

Frequently Asked Questions

What soil pH do goji berries need?

A pH of about 5.5–8. That span reflects genuine variation between the authorities we cite rather than a single agreed figure — the References section lists each source's exact range.

What problems affect goji berries?

Our data links 1 disease and 2 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.

Plan next season before the problems start

This page gives you the thresholds; the planner turns them into your own calendar. It works from what you can observe and measure in your garden rather than from dates written for somebody else’s latitude.

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SoilCommander Editorial Team — under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder

Every growing guide is checked against RHS, USDA Cooperative Extension, and other named horticultural authorities before publishing. How we check our facts.

How this guide is put together

The growing data on this page — planting windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against international horticultural research and extension sources. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.

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Last verified 2026-09-03

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