Goumi
Elaeagnus multiflora
Fixes nitrogen; tart red berries in early summer.
Hardiness: zones 4 to 9
Light: full sun to part shade
Size: about 8 ft tall, 8 ft wide
Harvest: June to July
From: E. Asia
Drought-hardy once established
Here: Hardy in the Lake Erie shore climate (zone 6b to 7a), so it can live outdoors in the ground.
Good for: food, fixing nitrogen in the soil, pollinators.
Hardy in zones 4 to 9.
The story
Goumi is a small Eleagnus shrub from China, Korea and Japan, grown in gardens there for its tart-sweet red berries and planted by permaculture growers everywhere as a nitrogen-fixing nurse for fruit trees.
Planting
Full sun or part shade, any drained soil including poor ground; it feeds itself. Plant in spring; one shrub fruits alone, two fruit better.
Growing
Almost no care: water the first year, prune lightly after fruiting to keep it to 6 feet. It is fragrant in bloom and tough.
Harvest and use
Berries ripen red with silver speckles in early summer; they are astringent until fully soft, then sweet-tart. Good fresh, better as jam.
What to watch for
Birds; nothing much else.
See if Goumi fits your yard
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More berries and small fruit
General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home