New in our assortment: Katahdin®

Katahdin® is a new variety from MSU (Michigan State University). It is a highly productive cultivar with excellent quality berries, suitable for all northern highbush production areas. Katahdin® plants are vigorous and upright. The branches can droop when laden with berries. The plants have many branches, moderate branching, and the fruit is easy to pick due to good accessibility. The berries are large and have good firmness and flavor.

The ripening time of 'Katahdin®' overlaps with that of the widely planted mid-season cultivars 'Draper' and 'Bluecrop'. 'Katahdin®' has larger, firmer fruit than 'Bluecrop' and has a similar fruit quality to Draper. It is more vigorous than 'Draper' and 'Katahdin®' is also more productive. 'Katahdin®' is intended as an alternative to 'Draper' because Kathadin grows faster and more upright.

In multi-location trials, 'Katahdin®' has proven to be an extremely upright, very vigorous shrub. It ripens in the early to mid-season. The fruits are of good to excellent size, color, firmness, and flavor. This new cultivar produces good to excellent yields every year.

Katahdin® has much better planting characteristics than Bluecrop and is more winter hardy. Its growth is more upright and vigorous than Draper, with comparable berry quality.