Interesting question. I am no expert in huckleberry cultivation, but I do know that they like moist, acidic soil with a lot of organic matter and dead wood -- the exact type of conditions you find in an undisturbed forest area. I think you'd have a lot of trouble "transplanting" something used to those conditions into your typical back yard. Also, I imagine those bushes could be very old, and it would be impossible (and maybe illegal) to dig them up.

Huckleberries aren't very commonly sold for cultivation in our area, and I think they are rather hard to grow. So even if you were willing to buy a plant, it might be something of a project. Does HD even sell them?

Maybe your grandmother could show you where her special bushes are, and you could pick them for her. (Or, if you don't want to, I will!)

It's also worth considering that quite possibly a large part of her pleasure in the berries has to do precisely with going into the deep forest and picking them. I also love to pick wild berries, and I find it much more gratifying than going to a farm and picking off cultivated plants. Perhaps having her special spot in the forest and being out in nature is the true pleasure?

Anyway, I hope someone else more knowledgeable than I comes along with more optimistic advice.

i posted the question on the fruit forum also and am hoping someone has advice. as for the pleasure of picking the berries- i'm there whenever i can catch her! she's a sneaky little thing, wandering out of the house at 5 am even if we have a prearranged date and telling me "I didn't want to wake you" or "The Russians were coming so I had to beat them to the bushes" (the local bungalow colony is Russian:). and i know while she'd prefer going out by herself, she's told me she can't. in the end, she'd rather have the berries closer than none at all. I'll see what fruit forum says and may try talking to the naturalists/botanists at cornell or minnewaska to find out if they have advice. (and no fear of illegal action since the bushes are on our uncultivated land- we've left over an acre where there's barely a path).
thanks though. and if we do make a go of it, maybe i will post a berry picking invite. until then, the secret of the berry bushes is safe with grandma!

Your grandmother sounds like a great woman -- I wish you have good luck with growing her some berries!

The secret to transplanting them is getting a good chunk of dirt around the roots. It may be a bit late in the season this year - they'd do better if moved when dormant. Maybe if you dug around a couple of the smaller bushes but didn't dig them up, they'd form a more compact root system so they could be moved either this fall or in spring.
OTOH how about just planting a couple of blueberries which are available in pots at most nurseries. But be aware that they too like acid, moist soils. If you're in the Minnewaska area, the soils are naturally acid.
I have some setigera roses that came from a roadside there.

You might want to talk to the folks at that Native Nursery on Upper Cherrytown Road. Sounds like you are nearby...

Lee Reich is from New Paltz and has written books on growing fruit. He's the local expert. I'm sure you can find him in the phone book, online, or through the Woodstock Times where he writes a gardening column. Good luck. Your grandma is lucky to have you.

I hope it is not too late to get back to you. I have read that cuttings are the most reliable way to propagate them. You can expect up to 100% from hardwood cuttings taken from November to April. I would be happy to try to root cuttings for you in my greenhouse under mist if you would like to send me some cutting wood.

I am so glad you aren't going to let the knowledge of your grandmother be lost!

Good luck!

Transplanting huckleberries from the wild to the garden can be difficult and damaging to the colony of bushes.Huckleberries have a horizontal root system which are very difficult to dig up with out killing,also what one might think is a baby bush maybe a plant coming from the root system of another.Digging it up may result in killing an old growth bush near by and all the small bushes attached to the root system,plus other roots that may be horizontally though the the area of the dig up. I recommend starting from seed of the wildberry so we can preserve them for our future generations and wildlife.I enjoy going to the woods and collecting red and purple huckleberries,i am also secretive when it comes to letting others know were the bushes are like your grandmother,she is a very wise woman and respects the plants as i do.

I would like to know if anybody is really successful at propagating Vaccinum Deliciosum. I have been working at this for the last several years and starting to feel comfortable about succeeding. However it looks like it will be at least 5 to 10 years before considering a harvest. They have proved to extremely delicate. Thanks

Perhaps it would be good for your grandmother if you made a path wide enough for a golf,etc. and drove her to the bushes in their original position.