Blueberries

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GardenBear1

New Member
I would like to plant blue berries in the back yard,I only want 2 plants,I don't have lots of room for more, I'm in zone 5/6 and just not sure what kind to plant. Any and all help is needed.
Thanks for the help.
 

Bluewolf

New Member
Bear...

If you have a Lowes or Home Depot (or any garden center)
They will have the appropriate variety for your area

I got mine at Lowes when I worked there...

now you will have to dedicate the area to only the blueberries because they need a more acidic soil and fertilizer to grow effectively

Randy can give you more info when he pops in :D
 

Jade

New Member
We put in a row of blueberries when we first moved in to our new house. They are doing fabulously. We amended the soil with peat moss before planting, and after planting we mulched them with about 2 inches of peat moss before putting down the hardwood bark. I fertilize them with a granular fertilizer designed for acid loving plants in the spring when they first start leafing out and then use a liquid fert. for acid lovers about a month later. They are very easy to care for.
Good luck.
 

Randy

Super Moderator
Staff member
Yes, they are acid lovers and they like a lot of water, but not wet feet. I think Sailor has the right idea though. Check out the nurseries locally and buy two varieties that will cross-pollinate. They need each other.
 

GardenBear1

New Member
Thanks for all the help, I will start looking soon as the garden centers have them in and some day I'll have blue berries :D

Thanks again
 

plant54

New Member
GardenBear1 I planted 2 plants last year. Don't recall the name. Blueberries like an acid base soil.
This is what I did with the hope of keeping the soil acidified and more contained for the plants.
I used a 55 gal drum removing both ends and cutting it in half. digging a hole large enough for the 1/2 drum to fit in. keeping the drum about 2" above the soil line. This works good for grass trimming.
I than mixed soil, peat, pine bark an chips together and filled the 1/2 drums planting 1 blueberry plant in each. placing a layer of chips on the top as mulch.
This past fall as the snow began to fall I added about a 1/2 cup of soil acidifier to the top.
Last summer the plants did very well. At this time we have about 3' of snow so I won't know for a while what the winter did to them. It took some work doing it but it was well worth it.
 

Randy

Super Moderator
Staff member
That sounds like you did well. I have two farmer friends that both grow blueberries and I have seen the huge pile of sawdust one of them hauls in for mulching his blueberries. The pile is as big as a good sized house. He has three large blueberry fileds though and he really grows great berries. The last three years he has allowed me to come pick before the harvester came though and it takes me a little over an hour to fill a 5-gallon bucket.
 

Randy

Super Moderator
Staff member
The picture of the blueberry field is the smallest of his three fields but it also shows the remains of the sawdust pile in the background. The closeup of the blueberries was taken in a different field, the one I pick in.
 

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James27576

New Member
My former Father-in-Law has a couple of blueberry bushes, one issue he always has is poison ivy getting in with it. that stuff will grow anywhere and loves the high acid soil that the blueberries do.
 

Randy

Super Moderator
Staff member
Ouch! We don't have poison ivy here and I haven't seen poison oak for a long time. But at my age, I don't frequent the woods and forests as much as I did in times past. I wouldn't know how to get poison ivy out of the blueberry bushes, but I would hightail it down to the county exrtension office and start asking questions. Our biggest problem here with the berries is the wild blackberries that invade the other berries. The birds are adept at seeding everywhere.
 

plant54

New Member
Well the snow melted , and the blueberry plants are alive, nice green branches. I hope I have some fresh berries this year. A fresh pie sure would be nice.
 
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James27576

New Member
best blueberry pie in the world is the one made from berries you picked a few hours ago. My only problem was when I was picking, it was one for the bucket, one for the gullet. It took a while to get enough for the pie...
 

Randy

Super Moderator
Staff member
That's the way it is most of the time. But I get serious when it comes to berry picking. I will usually eat three or four to check color against taste. I pick blueberries on a friend's farm and usually bring home a 5-gallon bucket full. I was by there yesterday and I see the first blooms on the blueberries. I made some carriers several years back for berry picking and each carrier will hold four trays. The trays are cut from plastic gallon milk cartons. When full, the carrier will hold about 12 pounds of berries. I use the carriers for picking caneberries (blackberries, raspberries, boysenberries).
 

Jade

New Member
My blueberry bushes look awesome this year. The buds are all swollen. I will give them a fertilizing in three weeks or so. I don't want to push the new growth out until the danger of frost is gone...
 


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