Blueberries

It's always nice to have fruit in the garden, I find that blueberries are wonderful on the patio for nibbling and they add a splash of colour and they're a fantastic power food!!

Blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) require a very acid soil, (pH 4.5-5.5), which is well drained but moisture retentive. Where this cannot be provided they are best grown in 30-38cm (12-15in) diameter containers of ericaceous compost. Choose a sheltered site in full sun or part shade.

Planting

Bushes for containers can be planted at any time in good growing weather, but in the ground, plant after leaf fall (November to March). Prepare soil by digging in composted bark or sawdust. Then trim off tips of branches and remove any flower buds so the plant will establish strong roots in its first year. Space bushes 1.5m (5ft) apart, although compact cultivars can be planted closer. Mulch newly-planted blueberries with composted or chipped pine bark, or leafmould if available.

For container growing, buy a bush in a 2-litre pot and check the rootball in spring every couple of years (lift plant from its pot) to see if it needs repotting. A 50-litre pot may finally be needed.

Watering

Blueberries should be watered little and often using rainwater. Do not allow to dry out even if this means resorting to tap water in dry spells. Mulch open-grown plants with bark mulch or pine needles to conserve moisture.

Pollination and fruiting

Blueberries have two flushes of growth. In spring they bear flowers on the tips of the previous-season’s growth. These flowers become the first crop of berries. New sideshoots develop just below these berries. Later, (usually in July), strong new shoots grow from the base of the plant, and produce flower and fruit buds at their tips. This second, later crop of berries is usually plumper than the first.

Blueberries benefit from cross-pollination by other varieties, which results in better fruit set. Keep plants in a sheltered spot to encourage visits from pollinating insects.
Pick fruit in stages as it ripens, protecting from birds if necessary. Ripe fruit should part easily from the cluster and will be deep mauve with a grey bloom. Each bush can provide 2-5kg (4.5-11lb) of fruit.

Kate :o)