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GROWING BLUEBERRIES

Growing blueberries in your garden gives you with the juiciest, healthiest fruit you could wish for. We will show you how to get the best results

Blueberries
Just about everybody has heard of blueberry pie, and by growing blueberries in your own backyard you will be able to bake the best tasting pies around.
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Growing blueberries of your own will give you one of the most delicious tasting fruits around and will be far superior to the commercially grown types. These have probably been picked too early, to arrive in the supermarkets hopefully almost ripe, but by then they have probably lost most of their vitamin C & E values for which they are noted. The fruit is also renowned for containing fructose, fiber, and antioxidants, which researchers say is a great health benefit. So with this in mind, why not grow your own.

Start the preparation of your site as early as possible, autumn is the ideal time. A position in full sun is ideal though they will tolerate some shade. Mix in good amounts of well rotted compost and organic matter, and you can take advantage of the frosts to break down the compost even more over the winter so that you are ready for planting in spring. The soil for growing blueberries needs to be a well draining acidic type in the pH range of 4.0 to 4.5.

Containers can be used very successfully for growing blueberries and this is a good option if you cannot provide the right type of soil in your garden beds. The Dwarf Northsky Blueberry is a great choice for container growing with an attractive compact mounding habit. Another option is using raised garden beds where again you can add the specific type of soil required for growing blueberries. This  All Natural Blueberry Food is made from plant and animal by-products and enhanced with minerals and natural trace elements to help maintain acid pH.

Landscape with Fruit
It’s a good idea to install drip irrigation when you are growing blueberries as they like to be kept moist and this system will help to reduce mildew on the leaves. Keep good amounts of mulch around your plants which also helps to reduce weeding and moderates the temperature of the soil. Mulching is especially important when growing blueberries as they have a very shallow root system.
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Spring time is best to plant your trees so scout around the reputable garden or nursery stores to find out the most appropriate type for your area (there are lots to choose from). Look for healthy young plants and choose disease resistant varieties. If you’re in a hurry for that delicious tasting fruit you should look at 3 year old trees. Buy more than one to improve pollination, and plant them about 8 feet apart.

Water them in generously and promote good root growth by keeping nice and moist over the next 2 months. After that, a couple of inches weekly during summer will prevent them drying out.

Bushes take at least three years to produce fruit and any fruit that appears before this should be removed to encourage the plant to grow stronger and produce greater harvests in the years to come. Once the fruit has turned blue on a mature bush, you should leave it up to a week before harvesting to allow it to fully ripen and develop a sweet taste.

Dwarf NorthskyMaintenance is minimal; add fertilizer in springtime and to promote next years buds fertilize again in late summer. Your blueberry bush should thrive for many years.

Pests and diseases are not too much of a problem when growing blueberries; aphids and caterpillars might need spraying on the odd occasion or you can handpick them off, however, birds can create havoc, as they just love those juicy berries. We recommend you use Garden Netting if you want a share of your fruit.

When growing blueberries you will find that they tend to overproduce so pruning is essential for a good healthy tree, sure you will get less fruit, but you’re compensated with larger berries.

Start your pruning in late winter when the plant is dormant. First look for and remove diseased or broken branches to the base, also look for dead branches which will be a grey looking color as opposed to red, with no buds on and cut these back to the main trunk. Then look for branches which are crossing each other and cut these off to the main trunk also. This allows that essential airflow through the tree, and also improves sunlight reaching the fruit. Keep the bushes to a height you can manage as this makes it easier to pick your berries and to apply the netting. It’s essential you do not cut away more than 50% of new growth.

To help maintain the acidic value of the soil that is used for growing blueberries you can top-dress with fir or pine sawdust.