High-tech tomatoes. Mysterious milk. Supersquash. Are we supposed to eat this stuff? Or is it going to eat us?

Annita Manning

Growing Your Own Blueberries - Tips

from the Localvore Workshop Led by Helen Whybrow on 7/31/07

Soil Preferences:

• Blueberries do well in poor soils.
• They perform best in sandy loam, but will tolerate clay.
• Locate in well-drained soil.
• PH is important. They need slightly acidic soil in the 4.5 to no higher than 5.8.
• Lower the PH (to make it more acidic) by adding sulfur, coffee grounds, saw dust to soil and mulching with woodchips (from soft woods, such as cedar, hemlock or pine).

Planting:

• Best to plant in spring, but can up through the fall.
• Can plant dry-root plants (no root ball) – these are ordered from a nursery and they will arrive in April looking like twigs.
• Dig hole, put in a small amount of compost, add plant and cover with soil, pine needles, sawdust.
• Mulch heavily, but leave a hollow around the stem. Mulch protects the shallow roots from the winter.
• Plant at least two varieties that blossom concurrently, as blueberries cross pollinate.
• Plant in a row, five feet apart from stem to stem.
• High bush bushes will grow to 6’. Mid-bush berries to 4’.
• Select varieties based on hardiness, height, fruiting season (early or late).
• Knoll Farm has these varieties: Patriot, Northland, North Blue, Chippewa, North Ray and Duke.
• Four productive bushes should produce enough for a household’s annual needs.
• A bush can last 20 to 30 years.

Care:

• Primary nutrient need is nitrogen. Best application of nitrogen is via fish emulsion or seedweed, cottonseed meal. Avoid composting as this is too rich.
• Fertilize in spring when blossoms form.
• Fruit is born on second year canes. Trim off dead cane.
• Bush can be “shrubby”.
• Primary disease of concern is mummy-berry – a fungus that withers the cane. If you see fungal activity around plant in spring, pull up. Cut off and remove (burn) any withering canes.
• Use netting or color ribbon strung along the tops of the bushes to keep birds at bay.
• Squirrels can be a problem; avoid squirrel habitats (like brush or wood piles).
• Deer are usually only interested in the plants in the spring when buds are young. Is problematic only when the bush is small/young.
• You can get away w/o watering in most VT summers.