Thinking of growing some blueberries

[Mickey_Fx]

Hi guys,

I'm thinking of growing some blueberry bushes. I'm interested in seeing photos of enclosures people have made to hold fencing and netting, as well as other methods people use to keep the deer and birds out.

Thanks,
Chris

There are many varieties of Blueberries and one needs to find a variety that does well where you live. At our previous location we had a few BB's and the plants were small & didn't yield much. At the new place we only have one plant that is much larger than at the previous place but one plant is enough. Wife's the BB eater around here. She froze 4-5 qts and had plenty of fresh fruit in addition. Our plant isn't particularly tall for the BB's grown around here. There are a lot of BB farms in the area. Since we only have one plant and don't know of any others close by, the cross pollination must not be universal. Oh, there are still a few small berries on the bush that are eatable.

We do have deer & squirrels around our place but they have not gone after the berries.

 

[Bob77064]

I had some blueberry bushes and used netting. Netting did not work here because the snakes (yes more than once) got tanged and trapped in it. It is a pain to cut them out especially when you think they are dead. Be sure to have some form of irrigation, I lost the bushes during the drought.

Your wife is right on the amount of bushes unless you plan on selling the berries, 6-8 bushes will be plenty to eat berries and freeze some (after about the third year).

We had the same problem with the nets over grass seed. In the morning I would find copperheads.

 

[dmccarty]

I planted a root stock native Maine Blueberry bush last year and boy did I get alot of marble sized blueberries from this bush this year. had to freeze most of them. I think freezing them is easier than dehyd. them, just lay themin a single layer after washing them and feeze then put them in a freezer bag.

Well, frozen blueberries don't travel well and they are going to make a mess on my desk at work. Frozen berries need to be, well, frozen. :laughing::laughing::laughing: Our fruit leather lasted months in a zip lock bag before I finally ate the last one. We lost some because we did not dehydrate enough but lesson learned. We also bought vacuum sealer which should help preserve the fruit leather as well. I have a couple bags of apples on the counter I need to dry. I eat them pretty constantly and they keep well vacuum sealed in mason jars.

I eat dried fruit for lunch most days. I have been making "crackers" out of nuts and honey to go with the fruit. Very good, lasts a long time when dried, and keeps me going all day.

Dang, marble sized would be real nice.....

Later,
Dan

 

[dmccarty]

We had the same problem with the nets over grass seed. In the morning I would find copperheads.

This is really good information about the nets and snakes...

Thanks,
Dan

 

[RobertN]

Check local Master Gardeners? Or University AG Extension?

The Master Gardener chapter my wife is in, has done talks/workshops about blueberries.

 

[Western]

I had some blueberry bushes and used netting. Netting did not work here because the snakes (yes more than once) got tanged and trapped in it. It is a pain to cut them out especially when you think they are dead. Be sure to have some form of irrigation, I lost the bushes during the drought.

Your wife is right on the amount of bushes unless you plan on selling the berries, 6-8 bushes will be plenty to eat berries and freeze some (after about the third year).

Don, what variety did you have? Just curious, I have wanted to grow BB , but didn't think there was a variety that would grow well here (NTexas) . Besides the health benefits, we just like'em. I have tried several variety's of Blackberry's and finally found some that grow good in my area, Brazos River I think they are called, supposed to be a native.

 

[WayneB]

Thanks Guys,
Yes we were reading up on blueberries and found the part about using multiple varieties. The good news is you can get different ones that ripen at different times to extend t of them!you harvest over 4 to 6 weeks rather than 2 to 3 weeks.

We are also looking at Blackberry and Rasberry canes. Does it make sense to do one big enclosure and have everything under cover? It would seem so to me.

Regards,
Chris

We have blueberries blackberries and raspberries. You have to separate the raspberries from the blackberries for sure. I have our raspberries in one dedicated area (1/3 acre) lot of them. The blackberries are at least two. Feet away in a different area.

The blackberries are a tough one and picking them is really a hard job. When I planted them I was told to plant them in rows that are separated by about eight feet, at that time I thought that was way too much room so I cut it down to between 4 and 5 feet separation. The instructions also said to plant the briars about 5 to 6 feet apart, again I decided that was way too much spacing and did between 3 and 4 feet spacing. The briars were about two feet tall when I planted them, by year three they were approaching ten feet and it was a jungle. Best advice here is to follow the planting instructions. You might consider the thornless variety too. Which ever way you go I suggest you locate regional grown plants, cains and briars for the best growing chances.

We have about 24 blueberry hight bushes and they are only two years old. We planted five different varieties which expands the picking season and the plants thrive off from each other, so I was told.

I also have a small orchard that consist of old vintage apples, peaches, pears, some plums and the next project will be grapes on the hill side.

 

[Stimw]

When I bought my property in 1998 there were 6 bushes on it. I have moved volunteers and have 15 now.
Big berries are good and bad! Look at the pancake, the berries stick out both sides!!!!
I only had about 1 gallon last spring, we didn't get a freeze and it was dry most of the winter. I have gotten 15 gallons a couple years ago!
I have a problem with the tiny seeds getting under my dentures, if not caught it will feel like a golf ball after a short time!
Definitely need to get bushes for your area. The only name I can remember is Rabbit Eye. I have two varieties.

 

[forgeblast]

The berry planting guide book aka catalog i just recieved was from the indiana berry company. https://indianaberry.com/
Dan, I bought at one time 50 year old plants from a gentle man in NC. Dan Finch Blueberry Plant Nursery (North Carolina) dan finch is the company. Product was good, I just was overwhelmed with animals and did not have anything fenced in.
The highbush cranberrys do not have to be in bogs. They like damp feet and were part of the bushes we planted as part of our CREP program.
My blueberrys I have in our front garden near the house all came from Lowes, I think they had a 7 or 5 dollar a gallon plant size sale. The plants are doing fine.

I have 7 there (from home depot) (the others are by my garden). The rabbits have pruned them a little bit but they seem to be doing fine.

 

[LazySusanFarms]

To answer the original question, we are building a cheap hoop house to protect some of our blueberry bushes. Plastic in the spring to protect against frost and then netting to keep the birds out.