Slow blueberries

[Dingeryote]

what other varieties do you grow? We grow duke, elliot bluecrop and liberty. I wa spraying our 5 year old bluecrop yesterday and it was a nightmare with our m8540n, too many branches on the ground that are laden with fruit despite the fact that they are trellised

Jerseys, and Bluecrop primarily. Got several rows of older varietys, Pembertons, Rubles, Stanleys, and Darrows, just because I enjoy beating myself up.

Trellised? I don't think I have ever seen anyone go that route.

I hear ya on the middles getting tight though, even the Jerseys are rubbing the windows and smacking the windshield, and we pruned HEAVY last winter.
In the Bluecrop fields, I'm running over lower shoots and canes that are drooping.
I scouted for Phomopsis and Mummy shoot strikes, and it's just plain old weight causing the droop, with a few localized spots of frost damage weakened canes. It's nuts. My Pickers are going to snivel, and the harvester wont even get low enough to hook a cane and stand them up untill they get picked a bit by hand. I might look at Trellising if this sort of thing becomes regular.

Biggest PITA this year, is the damned Blackberry, Sassafrass, and Sumac exploding all over, after the drought.
All that crap was near dormant when sprayed early last fall, and it did absolutely no good. And here I was thinking I finally got ahead of it.

You guys get price projections yet?
Looks like us, then you guys, are gonna get HOSED.
MBG is still sitting on half a seasons B grade from last year, and Fresh pack is going to be flooded.

 

[Dingeryote]

I've wanted to plant some for years now. I've asked some friends who have them for opinions and was told that you needed more than one variety. So what varieties are people having good success with in New England and NY? I know I'm not going to pay $3 for a tiny container at the store.

I'll sell ya a dadgum Semi-trailer full for $1.50lb, and spare you the headaches of growing your own.:laughing:

In your area, the mid-late season High bush varietys will do well. Jerseys are a safe bet, as is Bluecrop. Patriots do well too, and IMO have a flavor advantage over Blue crop, the only issue bieng they are a half high cultivar. Dadgum Jerseys are about as reliable as they get though.

Check with the local state Ag extension, on what other folks are having the best luck with.

 

[PANNU98]

NAH, we dont have any projections but hopefully they are atleast more than a dollar/lbs, i've always wondered if the rates where same in michigan because i know that they are the same in wa. what where you getting at the start of bluecrop last year? we where at 1.20 if i recall correctly.

Jerseys, and Bluecrop primarily. Got several rows of older varietys, Pembertons, Rubles, Stanleys, and Darrows, just because I enjoy beating myself up.

Trellised? I don't think I have ever seen anyone go that route.

I hear ya on the middles getting tight though, even the Jerseys are rubbing the windows and smacking the windshield, and we pruned HEAVY last winter.
In the Bluecrop fields, I'm running over lower shoots and canes that are drooping.
I scouted for Phomopsis and Mummy shoot strikes, and it's just plain old weight causing the droop, with a few localized spots of frost damage weakened canes. It's nuts. My Pickers are going to snivel, and the harvester wont even get low enough to hook a cane and stand them up untill they get picked a bit by hand. I might look at Trellising if this sort of thing becomes regular.

Biggest PITA this year, is the damned Blackberry, Sassafrass, and Sumac exploding all over, after the drought.
All that crap was near dormant when sprayed early last fall, and it did absolutely no good. And here I was thinking I finally got ahead of it.

You guys get price projections yet?
Looks like us, then you guys, are gonna get HOSED.
MBG is still sitting on half a seasons B grade from last year, and Fresh pack is going to be flooded.

 

[clemsonfor]

This time last year, I'd been picking blueberries for two weeks, but I haven't seen a ripe one yet this year. It does look like we're going to have more berries than last year. How are your blueberries doing?

btw, this is in southeast virginia.

Keith

This year we here in SC actually had a spring, i would say that seasonally we are an easy 2 weeks behind last year.

Last year in my area you could of had your garden in the first week of march and been ok, no frost and warm days. this year i got it in late may and planted in mid april...i think. It was still cool then and things seemed not to do well till mid may!

 

[Dr_Zinj]

Several more weeks to go before the blueberries are ripe here in NH.

So how do you freeze your blueberries?
I usually wash and set them in towel covered trays to dry & pick the leaves, twigs, and bad ones out.
Once dry, I set the trays in the freezer so they all freeze individually. I then pour them into 1 gallon freezer bags.

Individually frozen berries are easy to scoop and measure for baking, or any other use for that matter. They make good frappes, but blueberry margaritas don't seem come out as well as strawberry ones because of the thicker skins on blueberries.

 

[clemsonfor]

my cousin in upstate SC has ripe ble berries.

When i first opened this thread and thought it was about slow growing plants. Which i think mine are, i think this is year 2 and they dont seem very tall? Well last year was really dry and the year before as well. Lost one of them so far, and one this year came out like normal and then was top killed?? Its root sprouting so its not dead yet but we have had the wettest late winter and spring that we have had in years, it makes no sense that it died?

 

[KTurner]

I just came back from outside and I can report we're starting to see ripe blueberries here in southeast VA. Not many, I saw and picked a handful. The wife is doing a quality control check on those right now

Keith

 

[Dingeryote]

NAH, we dont have any projections but hopefully they are atleast more than a dollar/lbs, i've always wondered if the rates where same in michigan because i know that they are the same in wa. what where you getting at the start of bluecrop last year? we where at 1.20 if i recall correctly.

Start of last year? IIRC it was 1.30 at most of the processors, give or take a nickle or two. It was lower during the early season though.
Posted price dosn't mean anything much either. Most have private agreements with larger growers to pay above the posted price as long as specified volumes are delivered.

I dunno about getting a Buck this year. Rumors are flying, as folks speculate, but it really looks like we will be lucky to get 90 cents.
Just too big of a crop, and too many growers shifting to fresh pack, thanks to the bottom falling out of the process market with all the imports.

I dunno if we will break even on the Machine harvested stuff. It's looking like 30-40 cents if a guy can get it, and thanks to the Drosophila fly, inputs are going to be up around 25 before labor is figured in.

Hang on to your hat!
It's gonna be one of those years..

 

[cqaigy2]

So how do you freeze your blueberries?
I usually wash and set them in towel covered trays to dry & pick the leaves, twigs, and bad ones out.
Once dry, I set the trays in the freezer so they all freeze individually. I then pour them into 1 gallon freezer bags.

Individually frozen berries are easy to scoop and measure for baking, or any other use for that matter. They make good frappes, but blueberry margaritas don't seem come out as well as strawberry ones because of the thicker skins on blueberries.

That's how we do them too. Also like to do that with black berrys too. They taste great, frozen in a bowl then make up a little "sauce" of cream cheese, brown sugar, and something to make it liquid to pour over them.

 

[Dingeryote]

my cousin in upstate SC has ripe ble berries.

When i first opened this thread and thought it was about slow growing plants. Which i think mine are, i think this is year 2 and they dont seem very tall? Well last year was really dry and the year before as well. Lost one of them so far, and one this year came out like normal and then was top killed?? Its root sprouting so its not dead yet but we have had the wettest late winter and spring that we have had in years, it makes no sense that it died?

"Top Killed"? Did you guys get an early frost last fall, or late freeze this spring?
Usually, new growth dying back on newly planted bushes, is related to frost, or Phomopsis.
Sometimes though, when starved due to bieng rootbound or blocked N uptake, new growth will get sacrificed.

What's your soil ph, and drainage? Sandy loam or heavy ground? Amendments?
Did you break up the root ball when planting?
What fertilizer?
Pics would help.