Blueberries Are Ripening!

I planted my first blueberry bushes approximately 7 years ago and I now have four full grown bushes and one younger one. It took a while for the bushes to get established but now that they have I’m rolling in blueberries for 6-8 weeks every year. And blueberry bushes generally live and produce 40-50 years so I’m good for a while.

To demonstrate how they grow, here is one of my bushes in 2012

And here is that same bush today under the netting

When growing blueberries it’s important that the PH level of your soil is on the acidic side. You want your soil PH to be between four and five. If it is any higher you should adjust it by applying pelleted sulfur or some type of soil acidifier. I test and usually apply a little each fall to make certain the PH stays low.

I normally do not use peat moss in my garden; however it does work well to mix some in when preparing your bed for blueberries. Compost and peat moss mixed in with your existing topsoil along with some organic fertilizer and pelletized sulfur if needed should make your blueberry bushes happy. As with most vegetables, make sure your bed is in a sunny location also. It is recommended to fertilize generously in the spring and lightly in the fall to maintain your plants and apply some type of mulch to protect your plants at least once a year.

Another important thing to know with blueberries is to plant at least two different varieties to allow for cross pollination. It is also wise to plant a variety that produces early and one late to extend your season and to pick a variety that is suitable for your climate since some are more adaptable to colder winters. Some varieties stay close to the ground while others grow over 6’ tall so plan accordingly.

After all this work it is important to keep the birds out. After all you didn’t do all this for the birds right. It is not advisable to drop netting directly on top of the bushes. I found the netting gets tangled with the branches and the blueberries start popping off. I decided to build a frame with PVC pipping. PVC is relatively inexpensive where I’m located and it is easy to get all different connectors for assembling the frame.

PVC is also easy to saw through so you can make the frame the proper size. Simply hammer an iron rod into the ground and slip the PVC over it to hold your frame in place. Once the frame is in place you can drape the net over the frame and use rocks or landscaping pins to hold the netting down. If you want to get fancy you can build some sort of a gate or door but I just crouch down and move a couple rocks to get inside to pick.

Blueberry bushes should be pruned each year after they are 2 or 3 years old. I usually wait until the fall when they are done growing to prune but you can do it in the early spring or late winter before they bloom. I find it easier to see what I’m doing with some leaves still on the bush. The older canes will eventually stop producing so they should be cut off at that point to allow room for the younger canes to come in. I will do a follow-up post in the autumn and let you see a before and after shot when I’m pruning.

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