Archive for June, 2012

Blueberry Harvest

I have been growing blueberry plants in our backyard for about five years. Our blueberry harvest season runs from mid-May to late July, with June being the peak of the harvest. Every year they have been producing more berries. This morning, I harvested about 3 pints of blueberries just from the two plants in the pictures above.

All of our blueberry plants are covered with netting to reduce the number of berries that the birds eat. Each plant is covered with 3-4 layers of netting, because birds will eat through just one or two layers of netting.

My favorite way to grow blueberries is in pots. I transplanted the two plants shown in the pictures above into pots about 3 years ago. I planted them in a potting mix of about 1/3 bark, 1/3 peat moss, and 1/3 acid potting mix per Dave Wilson’s suggestion, and they have been growing and producing well. Although, the blueberry plants I have in the ground are growing and producing well too. I like growing them in pots though, because they are easier to net and harvest (less squatting). Also, growing them next to a fence makes netting a bit easier.

I am growing five different Southern Highbush varieties of blueberries that are adapted to mild winter climates. The five varieties I have are Southmoon, Jubilee, O’Neal, Sunshine Blue, and Misty. I have one plant of each variety. The two plants shown in the pictures above are Southmoon and Jubilee. My favorite varieties are Southmoon and O’Neal. My Southmoon and O’Neal plants produce the largest and tastiest berries of the 5 plants I have. My Jubilee plant produces the most berries, but they tend to be small and on the tart side, and they start to wrinkle if left on the plant too long. Misty also produces lots of small berries, although some of them are medium size.

Sunshine Blue is my third favorite variety. Its berries are a variety of sizes (large to small), and they taste very good if they are not picked too soon. Typically, the berries of all 5 varieties (particularly Misty, Sunshine and Jubilee) have to be left on the bush for several days after turning blue before they reach an ideal sweetness. Also, Sunshine Blue is a late ripening blueberry. It ripens throughout July in our yard, which is nice because it extends the harvest season an extra month.

June 16 2012 | Blueberries | Comments Off on Blueberry Harvest