My Blueberries

[Tania]

Try asking resturants or coffeeshops to save their grounds for you.  If you make it a regular habit to get them, the resturant will be happy to share what would otherwise be garbage.

Starbucks normally has a basket inside their shops, with free coffee grounds.

[Tania]

Mann....sometimes the phrase "no pain, no gain" really does mean "no pain! no gain!"   Took a break from painting and picked what I believe is the 2nd to the last harvest from my EB BBs. There are a few that are ripening, but those will be for snacking while watering or working. The rest will be the final harvest, and then there are the berries from the Tophats in pots, which are just starting to ripen!.

Here's yesterday's harvest... 2oz. shy of a pound!

Last week I made Giant BB Pancakes, and a BB German pancake! DELICIOUS!!!

[kebaldwin]

It's a good organic fertilizer, not just an acidifier. You could use it as the strip (at least 3 cups).

Its got sulfur - isn't that the acidifier?

http://www.espoma.com/p_consumer/pdf/products/tones/Esp_Holly.pdf

[Tania]

I've noticed that nowadays it's rare to see a "bareroot" BB plant. My guess is, if there are any at all, they have to come from an area where the plants will actaully go DORMANT!  As far as MY plants go....FORGET IT!!!  Unless that dead and re-vived BB was dormant all this time. From my observations here in "So Cal" Zone 10. My plants (Misty, Sunshine & O'Neal)...
1. June/July - End of harvest season. New cane/shoot and lateral growth begins
2. August & Sept - new growth still coming up? Tip prune new canes to desired height. Time to begin   
   pruning out old wood!
3. October - Buds begin to grow, and begin to bloom during 4th week.
4. Nov/Dec - Buds still blooming! Berries are growing. New growth still present?
5. Jan thru March - Berries continue to grow. Any new growth?
6. End of March/April - The first berries begin to ripen!
7. April - July  - BB Harvest time!
Any Time frame available for plants to go under hybernation/dormant? nope! This is all just my observation. I'm curious to know what behavioral patterns BB plants have in other areas.


New canes and shoots from older canes are coming up! There are also some lateral branches growing out. This is early from what I've noticed in the past. Normally I get new growth in July.
I think I'll be cutting out the two thickest (oldest) canes on this bush.


This is the BB plant that was dead, so I thought!


Tophat Blueberries in faux bamboo pots, just starting to ripen.

[odyhill]

Tania, I'm looking at your pics and seeing your bushes stacked in the back so I'm thinking your varieties are the low bush, then I look on the variety charts and you have southern high bush which is supposed to grow 6-8 feet which would put those stacked plants about 10 feet at the top and yours look to be much lower, my question is, do you cut them back so they don't grow as high or they just haven't fully grown up yet. I live in zone 10 only South Florida and have been looking into blueberries. You have a very impressive looking garden of them. Thank you for all the info on them, Bill

[Tania]

Tania, I'm looking at your pics and seeing your bushes stacked in the back so I'm thinking your varieties are the low bush, then I look on the variety charts and you have southern high bush which is supposed to grow 6-8 feet which would put those stacked plants about 10 feet at the top and yours look to be much lower, my question is, do you cut them back so they don't grow as high or they just haven't fully grown up yet. I live in zone 10 only South Florida and have been looking into blueberries. You have a very impressive looking garden of them. Thank you for all the info on them, Bill

You're welcome Bill!  You are correct!...I prune them (new growth) to the desired height I want them to be at. When new growth grows from those cut back canes, I just pinch them back.  This is best for me because I have two per EB. Plus now with having them raised in the back, I need to be able to reach the berries....can't have them too high! 

[Tania]

Did some Blueberry Picking!!!  My poor plants were surrounded by weeds!  They are so forgiving!  

2lbs 13.8oz.  They're in a 2.2 Qt Pyrex

[grandmamac]

Tania - you inspired me to grow blueberries; thank you. I just have two [so far] but  am looking forward to the berries. Here in Scotland the plants do go dormant from November till March. Even though we had an early and severe winter, they kept their leaves and have grown new ones now. I can see buds coming on the 'Sunshine Blue' - so exciting.

Thanks so much - your enthusiasm has led me into new territory

Carol

[acanfield]

Tania - how many Blueberry plants did you harvest from to get that amount of berries?  I'm so impressed!

[Deb]

Wow, I didn't even think of them getting ripe yet.  Most of the blurbs I've read in the catalogs say they bear in July - September depending on variety.

Clearly they aren't considering California growth.

I'm still waiting to see if mine survived the winter.  They either went dormant or died.

Deb

[Tania]

Tania - you inspired me to grow blueberries; thank you. I just have two [so far] but  am looking forward to the berries. Here in Scotland the plants do go dormant from November till March. Even though we had an early and severe winter, they kept their leaves and have grown new ones now. I can see buds coming on the 'Sunshine Blue' - so exciting.

Thanks so much - your enthusiasm has led me into new territory

Carol

You are too kind Carol. I'm glad I can be an inspiration to you! lol!  I'm excited that your buds are developing!  I can't wait for you to try your berries!  You'll see once you taste home grown, you'll want to have more plants!  I wish my plants would go dormant. It seems they finish producing, new growth grows, and buds start to develop again, and about 6 months later, it's picking time!  It's good to have different varieties for a longer picking season!

Tania - how many Blueberry plants did you harvest from to get that amount of berries?  I'm so impressed!

I picked here and there from 16 of my plants that are in EBs.  I heard once, that 12 plants would be the ideal for a family of 4.  12 plants are just barely enough for my 5 year old niece!  If it weren't for my garden security guard (my cat), she'd run in there and eat them all buffet style! lol! I have 4 more plants that will go into EBs, and 6 that are in pots.

Wow, I didn't even think of them getting ripe yet.  Most of the blurbs I've read in the catalogs say they bear in July - September depending on variety.

Clearly they aren't considering California growth.

I'm still waiting to see if mine survived the winter.  They either went dormant or died.

Deb

It does depend on the variety and also where you live. Whe have whacky weather here in Ca.  And plants get easily thrown off in the fall and winter, where we can still reach temps in the 90's. I think that's why mine just don't go dormant, which is funny because other plants like raspberries do go dormant.  I do hope your plants are fine!

Tania ~_~

[jmenoy]

Perhaps a silly question... but how do you get the new mulch covers on the plants?

My covers rip and fall apart each winter, so I'm assuming you must replace them each year... but can't figure out how you get them over the plants. Thanks!

[Tania]

Perhaps a silly question... but how do you get the new mulch covers on the plants?

My covers rip and fall apart each winter, so I'm assuming you must replace them each year... but can't figure out how you get them over the plants. Thanks!

Haha! I should have changed the covers from two of them last year, but I'm lazy and didn't!  I have fabric mulch on all but two, and old fallen apart plastic on two, and those I WILL change soon!  I will probably swap out the fabric ones with a white plastic during the summer, because the fabric IS breathable and does allow for evaporation on the surface of the soil during hot summer days. 

My covers are in two parts, which over lay eachother about 5 to 6 inches in the center. Basically two squares with a slit in the middle out to one side, and in the middle there is an opening to accomodate for the trunk of the plant.  I slip them over, and slightly overlap the split ends to pin closed with floral pins. Slip the other half onto the soil and around the trunk, pin it closed , and then tuck in the edge all around.

It's easier to show you than to describe it to you, and I don't have a program on this computer where I can draw a diagram, so I just drew one by hand and took a picture!  I hope you can understand it.

You can also cut out a big rectangle and cut the slits on the ends and pin them closed there instead of cutting two halves and over lapping in the center. 

[odyhill]

Well shoot, I had planted 10 blueberry bushes starting last Sept, 2 in Sept and 2 in Oct, 2 more in Feb, and the latest 2 being planted in late March, they were bought in Va in early March. We went away for 10 days and when we got back I had 2 dead and 2 on their last legs. A neighbor had watered them 5 days before we got home and she said they looked like they were on their way out then. The 4 that are gone were the last that I planted so My thinking is that I need to plant them in the fall just before the weather gets cool. The 2 I bought in Va were the first to go and I think the shock of being raised up there in cool Va then coming to the warm Florida weather might have something to do with it. and all 4 were just planted to late to survive.
I have them planted in a Lambert Sphagnum peat moss pine bark mulch and throw coffee grounds in there mixing in acidic fertilizer and Espoma soil acidifier mixed to the bag specs. I must admit that I let the blueberries stay on instead of picking them off so that may have helped them get sick, they tasted good though. I'll wait til fall to replace them

[mark]

Tania:  Great job on the blueberries.  Guess I'll have to buy another EB.  Gotta have some blueberries.