HOW TO GROW: BLUEBERRIES

 Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about

Blueberries

Not only are blueberries productive, their glorious autumn colours provide ornamental appeal. The fruit is delicious and high in antioxidants. Shrubs can be grown in the garden border or as attractive container plants.

Month by month

JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE

Plant                     Plant                   Plant                 Plant        Plant

JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER

Harvest    Harvest                           Harvest                           Plant              Plant

Grow

Blueberries are relatively easy to look after. Keep the compost or soil moist, but not soaking wet. Don’t allow it to dry out between waterings. Water plants with rainwater, not tap water, unless you have no alternative in a drought. Tap water will raise the pH level and blueberries like acidic conditions.

Ensure the soil stays at pH of 5.5 or lower, to avoid problems. Check the pH of the soil in spring and add sulphur chips if it needs lowering. This shouldn’t be necessary with container-grown plants provided ericaceous fertiliser and rainwater are used.

Feed container plants every month using a liquid fertiliser formulated for ericaceous (lime-hating) plants, following the manufacturer’s recommendations.

You may find open ground plants don't need feeding apart from the annual ericaceous mulch and a high nitrogen feed such as sulphate of ammonia in late winter. Blueberries are sensitive to overfeeding.

Pruning is rarely needed in the first two years. After that you should prune in late February to early March. Once you start pruning, you should aim to remove a quarter of old wood at the base every year to keep the plant productive.

In colder regions, many cultivars will need winter protection.  In spring, flowers may need some fleece protection if frost threatens.

Plant

Plant in a moist, well-drained, acidic soil. Blueberries prefer light soils rather than heavy clays. Choose a sunny, sheltered spot. While blueberries are tolerant of shade, better crops (and autumn colour) are obtained in the sun.

Blueberries are very fussy about soil acidity. They will not grow well if planted in alkaline soil. Soil acidity can be measured by a pH testing kit. You can buy these from most garden centres. The pH of your soil needs to be pH 5.5 or lower for blueberries to thrive. If your soil is marginally higher than this, you can try lowering the pH by adding sulphur chips well in advance of planting.

If your pH is higher you’ll be best to plant blueberries in a container. Container cultivation is often best if your soil is a heavy clay too. If growing blueberries in garden soil, add plenty of bulky, acidic organic matter such as pine needles, leafmould or composted conifer clippings. Avoid well-rotted farmyard manure as this is too rich and alkaline.

While some blueberry cultivars can produce a good crop on their own, all yield much more heavily if planted near another, different cultivar. Check the labels on the plants when you buy.

Growing in containers

If growing in a container, choose one that is at least 30cm (12in) in diameter for young plants, then move into a 45-50cm (18-20in) container when it outgrows the first one.

Select a compact cultivar for pot cultivation.When planting, place a crock (small piece of broken clay pot, or polystyrene) across the drainage hole to retain the compost. Select an ericaceous compost. You can buy this at most garden centres.

and as always have a chilled day from the Viking