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Re: On Fruits

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

>Has anyone had experience with blueberries?

I planted some blueberries in my front yard a few years ago. Since all my
neighbors have beautiful azaleas, I thought blueberries might do well
(since both like acid soil). They haven't required much special care, and
haven't been bothered by pests at all. I water them with a soaker hose one
or two times a week during the hottest part of the summer. I also cut the
branches off my Xmas tree each year and mulch the bushes with them. By
spring, the branches have dried up enough that I can quickly chop them into
smaller pieces. I add some pine bark mulch at the same time.

Last year was the first year I got a significant amount of berries. It was
a lot of fun, being able to bake my first blueberry pie! I didn't have much
problems with birds at first; I guess because we didn't really get much of
a winter, the berries were ripening earlier than usual, and the birds
didn't realize it at first. However, once they did catch on, they got very
greedy. I covered the bushes with netting, but the occasional bird could
still get under (and a couple got trapped, much to the delight of a
neighbor's cat). Next time, I think I'll rely less on netting and try to
come up with something that will scare the birds away. The pie tin I hung
from the branches of my cherry tree really seemed to do the trick (or maybe
the birds just weren't in the mood for cherries last year?)

Unfortunately, when I planted my blueberries, I didn't know that in a few
years we'd be needing to build a wheelchair ramp (for my daughter). So I
had to move three of the bushes. One of them didn't make it :( The other
two I moved look OK; I guess I'll just have to keep an eye on them.

Judi
 zone 7

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Judi Hammett
Baltimore, Maryland USA
judi@abs.net
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