Growing Blueberries From Planting to Harvest

[Music] blueberries are one of nature's superfoods crammed with essential nutrients like vitamins k and c minerals such as manganese and health boosting polyphenols they've even been proven to boost the old grey matter best get munching some more then if you want to include this fabulous fruit in your garden there's no time like the present to get planting so here then is our planting to harvest guide to blueberries [Music] you'll get the most from your blueberries if you can provide a sheltered site free from buffeting winds in full sunshine to help those beautiful dusky berries mature the bushes are hardy but avoid frost prone areas of the garden which can hamper the springtime flowers most varieties are self-fertile so in theory you can grow one on its own in reality you will get far better pollination and more fruits if plants can cross-pollinate for this reason it pays to grow at least two different varieties together now the soil they grow in really is important they're heathland plants so trying to grow them in anything other than acidic soil is literally fruitless and they like it really acidic ideally with a ph of between 4 and 5.5 you'll know if your soil is suitable if you can grow other acid lovers such as rhododendrons azaleas or camellias or to find out your soil's exact ph use a simple ph test kit if your soil is neutral or alkaline all is not lost you can amend your soil by adding sulfur chips or an organic soil acidifier several months ahead of planting to slowly bring down soil ph or for an immediate fix plant your blueberries into a dedicated raised bed filled with acidic or irricatious potting mix space plants about 5 feet or 1.5 meters apart alternatively plant into large containers of ericaceous potting mix which will be a lot cheaper than filling an entire raised bed but make sure never to let them dry out you'll usually find blueberries sold in ready to plant pots like this you can plant at any time of year though autumn is best but if the winters are particularly cold way you garden wait till spring choose a frost proof pot of at least a foot or 30 centimetres wide and with drainage holes in the bottom start filling with your ericaceous potting mix then remove the blueberry from its pot place it onto the potting mix then fill in around the sides with more the top of the potting mix should end up level with the top of the root ball give it a good water in topping up the potting mix if necessary this is optional but i like to finish off with a mulch of pine needles or bark chippings there we go keep the soil or potting mix moist watering whenever it gets dry maine's water will gradually raise the ph levels so use collected rainwater instead to keep the soil acidic container plants will need regular feeding using a liquid fertilizer specially formulated for acid loving plants plants in the ground simply need mulches topping up using an acidic organic material such as leaf mold bark chippings pine needles or composted sawdust do not use manure which is both too rich and too alkaline for blueberries transplant container blueberries into larger pots as soon as the roots fill the container and protect flowers from any late frosts using road covers or horticultural fleece [Music] one of the great attractions of blueberries to first time fruit growers is that they require very little pruning any pruning that is necessary is done towards the end of winter begin by cutting out any dead stems and stem tips then any overcrowded branches and any growing too close to the ground to keep established plants productive cut out about a quarter of the oldest branches every year and that's it to stop birds guzzling the berries before you do consider setting up a fruit cage or at least covering plants with netting to keep them off the berries are ready when they've taken on their distinctive blue colour all over and pull away easily from their stalks leave them on the plant for a few days after they've turned completely blue for the very best flavor berries are unlikely to ripen all at once so go over plants several times so you don't miss any fresh is best but if you enjoy a bumper crop lucky you you can always freeze the excess or use your blueberries in any number of lip smackingly delicious preserves blueberries get the thumbs up from me that's for sure have you grown them before and if you have what varieties would you recommend tell all down below thanks for watching and for green finger and thumb's sake make sure you're subscribed before you rush off i'll catch you next time

Channel: GrowVeg

Views: 316,720

Keywords: blueberries, growing blueberries, planting blueberries, pruning blueberries, water bath canning, canning, bottling, vegetable gardening, garden planner, vegetable garden planner, garden planning, garden planning app, vegetable gardening app, edible gardening, edible garden planner, gardening app, gardening advice, growveg, growveg garden planner

Id: mBFufBKH7hc

Length: 5min 47sec (347 seconds)

Published: Fri Oct 09 2020