Late season blueberries are a great way to extend your blueberry production. We have a total of ten bushes, most of which we’ve had for four years. When we purchased the bushes we made sure that we had a selection that would produce the entire summer.
As a result we have several early bearing bushes, and a couple of mid season bushes.
We also have several bushes that are still producing and will keep producing berries until we get our first frost!
I love blueberries especially on my cereal in the morning and being able to pick them all summer is a wonderful treat. They will be missed once the cold weather sets in!
Blueberries are fairly easy to grow; they prefer a low pH in the soil. If your soil is neutral you can adjust it by adding plenty of acidic soil amendments such as pine bark, peat moss or leaf mold. The preferred pH is between 5.5 and 6.0.
Blueberries are packed with more cancer fighting, anti-aging, eyesight saving and disease fighting antioxidants than foods like spinach and salmon. They are wonderful in pies, on top of your cereal and in muffins.
Because blueberries are shallow rooted they like moisture. I have placed a soaker hose around each of my bushes so the plants can have a good watering during the drier summers. For the first couple of years the bushes need some pruning but after that cutting the plant back once a year will increase vigor.
You’ll find you won’t be the only one that likes blueberries; you will need to put some sort of netting over your bushes to protect them from the birds.
See my blog on Protecting Your Blueberries for more information.
Most blueberry bushes will start producing in their third year, but won’t really begin to produce fully until about their 6thyear. Mature blueberry bushes will produce about 8 quarts of berries per bush. If you want a relatively easy fruit to grow in your garden give blueberries a try. They will provide you with plenty of fresh fruit to enjoy during the growing season.
As well as fruit for making preserves for your pantry, and they can also be a source of fall color in your backyard.
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