Comments on: Growing Blueberries http://www.veggiegardeningtips.com/growing-blueberries/ Featuring Vegetable Gardening Tips, Organic Growing Techniques, and Unique Plants for the Backyard Gardener Tue, 02 Dec 2008 00:28:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Kenny Point http://www.veggiegardeningtips.com/growing-blueberries/#comment-30461 Kenny Point Wed, 03 Oct 2007 21:00:05 +0000 http://www.veggiegardeningtips.com/growing-blueberries/#comment-30461 Brenda, I just posted an article about <a href="http://www.veggiegardeningtips.com/propagating-blueberries-and-preserving-past-memories/" rel="nofollow">propagating blueberry plants</a> that hopefully will be of help to you. Brenda, I just posted an article about propagating blueberry plants that hopefully will be of help to you.

]]> By: Brenda http://www.veggiegardeningtips.com/growing-blueberries/#comment-29437 Brenda Wed, 03 Oct 2007 15:31:01 +0000 http://www.veggiegardeningtips.com/growing-blueberries/#comment-29437 Hi, My grandparents have recently passed away and they had 25 blueberry bushes. We would like to move some of these to our house as their property will be sold. Could you recommend how we would do this? Do you think it will work? We live in central Massachusetts. And we would have to do this as soon as possible. Thank you for your help. 10/3/07 Hi,

My grandparents have recently passed away and they had 25 blueberry bushes. We would like to move some of these to our house as their property will be sold. Could you recommend how we would do this? Do you think it will work? We live in central Massachusetts. And we would have to do this as soon as possible. Thank you for your help.
10/3/07

]]> By: Kenny Point http://www.veggiegardeningtips.com/growing-blueberries/#comment-20903 Kenny Point Sun, 01 Jul 2007 18:31:15 +0000 http://www.veggiegardeningtips.com/growing-blueberries/#comment-20903 Michael, I'm sure there was something to your observation. It could have been the soil or the shelter of a sloping grade that encouraged the growth of wild blackberries, or that area could have been the location of a previous cultivated patch of the berries. I don't think that a particular side will be critical in the case of planting your blackberries. If one side is a little cooler or just slightly shaded I would plant them there. I'll try to post more about growing blackberries in the near future. Michael, I’m sure there was something to your observation. It could have been the soil or the shelter of a sloping grade that encouraged the growth of wild blackberries, or that area could have been the location of a previous cultivated patch of the berries. I don’t think that a particular side will be critical in the case of planting your blackberries. If one side is a little cooler or just slightly shaded I would plant them there. I’ll try to post more about growing blackberries in the near future.

]]> By: Michael http://www.veggiegardeningtips.com/growing-blueberries/#comment-20852 Michael Sat, 30 Jun 2007 16:42:30 +0000 http://www.veggiegardeningtips.com/growing-blueberries/#comment-20852 Hello Kenny, Very helpful advice on growing blueberry bushes. Noticed another reader is preparing to put up a fence as I am, and I too would like to grow some blueberries as well as blackberries. As a kid I remember hiking through the woods and finding an old farm field with the biggest, most delicious and abundant supply of blackberries growing along one particular edge of the field. There were none growing on the other sides. Is there a key to this observation? I will have the north and south sides of my fence available for planting. Will you please let me know about caring for blackberry bushes and if they thrive on a particular side of the yard? Thanks and good fortune to you, Michael Hello Kenny,
Very helpful advice on growing blueberry bushes. Noticed another reader is preparing to put up a fence as I am, and I too would like to grow some blueberries as well as blackberries.
As a kid I remember hiking through the woods and finding an old farm field with the biggest, most delicious and abundant supply of blackberries growing along one particular edge of the field. There were none growing on the other sides. Is there a key to this observation? I will have the north and south sides of my fence available for planting. Will you please let me know about caring for blackberry bushes and if they thrive on a particular side of the yard? Thanks and good fortune to you, Michael

]]> By: Kenny Point http://www.veggiegardeningtips.com/growing-blueberries/#comment-8966 Kenny Point Tue, 10 Apr 2007 01:29:58 +0000 http://www.veggiegardeningtips.com/growing-blueberries/#comment-8966 Thanks Dan, I have never tried or heard of anyone growing blueberries indoors and my guess is that it will be a big challenge to persuade the plants to adapt to indoor growing conditions. As far as meeting the chilling requirements you’ll have to experiment but because of the time that it takes to produce and ripen the berries I doubt that you would be able to force multiple crops of fruit from the blueberry plants. The soil mix sounds fine and will provide the acidic PH that blueberries prefer, but I would definitely look for a wider container to grow the plants in. I don’t have much advice to offer on this one, so good luck and let me know the results you see from growing the blueberries indoors in your light chamber. Thanks Dan, I have never tried or heard of anyone growing blueberries indoors and my guess is that it will be a big challenge to persuade the plants to adapt to indoor growing conditions. As far as meeting the chilling requirements you’ll have to experiment but because of the time that it takes to produce and ripen the berries I doubt that you would be able to force multiple crops of fruit from the blueberry plants. The soil mix sounds fine and will provide the acidic PH that blueberries prefer, but I would definitely look for a wider container to grow the plants in. I don’t have much advice to offer on this one, so good luck and let me know the results you see from growing the blueberries indoors in your light chamber.

]]> By: Dan http://www.veggiegardeningtips.com/growing-blueberries/#comment-8725 Dan Mon, 09 Apr 2007 02:03:29 +0000 http://www.veggiegardeningtips.com/growing-blueberries/#comment-8725 Hi Kenny! Great website. I am also an accountant with a passion for gardening. I just ordered several low chill hour varieties of blueberry. I plan to grow them indoors in a "grow chamber" that is lit by 2 250 watt Metal Halide lamps. I can not seem to grow anything outdoors except sagebrush out here in the high mountain desert so that is why I built this box. Now, the question is can I just move the plants outside to give them their "chill" time of 150 -200 hours, and then bring them back under the lights for another crop? I could maybe force them to bloom several times a year with this method, as it is nearly always 45 degrees or below, outside at night, all year long. Also what do you think about a soil mix of 2/3 peat and 1/3 perlite/vermiculite? Oh and will a 5 gallon bucket be sufficient for the plants or do they need a wider more shallow container? Thanks, Dan Hi Kenny! Great website. I am also an accountant with a passion for gardening. I just ordered several low chill hour varieties of blueberry. I plan to grow them indoors in a “grow chamber” that is lit by 2 250 watt Metal Halide lamps. I can not seem to grow anything outdoors except sagebrush out here in the high mountain desert so that is why I built this box. Now, the question is can I just move the plants outside to give them their “chill” time of 150 -200 hours, and then bring them back under the lights for another crop? I could maybe force them to bloom several times a year with this method, as it is nearly always 45 degrees or below, outside at night, all year long. Also what do you think about a soil mix of 2/3 peat and 1/3 perlite/vermiculite? Oh and will a 5 gallon bucket be sufficient for the plants or do they need a wider more shallow container?

Thanks,
Dan

]]> By: Lisa http://www.veggiegardeningtips.com/growing-blueberries/#comment-522 Lisa Mon, 24 Jul 2006 21:29:26 +0000 http://www.veggiegardeningtips.com/growing-blueberries/#comment-522 I will give my blueberry bush a topping of peat moss and see what that does. It must not be getting enough nutrients in the soil for it not to be able to bloom for the last two years. When I planted the bush I located it in an area beside my rhubarb plants, in the back of my garden, sunlight maybe strong only half a day. When I wanted a blueberry plant in my garden, I read about blueberry plants and found this self-pollinating one at the garden centre. I thougt I had a plant would take care of itself. Never-the-less, we are having a fantastic season for wild blueberries in our area, two weeks in advance of their normal ripening, so I am picking lots of wild blueberries, they are very productive this year and I am enjoying this season very much. My little blueberry plant in my garden needs maybe a soil test to see if it has the right soil acidity? I will give my blueberry bush a topping of peat moss and see what that does. It must not be getting enough nutrients in the soil for it not to be able to bloom for the last two years. When I planted the bush I located it in an area beside my rhubarb plants, in the back of my garden, sunlight maybe strong only half a day.
When I wanted a blueberry plant in my garden, I read about blueberry plants and found this self-pollinating one at the garden centre. I thougt I had a plant would take care of itself.
Never-the-less, we are having a fantastic season for wild blueberries in our area, two weeks in advance of their normal ripening, so I am picking lots of wild blueberries, they are very productive this year and I am enjoying this season very much. My little blueberry plant in my garden needs maybe a soil test to see if it has the right soil acidity?

]]> By: Kenny Point http://www.veggiegardeningtips.com/growing-blueberries/#comment-520 Kenny Point Mon, 24 Jul 2006 21:07:49 +0000 http://www.veggiegardeningtips.com/growing-blueberries/#comment-520 The problem growing your blueberry plants is likely related to your soil's PH not being acidic enough for blueberries. Did you ammend the soil when you planted the blueberry bushes? Do you know how acidic the soil is, blueberries prefer a soil that is on the acidic side to grow well? Ammending the soil with plenty of peat moss during the initial planting will really help. Also fertilize your blueberries with a fertilizer such as Holly Tone that will maintain or increase the soil's acidity. The other thing to monitor is to ensure that the blueberry bushes are receiving adequate moisture to support healthy growth and fruit production. The problem growing your blueberry plants is likely related to your soil’s PH not being acidic enough for blueberries. Did you ammend the soil when you planted the blueberry bushes? Do you know how acidic the soil is, blueberries prefer a soil that is on the acidic side to grow well? Ammending the soil with plenty of peat moss during the initial planting will really help. Also fertilize your blueberries with a fertilizer such as Holly Tone that will maintain or increase the soil’s acidity. The other thing to monitor is to ensure that the blueberry bushes are receiving adequate moisture to support healthy growth and fruit production.

]]>