Does anyone know anything about growing Blueberries? I'm considering
growing one in a container, I would assume in ericaceous soil. How large do
they get, do they get lots of fruit, when is harvest time? And are they
more trouble than they're worth?

Thanks

On Fri, 28 Mar 2003 12:27:01 -0000, "Jack" wrote:

~Does anyone know anything about growing Blueberries? I'm considering
~growing one in a container, I would assume in ericaceous soil. How large do
~they get, do they get lots of fruit, when is harvest time? And are they
~more trouble than they're worth?

I've had them in pots for years (about 12!) now. They don't grow as big as
outdoors ones, and don't grow the new shoots from the base that they
should, but having said that, I reckon I've had my money's worth several
times over!

You need two different cultivars for the best cropping, and a nice big
tub. B&Q sells reasonably priced 46cm diameter plastic pots. A mixture of
John Innes ericaceous and normal ericaceous compost is a good potting
medium (though either is fine on its own). You need to water very well,
and prune as blackcurrants. Feed with ericaceous feed too. Two of mine are
full of bud, the third (12yo) is on the way out (hence buying another last
summer) and this old one will hopefully provide me with softwood cuttings
for new plants this year and then I will cut it right back and hope to
rejuvenate it.

Mine got about 4-5' high, again smaller than outdoors, but there again it
depends on the cultivar. Highbush blueberries can get to 8-9', but even at
Wisley there are smaller ones (I went on Tuesday for a nose round!)

Oh, the other thing you need is netting. Blackbirds will eat the lot
otherwise... And you pick when the berries more or less fall off which is a
few days after they initially go blue. They are sweeter then. This sounds
like a pain but best thing is to pick a bush over each day and add the ripe
berries to a box in the freezer. That way even with one or two bushes you
can build up a decent number of ripe berries for defrosting when needed. I
have had at maximum cropping several pounds off two bushes in a year. You
really do need to water them frequently though!

Best of luck.


--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove nospam from replies, thanks!

Jack wrote:

Does anyone know anything about growing Blueberries? I'm considering
growing one in a container, I would assume in ericaceous soil. How large do
they get, do they get lots of fruit, when is harvest time? And are they
more trouble than they're worth?

Fairy easy to grow in ericaceous compost. Reasonable fruit crop but you need a
pair of different cultivars to get a decent fruit set. They are not really much
good with only self pollination.

Regards,
Martin Brown

Can anyone recommend which two blueberries would be best to have?

Many thanks.


"Martin Brown" wrote in message
...
Fairy easy to grow in ericaceous compost. Reasonable fruit crop but you
need a
pair of different cultivars to get a decent fruit set. They are not really
much
good with only self pollination.

Regards,
Martin Brown

On Fri, 28 Mar 2003 12:27:01 -0000, Jack wrote:

Does anyone know anything about growing Blueberries? I'm considering
growing one in a container, I would assume in ericaceous soil. How large do
they get, do they get lots of fruit, when is harvest time? And are they
more trouble than they're worth?

Soil: pure peat is perhaps your best bet. These aren't just
acid-lovers, they're downright acid-addicts. In the flat area
southeast of Vancouver BC (the delta of the Fraser River),
blueberries are farmed on peat lands otherwise nearly useless for
agricultural purposes.

Water: They need steady moisture; never let them go dry.

Size: Mature blueberry bushes are comparable to redcurrants or
gooseberries in size.

Harvest: late summer.

Fruiting: they are self-sterile so you need at least two distinct
cultivars.

Worth the trouble? Depends on whether you like them or not.
Blueberries tend to be quite tart, but given lots of sun and a
warm summer, they can be surprisingly sweet.

The biggest drawback to pot culture (of blueberries and just
about everything else) is that the soil temperatures tend to be
too high. If the sun plays on the side of the pot, look out.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

In message , Rodger Whitlock
writes
On Fri, 28 Mar 2003 12:27:01 -0000, Jack wrote:

Does anyone know anything about growing Blueberries? I'm considering
growing one in a container, I



Water: They need steady moisture; never let them go dry.

Yep I must remember to get a couple of large saucers to stand ours in
this year to help keep them from drying out.


Worth the trouble? Depends on whether you like them or not.
Blueberries tend to be quite tart, but given lots of sun and a
warm summer, they can be surprisingly sweet.

I think it's worthwhile as they seem quite trouble free to grow. A
modicum of feeding an enough water and ours have been quite happy.

someone mentioned Blackbirds, we haven't (surprisingly) had much trouble
with the birds taking fruit from our couple of bushes, but Elinor
certainly enjoyed picking and popping them into her mouth last
year.........

--
Chris French and Helen Johnson, Leeds
urg Suppliers and References FAQ:
http://www.familyfrench.co.uk/garden/urgfaq/index.html

The message
from "Jack" contains these words:

Does anyone know anything about growing Blueberries? I'm considering
growing one in a container, I would assume in ericaceous soil. How large do
they get, do they get lots of fruit, when is harvest time? And are they
more trouble than they're worth?

They need cool damp roots and acid soil; put plenty of surface mulch
above their roots (I use dead bracken). Very well worth growing imho;
not only are the fruit delicious raw or cooked and high in vit C, but
the plants themselves are more ornamentally attractive than other fruit
bushes such as black and red currant. The flowers and fruit are both
pretty in a subtle way, and the leaves put on a good colour show in
autumn.

Janet.

"Jack" wrote in message
...
Can anyone recommend which two blueberries would be best to have?

Many thanks.


"Martin Brown" wrote in message
...
Fairy easy to grow in ericaceous compost. Reasonable fruit crop but you
need a
pair of different cultivars to get a decent fruit set. They are not
really
much
good with only self pollination.

Regards,
Martin Brown





Highbush is definately one I'd recomend, fruits are sweet.
L

" Soil: pure peat is perhaps your best bet. These aren't just
acid-lovers, they're downright acid-addicts. In the flat area
southeast of Vancouver BC (the delta of the Fraser River),
blueberries are farmed on peat lands otherwise nearly useless for
agricultural purposes.

Water: They need steady moisture; never let them go dry.

Size: Mature blueberry bushes are comparable to redcurrants or
gooseberries in size.

Harvest: late summer.

Fruiting: they are self-sterile so you need at least two distinct
cultivars.

Worth the trouble? Depends on whether you like them or not.
Blueberries tend to be quite tart, but given lots of sun and a
warm summer, they can be surprisingly sweet.

The biggest drawback to pot culture (of blueberries and just
about everything else) is that the soil temperatures tend to be
too high. If the sun plays on the side of the pot, look out.

I've been growing one in a pot for a couple of years - can't recall cultivar
ATM and I'm not going outside now to look - see time of posting ;-) Didn't
realise when I bought it that it was acid loving - so it got planted in my
usual New Horizon multipurpose organic compost. Also didn't realise it
needed a mate of a different cultivar. We've had masses of fruit both years
nice and sweet!

I think I'll leave it well alone in the compost its in, but maybe I'll try
and find it a friend ;-)

Natalie

On Fri, 28 Mar 2003 23:32:35 GMT, Janet Baraclough wrote:

The message
from "Jack" contains these words:

Does anyone know anything about growing Blueberries?

...the leaves put on a good colour show in autumn.


That's an important point. I don't think anyone has ever claimed
that currants, gooseberries, or raspberries are particularly
ornamental, but blueberries certainly are. In fact, I'd say that
they are handsome enough to be grown solely for ornament.

And while we're at it, let me mention "Cape Cod Blueberry Grunt",
a traditional dish. You can find recipes for this on the net,
though I prefer the one in the tenth edition of the Fannie Farmer
Cookbook (1960). If anyone desperately craves this recipe, email
me privately.

--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Jack wrote:

: Does anyone know anything about growing Blueberries? I'm considering
: growing one in a container, I would assume in ericaceous soil. [...]

Yes. I have two blueberry bushes in containers.

Buy them online in the UK at:

http://www.dorset-blueberry.com/
http://www.suffolkblues.co.uk/
http://www.kenmuir.co.uk/
http://www.keepers-nursery.co.uk/
--
__________
|im |yler http://timtyler.org/

Tim Tyler wrote:

: Buy them online in the UK at:

: http://www.dorset-blueberry.com/
: http://www.suffolkblues.co.uk/
: http://www.kenmuir.co.uk/
: http://www.keepers-nursery.co.uk/

http://www.suffolkblues.co.uk/growers-notes.html has some growing tips.
--
__________
|im |yler http://timtyler.org/

In article ,
(jane) wrote:

You need two different cultivars for the best cropping, and a nice big
tub

I planted a "bluecrop" in an 18" wooden cube with ercaceous compost late
last year. Not identified a suitable position for a "mate" yet and may
wait until after fruiting just to see how necessary it is.

I mulched the compost heavily and it's still damp after may weeks of
drought.

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com