Drats, no more blueberries

[Tdog]

I went out to the blueberry bushes yesterday to see what I could get, but there were none to be had. A sad day. Starting in the last week of May, I've had fresh blueberries daily. We only have 7-8 bushes, about 8 years old. For several weeks I could gather a cup or two, most of which we froze, but there was still enough to have on cereal or any other way you wanted. The birds got plenty too. I'm always sad to lose my berry supply.

My pear tree is loaded, but last year it looked the same way and they disappeared overnight - - we think the tree rats got them.

Jack

 

[20 20]

I understand your pain. We are doing some land scaping and had to ruin some wild blueberry bushes. I did transplant some, not sure if they'll take though. My wife had never had blueberys right from the bush before. It was funny watching her running around eating as many as possible.

 

[vic4news]

Our blueberries have finally started to ripen this week. Looking forward to a month or two of fresh blueberries.

Vic

 

[jdbower]

Our blueberries have finally started to ripen this week.

We've got some in the same state which is surprising since we just planted them this year and they're little more than twigs - I was expecting to have to wait until next year. I'll let others insert their own "twig and berries" jokes...

 

[ToadHill]

I have 7 bushes that are about 10 years old and produce a pile of berries every year but it's still not enough for all the kids and grandkids, soooo last spring I planted 100 more bushes and plan to put in about 50 each year for the next few years.

Everyone seems to love these berries so I fugured if I continue to plant 50 bushes every year that when I'm no longer hear to pay the taxes on the farm, the bushes can help the kids to keep the place and pay the taxes.

I'm also putting in rasberries, and blackberries as well.

 

[Tdog]

"I'm also putting in rasberries"

I love rasberries, but don't think my climate will support them. It's surprising how diverse the areas of the country are where blueberries grow.

Jack

 

[MarkV]

I have 7 bushes that are about 10 years old and produce a pile of berries every year but it's still not enough for all the kids and grandkids, soooo last spring I planted 100 more bushes and plan to put in about 50 each year for the next few years.

Everyone seems to love these berries so I fugured if I continue to plant 50 bushes every year that when I'm no longer hear to pay the taxes on the farm, the bushes can help the kids to keep the place and pay the taxes.

I'm also putting in rasberries, and blackberries as well.

Wow that is a lot of blue berry bushes. Do you buy local or have a recommendation for a supplier? We have always had plenty from my in-laws house but their plants are over 25 years old and starting to die out. I think it is time to plant some at our place.

MarkV

 

[ToadHill]

/www.rakgrape.com/ Try this place I have been very impressed with the quality of the stock they sell. I got 120 bushes this past spring and so far I've not lost a single one.

 

[timswi]

My property is surrounded by wild black rasberries...The wife loves them and spends every evening picking them. Personally, I'd rather be waterboarded than do that

She does make some great jelly out of them though. She ends up making the stuff and giving it away...Wonder what these free berries are costing me?

 

[smfcpacfp]

Come to the UP and you can pick all you want from my property, but wait a week or so until they ripen. I am one of those guys who doesn't care for them.

 

[Knotbored]

It seems some years ago (local legand) a sea captain spread large blackberry plants all over this valley to replace the small "natural" berries. I think they are Himolayan and Olynpic varieties. Wife prefers the wild small ones but I haven't the patience to pick those. The larger (and later) ones get about the size of your thumb and grow up to 30' a year. I cuss them for 11 months and love them for 1 month (starting in about two weeks.) I have 20 acres of woodlands and clear about a city-lot sized bunch of vines every year, but they propagate as fast as I dig them out.

 

[SPIKER]

I did some picking this weekend and this past week of some goodies, got some fresh pies and the rest (over 5 gallons) going into a wine making press!






Mark

 

[Chuck52]

Spiker,

I do the same thing with my excess blackberries. Do you shoot for an all-juice wine, or do you add water? I usually end up making mine in the fall using berries I freeze during the summer. My patch produces over a long period because I have several varieties, but I can usually only pick about a gallon at a time. I used seven gallons of berries and ten pounds of sugar last time and only ended up with about 3.5 gallons of finished wine....gotta get some kind of press so I don't lose so much in the squeeze. That sure was some potetn wine, though, and very popular. Made a nice sangria-like drink.

Chuck

 

[SPIKER]

Spiker,

I do the same thing with my excess blackberries. Do you shoot for an all-juice wine, or do you add water? I usually end up making mine in the fall using berries I freeze during the summer. My patch produces over a long period because I have several varieties, but I can usually only pick about a gallon at a time. I used seven gallons of berries and ten pounds of sugar last time and only ended up with about 3.5 gallons of finished wine....gotta get some kind of press so I don't lose so much in the squeeze. That sure was some potetn wine, though, and very popular. Made a nice sangria-like drink.

Chuck

Chuck:

I turn mine over to my brother and let him take them into the liquid stage He takes them to an old doc who has been making wine of all varieties since before I was born, hopefully my brother will get his know how prior to all that learning being lost!!!

I will hopefully get some of the learning myself and be able to make the wine

Mark

 

[sandman2234]

I put in some serious seat time today on my tractor and my neighbors tractor. I cleared about a quarter acre, plowed it up into rows and planted 52 blueberry plants. I planted 3 different varities, and have a little more room left for about 25 more bushes, if they are still selling them at a reasonable price when I go back south of here. My new little blueberry farm isn't nearly as big as the ones I got back in the 90's but I sold that property and the blueberries went with it. I had 135 mature plants and you could pick all day and not run out of berries. I had them planted in a low area that had an artesan well nearby, and I could just flood the whole area with the well. Not going to be able to do that here, so in the morning I start laying pipe to run out there. The pipe will feed a few sprinkler heads that should give them enough water.
David from jax