Blueberries

[Torvy]

We just planted 4 new blueberry bushes. 4 different varieties. 2 pair that pollinate each other.

For now we jury-rigged some fencing out of old t-posts and used 4' welded wire. Ran some bird netting over the top. I'm a little concerned about the deer getting into them.

Our soil out here is sandy loam and is on the acidic side, which is supposed to be good for blueberries. Mrs. T loves the berries and their supposed to be good for you.

Anyone else grow blueberries? Any advice or suggestions?

 

[Alan W.]

Deer never bother ours. Squirrels and birds are the problem.
We get maybe 50%.

 

[arto98607]

My advise is plant few more bushes so there is enough berries for the birds and you!

Deer like the new growth of our blueberry bushes but there are ways to keep them away, for example a dog that lives outside and is free to move in the yard, or a low power pellet gun...

 

[Torvy]

Dogs are pending getting the perimeter fenced. GSD and Anatolian.

Once the berries set, we will likely wrap the berry fencing in bird netting, too.

We could consider more bushes. We have a lot of other fruit, nuts and berries to be planted in the near future. Probably hold off on more blueberries for at least another year.

 

[Fixastuff]

I have a bunch of them and they have been the best thing I’ve planted by far. I like the early varieties more. The late finishing ones give birds more time to eat them and sometimes they never seem to ripen.

 

[Alan46]

This is what we did with ours. 2 -10’ lengths of 1/2” pvc pipe for for each hoop with bird netting all the way around! We can’t standup without removing said netting, so we just crawl around and pick, pick, pick!

 

[ponytug]

@Alan46 That's quite the wildlife fence!

 

[Hay Dude]

GFY!
So healthy for you. I try to eat 1/4 cup of organic blueberries in my yogurt every morning.

 

[jyoutz]

We just planted 4 new blueberry bushes. 4 different varieties. 2 pair that pollinate each other.

For now we jury-rigged some fencing out of old t-posts and used 4' welded wire. Ran some bird netting over the top. I'm a little concerned about the deer getting into them.

Our soil out here is sandy loam and is on the acidic side, which is supposed to be good for blueberries. Mrs. T loves the berries and their supposed to be good for you.

Anyone else grow blueberries? Any advice or suggestions?

If you have acid soil, they should do well in your location. I don’t have experience with blueberries, but I grow raspberries and orchard trees and have many deer who create havoc. I’ve tried: dogs, motion activated sprinklers, motion activated lights, electric fence, baited electric fence, and double electric fence. Nothing worked except for the 8’ fence I built. But I have mule deer, maybe your whitetail deer will react differently.

 

[Torvy]

GFY!
So healthy for you. I try to eat 1/4 cup of organic blueberries in my yogurt every morning.

What blueberries are inorganic?