blueberrie plants

[plot apprentice]

hi folks
i would like to start growing my own blueberries and would like some advice on which varieties perform best.There seems to be a big difference in price from one supplier to the other (£7-£14) or 3 for £20 in some cases.
Do i need more than one to aid pollination.??
once i have them when will i be able to pick my first crop.
all advice gladly accepted as my healthy eating and my little fellas new found addiction to 'bubrie' is costin us a fortune.
cheers P.A

[veg4681]

Sorry not much help on variety recommendation but I do know of prices that are very affordable compared to the ones you've cited.

Poudland is selling for £1, Woolies for about £1.99 and Wilko/Wilkinson for around £4 and they're all roughly the same size, similar to the one I bought online for £6 but this one is named variety (Patriot which is supposed to have larger fruits) that the above from 3 stores aren't. I bought the Wilko one last year and it's doing fine (although a long way to go!) but I have no idea what variety it is. Some nursery will sell you a much bigger/older plants but you pay for it too as you're more likely to get harvest sooner.

I would check up on varieties before deciding which ones you want but I think they may go by season as in early, mid and late season like your strawberry. Some are compact growing habit, some bigger, some has bigger fruits and some may be self-fertile. I did hear that they produce more fruits if you put together more than one blueberry plants so it may be worthwhile getting the Poundland for £1 just to keep your other 'named variety' happy. Also certain online suppliers may offer upto 5 different variety for £20...but at this price do not expect it to be big plant.

I have no idea when I get to harvest my blueberry , maybe worthwhile getting a bigger plant and pay premium for it. Anyone any thoughts on this?

[jeannine]

That's great that your littlun is enjoying fruit! Fresh blueberries are even more delicious than the shop bought ones and the bushes are really decorative. In spring they have pretty little flowers, in summer they are covered in berries and in autumn the leaves turn red, so it's well worth planting them on somewhere they're on show.

They do need acid soil though, so unless you know that's what you've got, you may be wise to plant them in a big container of ericaceous compost. They'll need a fair bit of watering if you grow them in a pot, so it's an idea to add a good mulch like an inch or two or wood chip.

If you want a good crop of berries this year, I'd buy an older plant, and I'd get a couple to be on the safe side pollination-wise.

I can't help myself when I'm in Wilkinsons and see cheap plants, I always end up buying them. But once you take into account all the care and attention you lavish on bushes and trees, (especially if your space is limited) I wonder if it costs less in the long run to go for the better quality options? Wilkos is great for smaller stuff like horseradish thongs though and seeds.

best of luck with it!

[Nicos]

Remember you need 2 different varieties too!!!!!!

...And welcome to the Vine PA !!!

[bluemoon]

I love blueberry bushes, I'd grow them just for the scent of their flowers alone, but the fact that they then go on to produce fruit, followed by beautiful Autumn colour, means that I grow far more than I need - although I do preserve the berries in brandy, then spoon the mixture onto pancakes, which tends to make them popular with the whole family - I grow mine in large pots, it's easier to ensure that they have acid soil, and also means that they can be placed near our seating area when they're in flower. I have about five different varieties; Bluecrop, Earliblue, Duke, Brigitta and Berkeley. I don't think I'd recommend any of them in preference to another as they all do very well, although my favourite is Berkeley, simply because in addition to all its other virtues it has beautiful apple-green stems, so it even looks lovely in Winter. Brigitta is said to be evergreen, but in my experience the leaves simply change colour in Autumn in the normal way, but then hang around until Spring, when the new leaves open, before they finally fall.

I've never had any trouble with any variety of blueberry, so I'd risk buying one of the cheaper, un-named Woolie's plants that others here have suggested as garden centre prices do seem to be rather expensive.

[veg4681]

I grow mine in large pots, it's easier to ensure that they have acid soil, and also means that they can be placed near our seating area when they're in flower. I have about five different varieties; Bluecrop, Earliblue, Duke, Brigitta and Berkeley.

What size pots do you grow your blueberries in? Just wondering how large I ought to go for mine, think the book said about 18" deep pot. Are all your 5 blueberries the same size? I heard some of these can grow to be as big as 6 feet .

[bluemoon]

At the moment the bushes are of varying sizes as I bought them at different times. and a couple of them were 'rescue' blueberries, - ie, the garden centre thought they were dead and sold them on for 99p - and so needed a lot of TLC. The largest are about 4ft tall, and are in 12inch pots (that's 12 inches diameter, I'm not sure how deep they are) and are ready for potting into a larger one now, although with gentle pruning and refreshing the compost they could probably be kept to a manageable size. I'm sure that one of the labels said that its particular variety only grew to a maximum of 4 feet, but I can't remember which one now, although I'd hazard a guess at 'Bluecrop'.

[plot apprentice]

hi fellow grapeviners
thanks for all your advice on blueberry bushes its certainly given me a clear head on wot to buy/try this season. will let you know the results in the fullness of time, and i think we're gonna like it on the 'vine' now we have abit more time to use it this year.(not sure i like the fact that a 20 month old knows his way round this laptop better than his daddy but hey he's the boss round here).
P.A