Blueberry / cranberry

[Demeter]

This spring I planted a smallish raised bed with 3 blueberry bushes, all different varieties. The bed is about 3ft 6" by just under 2ft, filled with ericaceous compost and topped up with muck to a total depth of 12 inches (under which it'll be rubbish clay like the rest of my garden!)

Unfortunately one of the plants died, but in reality that is probably a good thing because the raised bed wasn't really big enough for all three anyway! Anyway, what I am left with is a plant at one end of the bed and a plant in the middle - both of these plants have really thrived - and a gap at the other end... Help!

1. Would it be sensible to balance up the bed by moving the plant in the middle over a bit. Only a foot or so, would make the bed look nicer, but would I risk the plant / next year's crop? If I move it, what's the best way to go about this and when should I attempt it?

2. While searching the forums on here I found a thread suggesting underplanting blueberry bushes with cranberries as ground cover. Sounds very appealing, but I'm quite conscious that with the size of the raised bed they are in it might be pushing it to plant something else in there as well. What do you reckon?

Any other ideas welcome... At the empty end there is a fence that something could climb up?

[lynda66]

i reckon you should move the end of the raised bed nearer

dunno about the cranberries, other than they like the same soil

[Tam]

I grew quite a lot of blueberries in a previous garden and planted them with three feet between the plants and eight feet between the rows. I forget where I took my instruction from, but do recollect that it was suggested that four feet between the plants was ideal, but that you could get away with three. This would suggest that you would be better to move your central one closer to the end. You could do it right away as it would settle down quite nicely at this time of year. Dig it up with as little root disturbance as possible, but don't be alarmed if you do some slight damage. I should prepare the planting hole and then ease the blueberry out with as big a rootball as you can manage and plonk it in to its new home and water in with rainwater.

[Demeter]

Thanks - I am leaning towards moving it over a bit, but wasn't sure whether it was daft to lift the plant just to give it a few more inches of space...

[Demeter]

I've moved it today - had to wrench it out a bit, so some root damage, but there was plenty of root left on so I'm hoping it'll have enough left to recover and re-establish itself before the winter. The bed does look better, although now there is a big gap in the middle! I guess it'll be filled in once the bushes have put on another year or so's growth, but even so... In such a tiny garden a gap like that seems a terrible waste! Wouldn't mind filling in the gap with flowers or something, but I don't know if there are any (annual bedding types I mean) that do well on acid soil... must go and look up cranberries!!

[coomber]

I have a raised bed 1m sq, I have planted 3 blueberries and 3 cranberries, they seem to be doing ok - I've had them in 1 year and had some fruit off all the plants.

[Demeter]

I have a raised bed 1m sq, I have planted 3 blueberries and 3 cranberries, they seem to be doing ok - I've had them in 1 year and had some fruit off all the plants.

That sounds encouraging, as your bed isn't much bigger than mine, and I only have 2 blueberries. Couldn't find anything much on the subject of underplanting b/bs with c/bs (only on the one thread on here from a while ago which I can't find now!!) but I reckon I will give it a go. Just not certain whether to put in 1 or 2 plants. Do you need more than one in order get fruit I wonder? Google time again