Blue Berries

[Jez]

Hi

Has any member had success with growing Blue Berries? I'm thinking of planting one but could do with any helpful advice.

Thanks for your help
Jez

[rscott74]

We got one this year to grow in a fair sized tub. We got it from a garden centre and basic instructions were given and the center were helpful. I got further details off the web, particularly about pruning..
It had to be planted in erecaseous (?) compost. It had a few flowers on an produced some berries which my wife said were fine. The real test will come next year but it seems they are not difficult to grow and maintain.
Worth giving a try if you like blueberries would be my view.

[JennyS]

From what I can remember you'll do better if you plant several as they fruit more heavily if they're cross-pollinated - taste lovely if you get them before the birds do.....

[Jez]

Originally Posted by rscott74

We got one this year to grow in a fair sized tub. We got it from a garden centre and basic instructions were given and the center were helpful. I got further details off the web, particularly about pruning..
It had to be planted in erecaseous (?) compost. It had a few flowers on an produced some berries which my wife said were fine. The real test will come next year but it seems they are not difficult to grow and maintain.
Worth giving a try if you like blueberries would be my view.

Originally Posted by JennyS

From what I can remember you'll do better if you plant several as they fruit more heavily if they're cross-pollinated - taste lovely if you get them before the birds do.....

Thanks both for your replies. Erecaseous compost is used on acid loving plants. Okay seeing that my soil is more alkaline i'll try growing in a pot. Thanks

[nightshade]

I have three types growing in a pot,they crop at different times, July, August and September and I have just taken off the last three berries
I do not really know what to do with them now though

[honeybee]

I saw in Suttons Seeds catalogue they do a goodvariety for growing in pots. Fancied giving it a go. My strawberries didn't do very well this year.


Suttons Seeds: Fruit Trees and Bushes: Blueberry Earliblue

[Jez]

Originally Posted by honeybee

I saw in Suttons Seeds catalogue they do a goodvariety for growing in pots. Fancied giving it a go. My strawberries didn't do very well this year.


Suttons Seeds: Fruit Trees and Bushes: Blueberry Earliblue

Thanks for the link Honeybee. I can't wait for next summer, just think of all those nice desserts

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by Jez

Thanks for the link Honeybee. I can't wait for next summer, just think of all those nice desserts

I have to say the American wild blueberries are the best for flavour. But they're all nice and very good for you!

[Sophia]

I've grown blueberries and they do very well. They like an acid soil and lots of moisture. Our clay is on the acid side and holds the moisture well so I guess they liked that. When I planted them I dug in loads of horse manure and a bag of ericasious (sp?) compost, I planted them in the ground and not in pots although I believe they do very well in pots. You will need two plants both need to be a different variety to get good crops, two of the same variety are not so good so I have been told. The two varieties I had were "bluecrop" and "herbert". Apparently you can propagate them quite easily from cuttings. Mine were bought from Ken Muir's website.

[Sophia]

...forgot to say that I also added sulphur chips to the soil to make it more acid and it worked very well.