Blueberries

[budgiebreeder]

In laboratory tests, the antioxidants in blueberries were found to slow age-related memory loss. Antioxidants in blueberries also may reduce the buildup of the "bad" cholesterol that contributes to heart disease and stroke. European studies have also found a relationship between blueberries and good eyesight, so eat more of these little gems that are packed with vitamins A and C, potassium, folate and fibre.
Er forgot where i found this snibbet of information perhaps its time i started to grow some.

[allotment_chick]

Yo BB - I'd recommend you grow some, for sure .... I can't vouch for the memory thing.....but, if you beat the blackbirds to 'em, the taste of these berries is sublime!
AC

[sarahr]

How big do the blueberry plants get? Can I grow them in containers or should I put them on the lottie?

[Moggle]

Sarah, I'm sure I read on here that someone bought a couple of blueberries and put them in pots. They need quite acid soil though, so I think you have to put them in erracious(spelling?) compost and be careful with putting tap water on them because of the lime content.

Ken Muir's site has loads of great factsheets, www.kenmuir.co.uk but doesn't mention growing blueberries in containers.

I'd say give it a shot, although I don't know how big they get  

[budgiebreeder]

  'sssss no use asking me i never ate any.Can't remember.

[Tenuse]

Blueberries are fairly easy to grow, but they do need to have acidic (i.e. ericaceous) soil. They make an attractive bush with red-flushed leaves and berries that slowly turn from green to dark blue, going all sorts of colours as they change (mine are currently green flushed with turquoise and red!!). The bush can grow to about 5 or 6 feet tall but they can certainly be grown in large containers. They should only be watered with rainwater if at all possible, and fed with something like Miracid rather than normal plant food.

It is recommended that you have at least two varieties (a bush of each) as although they are self-fertile they set much more fruit if they have a friend nearby.

Birds love them - even before they are ripe - so netting or protecting in a fruit cage is a necessity (unless you don't mind feeding the birds such a treat!)

Hope this helps,

Ten x

[Mrs Ava]

I agree with protecting them Ten, wrapped mine in old net curtains today.  They are just begining to get some colour and in previous years the blackbirds have had the lot before I even noticed! Warm from the bush, they are wonderful berries - we have three bushes that struggle a little as they are in neutral ground, but still, year after year they produce these little, curiously flavoured berries in abundance.  I am sure they would make great jam, or muffins.....but they never get beyond the garden  

[tim]

How many plants for what return, when & for how long?

Daughter spends a fortune on Tesco's stuff from (?) the US.

[tim]

Cancel that - 5'-6' & needing ericacious soil?? That's me out of the race!!

[sarahr]

You can get some dwarf varieties that get up to three foot.  And you could always prune heavily so that it never got to five or six foot. 

[Robert_Brenchley]

I'm pretty sure they come from the US, as blueberry production is big business over there. They're running into problems with pollination due to the decline in natural pollinators combined with problems in the beekeeping industry.

[tim]

Oh, it's not the EU for a change? What a relief!!

[tim]

And a quick observation -

Somerfield Blueberries - "Freshly picked for a fuller, fresher flavour". In Spain!!

Pray tell me - how else do you pick anything??

[BAGGY]

Are they that fresh if they have travelled from Spain too ?  I am getting such a veg snob now, nothing in the supermarkets comes close to homegrown.

[Icyberjunkie]

Tim, don't panic at the 5 to 6' stuff!!!    before I got my lottie this year I had a couple of blueberry plants in pots and they never got over about 3' but still gave fruit.   Couldn't vouch for the taste though for if you think birds are bad try two children.......  Talking of which they found the first ripe ones today on the lottie and ate them too along with the first strawberries...wouldn't mind if they helped weeding lol   

Well worth a try though for as well as the fruit they do turn an amazing colour in autumn.

Iain

[Derek]

Its a fierce battle with some over weight pigeons this year as to who gets the fruit first.

More cages next year that's for sure...the blighters have sat on my netting until it has sagged enough for them to reach the fruit...canes now across top of netting to stop sagging..its 50/50 at the moment

My allotment neighbour has lost all her fruit to the pesky birds in spite of throwing nets over them.

Derek