Hi all,
Looks like Santa is going to be bringing me a sack full of soft fruit this year, some of which may be blueberries. I've got the idea about PH etc but wondered if anyone had any other advice on cultivation and which varieties to go for.
Any other soft fruit recommendations gratefully accepted ;)
What a lucky Bagpuss! ;D ;D
Try these for a start, the Telegraph article made me go and get 2!!
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/yabbse/index.php/topic,10569.0.html
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/yabbse/index.php/topic,3547.0.html
I'm fairly sure you need two different varieties for pollination, can't recomend any varieties from experience though, sorry.
Both of mine have been in 60cm pots of ericaceous for a few yrs now. One is Berkeley but I've lost the other label. Since I got the 2nd, the first fruits much more and now I get bumper crops. They stay out all year, even when we get down to -20C and are watered and fed with our hard tap water and Miracid or similar plus an occasional dollop of pelleted chicken manure. One has larger berries than the other but both have excellent flavour and they freeze well.
Excellent news Bagpuss! :D
We had a lucky find at wilkinsons, they had soft fruit plants for four quid each.
Also, click here (http://www.talatonplants.co.uk/trees.htm#blue) for excellent prices. Delivery is steep at £12 but it would be well worth it if you had a large order or a few folk clubbed together to share the delivery cost.
Ask Ina!!
Remember that you can acidify the soil or compost with sulphate of ammonia.
I can thoroughly reccomend 'Hardy Blue' , Tho 'Nelson' didn't do so well. Got my plants from the dorset blueberry company.