Allotments 4 All

I've used lots of Blueberries in the last few months, when my favourite market supplier has them marked down, in jams and marmalade, and I'd really like to grow them myself.
Does anyone have any experience of the different varieties available?
I've got a sandy loam soil pH below 7, and easily lowered, so it's just a question of which variety to try.

I would suggest you get on line to a Blueberry company,  Look at the varieties, TRhey differ by harvest time, yield, size of berries and size of bush.

As you need to have at least two varieties to aid pollination it is a good plan to select carefully, then you can harvest berries over a longer season.

If you only want one variety then I would go fro Bluecrop, it is self fertile but does better with another variety, howevr Bluecrop is an excellent one.

I have grown blueberries since the 70s here and for the  9 years I was in the UK and always have had good results with many varieties as long as you keep the PH right. Feed then the same type of fertiliser you would give to Azaleas, Rhodies etc.

I think the last time I bought them in the UK the best place was called Devon Farms, but I will check and get back to you. They were reasonable price and shipping and the plants were good.

When I went over to the UK in 2000 the choice of varieties was low as blueberries where noit commonky grown in the UK, I think that wull have changed a lot since then.

Don't buy 1 year olds they are like twigs, two or even three year olds if you can get them. Avoid the packeted ones you see in the garden centres.

XX Jeannine

Gardening Which has a report this month with the results of their Blueberry trial.
Best buys, Chandler has the biggest fruit and most crop, Toro has as much fruit, Spartan longest cropper, Ozark Blue large crop. Nul new variety. Earliblue best in taste test but only a third of the crop of Chandler.
The only one that I know is Earliblue.

I have grown a few different types in the past and by far the best is one called bluecrop. It crops heavily and it withstood some very bad winters. I now have three and all in good size pots. I got the last one from a grower in scotland and it was way cheaper than anywhere else

I'm growing two Bluecrop and two Patriot. Bluecrops are the better plants at the moment with the berries just being picked now.

The Patriots are much smaller plants for now.

Thank you for all your replies.
Bluecrop sounds good. I'll report back in 1.....4 years!!!

mine's a Bluecrop, I think (bought from Wilkinson 2years ago from a twig!). Originally planted in a pot and didn't fare too well til I planted it at the lotti last Aut. w/o thinking whether it'll be acidic enough for it. Then this Spring it flowered beautifully (first time). It's berrying atm, same as the Ozark Blue (2-3 year old in a pot bought in Feb. but kept in a big pot) and that has the most longest flowering period I've seen. Both are doing really well. I shall be getting another later in Aut. as I really love the flowers on them as they're so unusual.