Growing blueberries

[Finman]

I am fond of growing blueberries. In greenhouse they make huge yields and the annual growth is almost 3 feets.

FERTILIZING BLUEBERRIES

http://www.spectrumanalytic.com/support/library/pdf/Fertilizing Blueberries.pdf

Important is measurement of pH. You cannot see it without instrument.

the rest is easy. Blueberry needs a sunny place and much water. Soil must be acid sphagnum peat and silt.

I have something 13 varietes. Not sure.

 

[Black Comb]

When I was a mere lad we used to go onto the fells to pick these and sell to ladies who made delicious pies.

 

[Finman]

.
'Do you have in England American blueberry bushes 3 feets high or low bill berry?

 

[Frisbee]

They are low bilberries...........lovely, but take ages to pick enough for a pie.

I expect lots of people are now growing the American ones as they have become available.


Frisbee

 

[Finman]

They are low bilberries...........lovely, but take ages to pick enough for a pie.

I use to pick berries with picking machine, with "greedy" as some say.

Minimum speed is 10 litres per hour. Otherwise I do not bother.

Last summer was special. I picked cow berries with speed 50 litres per hour.

Berriues are easy to clean up when you make a 5 feet long spout from excluder, and run berries downwards in the spout.

 

[MJBee]

We have the American bush blueberries over here - still make your fingers (and mouth) blue - delicious

 

[Finman]

We have the American bush blueberries over here - still make your fingers (and mouth) blue - delicious

I wonder because American blueberry does not make figers or mouth blue.

 

[MJBee]

The French call them Myrtle berries so they may not be the American type of Blueberry. I remember collecting low blueberries from the hills around Melrose in the Borders as a kid -great fun.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Not down yer they ain't, tis Wortle berries, all round Somerset and Devon. Posh people put in a 'h' as in Whortleberries.
Different names for different parts of the country,not the American one's,but related in some way i suppose.

 

[Finman]

.
American blueberry really makes this kind of yield.
European blueberry has solitary berries.

Cowberry

 

[Hivemaker.]

Huge yield from those American bushes,ours are like the middle picture.

Lots of regional names.

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?i...ox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&sa=X&um=1

 

[garethbryson]

I Planted a blueberry bush earlier in the year, it was very small but was growing well untill the bl**dy rabbits devoured it. Needless to say my trusty .22 rifle has been employed and i've had rabbit stew for my supper a few times

 

[tkwinston4]

Finman - what's a cloud berry? We saw them on the menu when we went to Lapland a few years ago but didn't get around to eating them. The name is lovely and sounds very interesting.

 

[Erichalfbee]

In Cumbria they are called Whinberry and they DO colour your mouth and hands blue. They are in flower on the heather moors at the moment.
Even in the drizzle you get bumblebees on them.

 

[Polyanwood]

That looks like a bilberry, the one Finman calls cowberry and the French call myrtyle.. and they stain your hands blue.

 

[SixFooter]

I grow blueberries in a peat filled, polythene lined raised bed. Peat to provide the acidity and polythene lined so its kept boggy.

 

[Finman]

That looks like a bilberry, the one Finman calls cowberry and the French call myrtyle.. and they stain your hands blue.

Cowberry is briliant red. = vaccinium vitis idaea. It is not not blue.

Billberry which stains mouth blue is Vaccinium myrtillus.

American blueberry is Vaccinium corymbosum.

 

[Finman]

Finman - what's a cloud berry? We saw them on the menu when we went to Lapland a few years ago but didn't get around to eating them. The name is lovely and sounds very interesting.

It has very a special flavour. And folks are mad to pick them.
Polish travell with buss to North Sweden to pick them and sell.

It grows on northern bogs and especially on tundra.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Cloudberry_distrib.png

 

[Erichalfbee]

I ate cloudberries in Newfoundland where they are called Bakeapple. They make an excellent spirit too.The caribou and moose like them as well, the berries not the hooch.

 

[Somerford]

well luckily my favourite berries are in season here.....strawberries !!

yum