Blueberries...Beautiful Blueberries!

First harvest of blueberries,
2013

Growing up, I thought the only place one could grow blueberries was Maine. You know, blueberry syrup and all. Am I ever thankful to have learned the truth! Blueberries can be grown in North Carolina (and other parts of the South)...easily, and with great results.

I totally understand how Fats Domino found his thrill on Blueberry Hill. Our blueberry bushes may not be on a hill...actually, they are in raised beds on flat ground...but it has been thrilling to be picking this year.

To recap...

We have 9 rabbiteye blueberry bushes planted in 3 raised beds in the Berry Patch (northeast)quadrant of the Way Back Garden. We purchased our bushes from the Guilford County 4-H in two "batches:" 2 Climax and 1 Premier varieties in the Spring of 2011; 3 Climax and 3 Premier in the Fall of '11.


According to our Soil Test, performed in March of 2011, the soil in this area of the Way Back had a pH of 5.1 (can you say ACID soil?). Fortunately, according to the North Carolina Cooperative Extension/NC State publication, Growing Blueberries in the Home Garden, blueberries are happiest growing in acid soil, with rabbiteyes preferring a pH of less than 5.3. No lime needed here! We were good to go...after adding the recommended 2 pounds of 10-10-10 fertilizer. (The actual recommendation on the Soil Test Report says 20 lbs per 1000 sq. ft.; as we have three 32 sq. ft. boxes = 96 sq. ft. total...I rounded that up to 100 sq. ft. to make the math easier...we needed 1/10 of the recommended application = 20/10 = 2 lbs.).

Why rabbiteyes, you may ask? Or, even...what are the different species of blueberries? There are 3 main species that are cultivated for the home garden: high bush, rabbiteye, and southern high bush.

"The rabbiteye (Vaccinium ashei) is more drought and heat resistant and will tolerate a wider range of soil types than the highbush. For these reasons, rabbiteye is easier to establish and grow successfully in the Piedmont..." according to NC State.

The BackyardGardener.com site says the following:

"Vaccinium ashei is a Southeastern U.S. species, well adapted to hot, humid summers with mild winters. They tolerate conditions that other blueberries will not. They generally grow 6 to 8 feet tall, and the blueberries ripen in late spring or early summer."

Both sites recommend planting more than one rabbiteye variety to provide the cross-pollination needed for maximum yields. NC State lists recommended varieties for the Piedmont, including Climax and Premier, which were developed by NC State. And that is just what the (NC) county 4-H was selling. Funny how that worked out, eh?

Mr. T built the raised beds, 8" deep, 8x4 in size. We simply tilled up the native soil, amended only with compost and leaf mold (mainly to help improve the tilth of our native CLAY soil) at planting time.  He also added metal fence posts, one at the end of each box, with a wire strung between them, to provide support for the netting used to protect the harvest from our ever-present bird friends. Here's a shot of the Berry Patch, taken from the Rondel in early 2012:

View of Berry Patch from Rondel,
looking NE, at the blueberry boxes
Spring - 2012

Last Fall (2012), we mulched the beds with leaves (mostly oak), and this Spring prior to bloom, I fertilized them with 10-10-10. As the bushes began to flower, I added Milorganite, which is chiefly a nitrogen fertilizer (5-2-0), based on the Soil Test report's recommendations for Maintenance/When Plants are Mature (after Year 2) :

"After another four to six weeks...nitrogen alone may be applied at this time."

After harvest (and prior to July 20), I will apply another topdressing of Milorganite. Then, we will have the soil tested next Spring per recommendation.

So, that's what we did...now let's see some results! As I have said before, we missed last year's (2012)harvest, due to our extended stay in KY. We didn't know what to expect from this year...but I was basing my expectations on what I wanted to eat.

I wanted a blueberry pie!

Check that goal off the list.! The blueberries have performed in the OUTSTANDING category, if you ask me. I picked an initial 1-2 cups (see picture above) (oh, I can't tell you the exact amount, as I ate so many when I was picking [ducking my head with a sheepish grin]), which were washed, lightly sugared, and eaten on cereal and for dessert.



Second harvest of blueberries,
2013

Then, four days (and three rains) later, I picked over 6 cupsful (left)! That was enough for blueberry pancakes for Sunday Brunch...and my blueberry pie.  [If you want to see those pictures and get the recipe, please visit the family blog The Adsit Adventure posting Found My Thrill here.]

It's Day 3...and as many rains...since I last picked berries, so I am mouth-wateringly looking forward to tomorrow. I'm hoping for another large haul, as I now want to "can" blueberry pie filling.

I found that recipe in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, edited by Judi Kingry and Lauren Devine. I'm adding this book to my favorite gardening books, for sure...since, once you harvest, you have to do something with all that produce, right?

I'm also thinking at trying my hand at making Blueberry Syrup. Never done that before. I found this recipe on the Ball FreshPreserving.com site:  Blueberry Syrup recipe.

So, let's do the math.  I will need 7 cups of blueberries for the Pie Filling recipe. And, I will need 8 cups of blueberries for the Blueberry Syrup recipe. That's 15 cups of blueberries I need!

Grow, blueberries, grow!

Happy hoeing!