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SIGHTSEEING BIKE RIDE ENDS UP IN BLUEBERRY PATCH
One thing always seems to lead to another. A sightseeing bike ride Saturday led me to the fields of Carver Nursery on Mt. Carmel road southwest of Carver. Riding down a field path, I applied my brakes as a customer popped a plump red raspberry into his mouth. Fresh raspberries - what a refreshing reward for the 10 miles I had just pedaled!
I circled around to Carver Nursery's office area and found owner Jim Freeman collecting wrenches for a machine maintenance project. "I've got a real treat for you," he offered. "The blueberries are ripe."
Freeman led me through the maze of nursery trees to several long rows of low-growing blueberry bushes, their branches bending under the weight of succulent blue fruit. A family was busy filling flats with berries destined, I overheard, for jam and muffins. Behind me in a stand of red pines, a robin eyed the action hungrily.
I made two decisions fairly quickly. First, I knew I'd have to pick some berries for my own kitchen. And second, transporting blueberries home on a bicycle was not a smart idea.
The Hwy. 43 hill didn't seem quite as steep as I pondered the return trip by car and breakfast cereal in the days ahead topped with a layer of fresh raspberries and blueberries. When I returned, Freeman unwrapped the plastic netting that protects his blueberry bushes from hungry birds. Without the netting, Freeman said, the birds would strip the bushes of berries in less than a day.
The best way to pick blueberries is to wait until most of the fruit is fully ripe. At this stage, a handful of ripe berries can be "raked" off the stem into a waiting pine box - a much faster process than picking berries individually.
I filled two boxes with blueberries, then moved to the long rows of juicy raspberries and filled four more boxes. Along the way, one or two raspberries found their way into my mouth.
Growing blueberries here in central Minnesota isn't as easy as growing many other fruit species because blueberries require acidic soils not common in most local landscapes. I have two blueberry plants that were attacked by rabbits the first winter following planting. I've since surrounded the plants with wire cages to keep out critters but the yellow leaves indicate a nutrient deficiency that needs correcting.
Blueberry plants grow best in soils with a pH of 4.0 to 5.0 (our average soil pH in Carver and Scott counties is much higher). Soils not within the range of pH acceptability for blueberry plant growth must be prepared before planting. If your soil contains a lot of clay or heavy loam, you will have to replace this soil with a sand and peat mixture. The University recommends removing unsuitable soils from a space 15 in. deep by at least 2 ft. wide.
Better results will be obtained by digging an entire bed rather than holes for individual plants. For just a few plants, consider growing blueberries in pots containing the appropriate soil mixture. Even with proper bed preparation, supplemental sulfur compounds will most likely be needed to maintain the acidic soils conditions necessary for fruit production.
The University of Minnesota fruit-breeding program has released blueberry varieties suitable for our climate. More than one of the following should be planted to achieve optimum pollination: North Blue, North Country, North Sky and St. Cloud.
If you've read this far, you've probably concluded that growing blueberries is fairly complicated. If you want to give it a try, I suggest you do some additional research before bringing home plants from the garden center. An even better idea would be to grow something else in your garden, and simply stop by Carver Nursery each July and August to pick your own!
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PUTTING DOWN ROOTS:
A Delightful Blend of
Gardening Wisdom, Wit
and Whimsy
$10 + $2 for shipping
by Cliff Johnson |
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