Blueberries: grow your own superfood!
 (Read 100+ times)
By Emma Cooper
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More and more these days, the media is full of stories of superfoods – usually fruits with high concentrations of antioxidants. The blueberry led the superfood charge, but has been left behind by newer and more exotic rivals, such as acai berries, goji berries and the yumberry.
But that doesn’t mean that the blueberry has lost its superfood credentials, or that blueberries are getting any less expensive to buy. Investing in one or two blueberry bushes now means that you can enjoy these tasty and healthful fruits for years to come – ultra fresh, from you own garden.
Blueberries aren’t hard to grow, but they do need acid (also known as ericaceous and lime-free) soil. If you don’t have that in your garden (use a pH meter or a soil chemistry kit to check) then you’ll have to grow your bushes in containers (12-15 inches in diameter) in lime-free soil or compost. The pH you’re trying to achieve is between 4 and 5.
Blueberry bushes are fully hardy, although their blossom can be damaged by late spring frosts. Give them a sunny, sheltered spot and plenty of water, especially in containers. They like to be continuously moist, but not waterlogged. If you have alkaline soil then you’re likely to have alkaline tap water as well – invest in a water butt and only use rainwater to irrigate your blueberries.
Blueberries fruit on wood that is 2 to 3 years old, so there’s no pruning to be done for the first 3 years. After that, it’s simply a case of removing diseased or damaged wood in the winter, while the deciduous bushes are dormant.
If you have enough space, plant more than one variety of blueberry. Although these fruits are self-fertile, having more than one variety will increase your harvest. And since different varieties crop at slightly different times, it will extend the blueberry season as well. However, birds love the fruit and so to harvest any of them for yourself you’ll need to net the plants as soon as they start to fruit.
Ripe blueberries are deep mauve, with a gray bloom. They don’t all ripen at the same time, so you’ll need to check the bushes every coupe of days. Assuming that any berries make it back to the kitchen, don’t wash them until you’re ready to eat them!
Feed your plants with a balanced ericaceous fertilizer in early spring and late summer, mulch with composted bark or pine needles and remember to check the pH of any soil amendments before you use them. Yellow leaves are a sign of iron deficiency, an indication that the soil pH is too high. Sulfur chips are an easy way to reduce soil pH, but this is most easily done on small areas of soil or in containers.
Blueberry bushes add some color to the fall garden, as their leaves turn a lovely red color before they drop. And although blueberry flowers are simple and white, they make a pretty addition to the spring garden. You can even under plant the bushes with cranberries (another acid-loving berry) to make the most of your space. Although they might be superfoods, blueberries are not demanding. Planting one or two bushes in your garden is an easy, and cost-effective way, to add them to your diet.
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Author Bio Box: Emma Cooper
Emma Cooper has a weekly gardening podcast, The Alternative Kitchen Garden, all about growing your own food in an environmentally friendly way. Check out her website for her gardening blog and more articles.
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