Spring Growers' Guide: Blueberries
THE KING OF ANTIOXIDANTS IN YOUR BACKYARD
A wild fruit which grows all year round and gets more plentiful as each season passes.
The King of Antioxidants are a favourite fruit to enjoy over the summer months, or freeze and defrost for cooking during the winter. Blueberries are a hardy plant which do best together in pairs (just like clown fish).
Did you know - when two variants of blueberries are planted together they grow more, bigger sized fruit.
A wild fruit that can easily be grown in your own backyard.
They freeze quickly and will last into the winter seasons.
Plant two blueberry plants together, Tasty Blue, Blue Magic and Blue Dawn are all popular variants in New Zealand.
Blueberries grow well in pots as well as in a garden bed.
Plant Blueberries in a spot that gets the all day sun - they don’t take up much space, so a sunny apartment balcony is also possible.
Cover your plants with nets to keep away the birds.
Don’t forget to add your Edible Earth (compost) regularly to your pot or garden bed to keep your Blueberries well fed.
If you’re a seasoned green thumb and you have garden irrigation set up, ensure that water can reach the roots on both sides of the plant.
If you water by hand, ensure you do this economically each day especially during the hotter months.
When Blueberries don’t receive enough water they will produce smaller darker berries than normal.
WHEN TO HARVEST.
Blueberries will be ready for harvesting between December to April. Good things take time, so during the first summer your plants might not give you a larger harvest, however they should double each year after this until fully grown.
When your plants are full grown it is possible to harvest up to 8kg per plant per season. Don’t forget to keep these bushes cross pollinated in pairs.