Thursday, July 07, 2016

Blueberries for Breakfast

Blueberries in mid-April.
One of my gardening experiments this year was planting blueberries in containers on the cabin deck.  I chose a Northsky and Chandler and have been very pleased with their progress. Having two different varieties is necessary for cross-pollination.


Northsky in bloom.
Both bushes were quite small at planting, but already had blossoms starting. It's been fun watching them progress through the stages of development while growing larger.

Chandler in bloom.




By May the foliage had about doubled and become more robust.

Berries on the Northsky.
The flowers fell and small green blueberries appeared on both plants.

Larger berries set on the Chandler.
The Northsky is a small early berry and I have already completed my first picking. How wonderful it felt to be able to eat fruit from my own garden.

Northsky berries ready to pick at the end of June.

The Chandler berries are larger in size and are just starting to ripen. I'm glad I picked two plants the will provide berries at different times. When fall arrives, I plant to give them larger pots so the roots have room to spread and support the larger plants they should become.

Enough berries to have with our fruit bowl for breakfast.

What do you think of my first crop? Do you grow blueberries? What has been your experience? -- Margy

18 comments:

  1. Lovely berries - it is great to have them fresh from your own plants. I haven't grown blueberries - and not sure why - but I think I might get some this year for the deck - Don is crazy for blueberries and it would be fun to pick them fresh.

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    1. I wasn't sure they would like being in a pot, but so far so good. I plan to transplant them in the fall to a bigger one to encourage growth. - Margy

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  2. Wow, Margy, whodathunkit? Blueberry bushes in pots. Well, you're just the person to succeed at this, and you sure did. Wow again.
    Kay

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    1. Not too many things can grow on the side deck, but these two pots just fit. Glad it is working out. We love blueberries. - Margy

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  3. You've got me wondering if I can grow blueberries! Had some for breakfast myself today, but I didn't grow them.

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    1. These are rated for -40C so they should work just about anywhere. - Margy

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  4. Love blueberries. Very expensive here in England and also don't think they would grow here.

    gramswisewords.blogspot.com

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    1. They are expensive here as well, even in blueberry growing areas. - Margy

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  5. It looks fantastic, you will have blueberries right outside your door! Will they be on the same floating platform as your house or on a floating garden?

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    1. They are right next to the cabin wall on the south side where they get lots of sun. - Margy

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  6. Congratulations on your crop! That's one thing that doesn't easily grow in Southern California!

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    1. Maybe not, they like the cold. Here they only grow naturally in the high country, but these are doing well down at the cabin level. - Margy

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  7. What fun! I have 3 apples! :-)
    (ツ) from Cottage Country Ontario , ON, Canada!

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    1. There are lots of apple trees in Powell River, but don't think it would be a good choice for our cabin deck. Good for you! - Margy

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  8. Your blueberry experiment worked out great.

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    1. Good thing I talked to the nursery person, I would have gotten one and maybe next year pollination wouldn't have occurred. - Margy

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  9. I have been wanting to grow some here. After seeing how well you have done, I think I better get started. Next spring for sure. I thought they were more complicated to grow. I'll try the varieties you did.

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    1. So far I've only given them some plant food every few weeks and water when the soil dries (between rains that is). In addition to a first crop of berries the plants have about doubled or maybe tripled in size. They should have a good start before winter arrives. - Margy

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We welcome your comments and questions. - Wayne and Margy