I am not getting a huge harvest from my blueberries, but I love being able to pick five or six in the morning when I’m out perusing the garden. What a treat! It makes me much more aware of the fruit I’m buying at the Farmer’s Market, and what it takes to produce that little basket of blueberries I purchase weekly.
Last fall I planted O’Neal and Sharpblue Early Season Blueberries. The O’Neal bush is the first to ripen, which is contrary to what I thought was going to happen based on the two plants’ tags. Both have Low Chill Requirements so they are perfect for our Southern California coastal environment. I need to plant more of these in my yard. They have been EASY, EASY, EASY!!!
When it comes to fertilizer, blueberries need a little more TLC than most things I grow. Everything in my garden is getting a dose of fish emulsion fertilizer, but a few things, including the berries, need more acid in their diet, so I’ve been using cottonseed meal (available in the fertilizer section of your better garden nurseries). You can also use this on azaleas, camellias and gardenias, all acid lovers. You can buy specially formulated fertilizer that specifically targets these plants, too. As I’ve mentioned in past postings, I’m trying to consolidate as much as possible, so if I can get a broader use from a fertilizer, it’s a better solution for me.
Normally, I try to keep the articles I reprint within our SoCal region, but this article from Southern Living had a lot of useful info about blueberries that is appropriate for us west coast gardeners. Southern Living article – blueberries
Perfection!
Tagged as:
blueberries,
low chill
Yesterday was a short stint in the garden, but I packed a lot of jobs into a short period of time out there. I am cleaning up out there, so I had to be a little ruthless about what I saved and what got pitched (gasp!). Really, it’s okay to pitch things occasionally such as all those little sedum leaves that broke off when I dropped a plant many months back. I’ve been saving them, checking occasionally to see if roots or tiny buds are forming. Some look promising so I planted them in six-packs for planting projects later on.
Succulents I started in six-pack planters many months ago have grown to a nice size so I consolidated some of them into pots with other established succulents of the same variety, filling them in for a better look.
Time to plant more seeds so I laid out plastic six-packs filled with seed starting potting mix. I’m still seeding spinach, lettuce, arugula, and snow peas. Last week I started up more sunflowers, cilantro and basil. While the seeds are getting started, I’ve been cleaning up the garden, trimming out old sweet peas vines, cutting lots of little bouquets of sweet peas and nasturtiums, and weeding, weeding, weeding!
I checked on the ‘kids’,and they are thriving, and making castings by the bucketful for me now. Good teamwork, gang. I’m so proud of you. Really! 
On the harvesting front, I have been snacking on strawberries, blueberries and a couple of apples. I say snacking because fruit is ripening in onesies and twosies; not a large bounty, but so delicious!
Here’s an article from a couple of weeks ago from the SD Union Tribune, Sowing Success to finish things off.
Tagged as:
apples,
blueberries,
cleaning up the garden,
sowing seeds,
strawberries,
succulents
Last week we had a little spritz that left me feeling disappointed for my plants, but it was the first measurable rainfall we had seen in 164 days so I was trying to be thankful for the little we did get. Last Friday when there was serious talk of storms coming, I got into gear and figured out what I needed to get done to maximize the rain when it finally arrived. Mi esposo dug out a Cecile Brunner rose I decided was in the wrong place, and interfering with my wisteria, and I replaced it with a recently purchased Campbell’s gardenia. I planted the blueberry bushes (SharpBlue Early Season and O’Neal – both have low chill requirements) I had purchased a couple of weeks ago into two pots I found at Walter Andersen’s last week. I repotted some plants; threw away some straggler plants that just weren’t performing; planted the last of the bulbs I had bought last month; prepped some more potato bins; raked, fed and watered; and generally, just organized and swept. A productive Sunday, for sure. Now the rain is falling and I’ll let that do its magic for awhile. Nice…..
Tagged as:
blueberries,
grafted gardenias,
Transplanting
Delicious, nutritious, and high in bioflavanoids. Music to our ears! Too bad chocolate doesn’t rate these accolades. Gardeners in Southern California can grow blueberries. I didn’t know this until last year when I saw the last of the bare root selection at a local nursery. It took every ounce of will power not to buy [...]
Tagged as:
blueberries,
fruit
