A couple of years ago Margaret decided that since I enjoyed blueberries so much (and that they are so good for you) we should grow them in our garden. She brought home a couple of the traditional northern deciduous type plants along with three evergreen "Sunshine Blue" hybrids developed from southern varieties. I have to admit to being skeptical about the whole project. Many years ago we had attempted to grow blueberries with a huge 30-year-old plant we bought from a blueberry farm going out of business. Among other things we learned why farmers usually replace their plants after 15 to 20 years of production! Additionally, I didn't believe that an evergreen hybrid like this could produce a decent crop of tasty berries and also function as a lovely ornamental plant all winter long.For the first two seasons I mostly ignored the new berry plants since it is recommended limiting your harvests for the first one or two years. Then early last summer Margaret told me I better check out the new berries and that I might want to take a container with me and pick some. When I finally got around to sampling the crop, I found I needed to go get a second container to pick all the wonderfully sweet berries that were ready for harvest. During the course of the summer I harvested at least 10 quarts of berries from those plants for wonderful pancakes, waffles and pies. Only a handful came from the "normal" highbush plants while the shorter Sunshine Blue produced nearly all the crop. Admittedly the former plants were tucked behind the latter in a shadier spot. But the Sunshine Blue's yield and taste quality were both great.Growing these plants is relatively simple and only requires a few things: a mostly sunny spot, adequate water through mid-September and an acid soil (pH 4.5 to 5.5). If you need to lower the pH, it is easily accomplished with a good acidifying fertilizer like an azalea rhododendron fertilizer with ammonium sulfate.It won't be too long before the warmer days of summer will bring us outdoors for cookouts and patio dining. For many of us, these meals have to include some of our own homegrown fresh produce. What could be more local than your own back yard?[[In-content Ad]]
