By: Carol Williams, Mobile County Master Gardener|www.MobileCountyMasterGardeners.org
Blueberries are often included in lists of the “Top Ten” most nutritious foods, and they are very good for us. Did you know that our area’s soil and weather is ideal for cultivating blueberries, especially rabbiteye varieties (Vaccinium ashei). They become a beautiful ornamental bush with varied greenery in spring, offering colorful berries in late May through early July, and leaves of reds and yellows in the fall. I have many bushes, some over 30 years old, and I am thrilled every year when the berries are ripe and ready to pick!
First, you need to decide where to place your blueberry bush. Blueberries must have acidic (pH4.5-5.5) soil to thrive so you should get a soil test. Yards fill with all sorts of dirt during home construction, but a soil test reports the current condition of your soil and includes instructions on how to remedy any problem it finds. Find instructions with an internet search, “Auburn University soil test.”
Your blueberry bushes will be expending a lot of energy to produce their succulent berries so they must have 6-8 hours of direct sunlight every day. To be sure the potential blueberry area receives enough sunlight, set your phone alarm every couple hours and take a picture of the area. Sunshine in every picture of that day tells that bushes will have enough sun. If trees grow nearby, also consider whether their growth might crowd out the sun in a few years.
Finally, you will need to choose at least two varieties to plant to have an increased yield because blueberries are not efficient self-pollinators. Various varieties bloom either early season, mid-season, or late season. To have increased pollination, it is best to choose different varieties that bloom near the same time so much more pollen is available to produce bountiful and tasty berries. Climax and Premier are very popular early varieties that produce well. Powderblue and Tifblue are among the popular mid-season blooming varieties. There are also some late blooming varieties. All will produce bountiful, delicious fruit. Late fall and winter are the best times to plant your new blueberry plants.
For more information, see www.auburn.edu growing blueberries, and www.ACES.edu growing blueberries. Also, they offer much information about maintenance of your bushes which is very important for good yields and a long life for your plants.
This year, Mobile Botanical Gardens in its Fall Plant Sale plans to offer 8 varieties of rabbiteye blueberries and one variety of highbush blueberry for us to choose. The list of blueberry varieties and all other offerings at the Plant Sale is available at their website: mobilebotanicalgardens.org.
Blueberries are so easy to set aside for the year. After picking them, place them on trays to allow them to dry off for a little while, then pop them into quart-size freezer bags and freeze for up to a year (Larger freezer bags may cause berries to be smashed). When ready to use, simply rinse them in cool water, drain, and eat out of hand, or add them to your favorite recipe. Here’s an easy one I often use:
Blueberry Dessert
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a 9x13 cake pan or casserole dish (avoid disposable pan) with nonstick cooking spray.
Ingredients:
1 15- or 20-oz can crushed pineapple in juice
1 quart fresh or frozen blueberries, rinsed
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 boxed white or yellow cake mix, dry (I prefer Pillsbury white)
½ cup, (more or less) rinsed, patted dry, and chopped, pecans
½ cup granulated sugar
1 ½ sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
Layer each ingredient, beginning with pineapple, evenly in the pan, sprinkling on the ½ cup sugar last. Then pour the melted butter evenly over the top layer. Bake for 1 hour. Serve hot, warm, or cold.
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