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monoloco
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Growing Conditions for Blueberries
by: Countryfarm Lifestyles
Blueberries can be grown in any area that azaleas do well in as they have the same growing conditions. So that is your yardstick if you are wondering
about whether they will grow in your area. They prefer areas that have a cooler climate and do not do well in tropical areas as it is just too hot for
them. Blueberries are native to both South and North America, Europe and Asia.
Blueberries like to have an acidic soil to grow in, which should have lots of compost and humus. A pH of 4.5 is ideal, but a pH of 4.0-5.5 is an
acceptable range. They also like moist soil but not soggy soil, so it should be well-drained.
Check the pH of your soil every year. If it gets above 5.5 apply ground sulphur at a rate of 25g (1 oz) per plant, either raked or watered in. As
blueberries are shallow rooted plants, take care with the raking so that you don't damage the root system.
Plant them in a sheltered position. Ideally, they will be screened from trees on one side so that they get the morning sun but the afternoon shade.
However, if you try and grow this fruit in deep-shade the plants will not flower very well, therefore your crop will be poor.
Southern Highbush and Rabbiteye varieties are best grown in areas that have a warmer climate as these are varieties that come from the Southern States
of America.
http://www.countryfarm-lifestyles.com/what-are-the-growing-c...
"The future ain't what it used to be"
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DavidE
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Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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Some plants do not do well in windy conditions. I've planted a few varieties here that -should have- done well but didn't. Ph was correct, drainage,
soil conditions, composition, fertility but no success. Lettuce was a notable failure. It hates wind. Corn did very well because pollen traveled miles
and miles. There are honeybees. You might want to think about YELLOWJACKETS when dealing with any sweet fruit, especially if you plan on planting a
lot. The inference would be to plant blueberries as far from patio, windows or doors as feasible. A note about potatoes. I learned the hard way to
plant in the fall. Potato plants must see cool(er) nights so leaves can send nutrients to the tubers at night. Or a person ends up with mostly new
potatoes. Small ones.
The "official name" of blueberries in México is
MORA AZUL
I've a hunch blueberries might grow well way up in the Sierra de La Laguna.
[Edited on 10-7-2013 by DavidE]
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BajaLuna
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I agree, need to plant stuff out of the wind, but I do think certain varieties of blueberries when planted in the right location could do just fine
there. All gardening is a big experiment anyways.. trial and error. Yeah I hear ya about the yellow jackets that could be a big problem. I sure don't
want many of those around. I keep mason bees (non-agressive) here at my house in WA, and since I started, my garden has never been better....and so I
garden amongst bees all the time, however yellowjackets would not be fun! My bees are so busy doing their job pollinating and then feeding their
babies in their wee little mud tubes inside their wee little house they could care less who is around, LOL!
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BajaLuna
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cute story, Durrelllrobert! My grandchildren aren't good pickers, they come back with hardly any in their buckets, and nothing but blue or red
faces...and then when the supply in the freezer is gone come about April for their smoothies, they wonder why LOL, well because nana was the only one
saving the ones she picked and there isn't enough to supply us through till the next harvest! One of these days, I'll have enough plants to last us
from harvest to harvest! But hey, it's all good, they love their berries.
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BajaLuna
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good info, Azaleas and blueberries do well in the same locations! Never knew that!
thanks monoloco!
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dtbushpilot
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To answer the original question: Yes, they are available at Costco in Cabo. I bought some a few days ago, Naturipe brand Salinas Ca. however the label
says "product of Mexico". 18oz was 152pesos or about $10 a pound......not cheap but very good quality.
"Life is tough".....It's even tougher if you're stupid.....
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BajaLuna
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That's interesting, DavidK about the potatoes being planted in the Fall, instead of in March on St. Patty's day like we do here. Although we do plant
garlic in the Fall here. Thanks for the tater info!
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mtgoat666
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| Quote: | Originally posted by mulegemichael
i, personally, don't think blueberries would do well in baja sur as there is no, really, "down time", or winter...they really need a "sleep" period
where they can rejuvenate their resources for the next season...here, in sequim, washington, where we actually have a winter, they do VERY well, as
long as we pay attention to their acid soil needs and fertilize accordingly...we are STILL harvesting berries now late into the fall period...in fact
have begged our neighbors to PLEASE come get this fruit before it's too late!! |
some people buy berries based on color. some people buy the berries that taste good. there are a lot of bland blue berries for sale out there,
costco and every large vendor specialize in selling the bland ones, as their customers only care that they are blue and cheap.
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monoloco
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| Quote: | Originally posted by mtgoat666
| Quote: | Originally posted by mulegemichael
i, personally, don't think blueberries would do well in baja sur as there is no, really, "down time", or winter...they really need a "sleep" period
where they can rejuvenate their resources for the next season...here, in sequim, washington, where we actually have a winter, they do VERY well, as
long as we pay attention to their acid soil needs and fertilize accordingly...we are STILL harvesting berries now late into the fall period...in fact
have begged our neighbors to PLEASE come get this fruit before it's too late!! |
some people buy berries based on color. some people buy the berries that taste good. there are a lot of bland blue berries for sale out there,
costco and every large vendor specialize in selling the bland ones, as their customers only care that they are blue and cheap.
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Actually, for a while they had really good NW organic blueberries at Costco, and the Mexican ones are pretty
darn good too, I should know, I eat them almost every day.
"The future ain't what it used to be"
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DavidE
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Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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I learned the yellowjacket thing thing the hard way. Many years ago. Short sleeves and shorts. Heavy gloves, plunged right in after tunas, cactus
fruits. The little yellow and black bostids had a field day with me. Pitahayaeros told me that is part of the reason the fruit is so expensive - the
pickers get pronged on the spines, and stung by the yellowjackets. A tough way to make a living.
None of the so-called experts on potatoes have constructed sites or information that boils down potato raising to an understandable level. Roots down
deep, tubers near the surface, small potatoes exposed to sunlight turn green and are indigestible but can be covered with soil and they'll turn nice
and brown or white shortly while still growing - they aren't ruined. Some sites say spuds grow well in poor soil. That is a load of hooie, especially
the guy who said they grow -best- in poor soil. The plants MUST have their leaves kept free of layers of dust or dirt. Properly fed spuds taste like
they already have butter on them - it's amazing.
Blanca, I have those Night Blooming Jasmine seeds to give you. Apparently they only sprout after 90 days and need 70F to germinate. My babies are
three inches tall. I gave them a shot of fertilizer and stumbled as I was applying it. Hope they like a high-calorie diet...
The Dill is growing s-l-o-w-l-y. An inch and a half tall now.
Been eyeballing a hummingbird feeder here in the Miramar. Some folks do not know how to prepare hummingbird food. Two cups sugar, one liter of water
and BOIL the sugar water for five minutes to dissolve the sugar entirely then cool. Hummingbirds know and love the color red, for food. It's a hoot to
sit inside and watch the hummingbird wars while I'm sipping coffee. Honey is not good for a hummingbird.
A Lot To See And A Lot To Do
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motoged
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Just some clarification on terminology....
"A perennial plant or simply perennial (Latin per, "through", annus, "year") is a plant that lives for more than two years.[1] The term is often used
to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also widely used to distinguish plants with little or no woody growth
from trees and shrubs, which are also technically perennials."
Blueberries come from a bush....that are perennials....
"Perennials, especially small flowering plants, that grow and bloom over the spring and summer, die back every autumn and winter, and then return in
the spring from their root-stock."
Yum !!!
Some reading on types, growing conditions, etc:
http://www.sunnyridge.com/grow/mexico/
http://www.joebarsi.com/2009/09/blueberry-growth-in-mexico.html
http://www.freshfruitportal.com/2013/02/04/mexico-blueberries-offer-alternative-to-sinaloa-growers/?country=canada
Don't believe everything you think....
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BajaDixon
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| Quote: | Originally posted by EnsenadaDr
where is this exactly in San Quintin? It might be a good destination for a road trip!! | Quote: |
Sorry Doc- probably not a good idea to go in search of the blueberry farms for several reasons. The fields are spread out in different areas and for
hygiene reasons they keep them behind locked gates and fences covered with black sheets of plastic. This gives them protection from dogs and wildlife
that would otherwise contaminate the fruit. The fences and guards also prevent hungry people from showing up for dessert!
[Edited on 10-8-2013 by BajaDixon] |
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BajaLuna
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I have found that it's all about which variety you get that does good in your area and of course picking them at peak time...and of course too the
conditions they grew in that year IE: weather, sun etc...because I have some varieties that produce HUGE blueberries and taste delicious and another
one of a different variety that is huge also but sooo bland. The Grandkids and I went to a berry farm and picked some this Summer as I had a few
plants that didn't do good this year and they wanted to take a bunch home to their mom's house, not sure why a few plants didn't do good because all
my other plants did great this year (sunny summer)...but anyways, we picked some HUGE organic ones, and I mean HUGEEEE ones, like blueberries on
steroids, and they were the best I have ever tasted, except when I have picked wild ones in Maine of course...so in my experience you can't judge a
berry by it's size. I was always told the smaller and darker the berry, the better the flavor, but I'm not so sure now.
We had a record year this year with our currant, and raspberry crop, and my freezer is stuffed with raspberries, yayyy! Some years we have been a
little lazy at cutting back the raspberry canes after the harvest, but last year we were on it..and wow what a difference it made cutting those canes
back so the new canes could come through.
Every year we add new plants to our berry patch, this year we are adding lingonberries (us Swedes love our lingon berries!), marionberry, and
boysenberry. And next week adding a kiwi tree to the greenhouse, and planting a fig tree and another cherry tree to the orchard. 3 years ago I added
another variety of apple tree to the orchard, but there is nothing more upsetting than finally getting a few apples on it this Fall and going out
there one morning to find the deer ate every one of them on the new tree! Didn't even get to taste one, UGH! My grandchildren almost cried, they had
had their eyes on those apples all Summer. And the birds wiped out my sour cherries. Ya win some ya loose some, and they have to eat too! Except for
the cougars and bobcats can't they just dine somewhere else and leave my chickens and the neighbors goats alone, LOL! Life would be grand if I didn't
have to raise chicks every year!
Oh the trials and tribulations in trying to live self-sustainable! Keeps it all interesting, that's for sure!
can't wait to grow food in Baja, a whole new learning experience for me! And I look forward to learning from those of you seasoned/wise gardeners down
there!
I forgot, is there a gardening section board on the BN forums? If not, it would be cool if there was! Or maybe a sustainable living board would be
cool too!
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BajaLuna
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OHHH you are so right, DavidE. Some varieties of potatoes taste like they have butter already on them and sooo creamy. I never knew there were sooo
many different varieties of potatoes until I started becoming a serious food grower. Grocery stores only sell what is easily grown, fastest to grow,
cheapest to grow and have the best results, hence why we only see a few varieties in the stores. My husband use to say to me, why take up all this
garden space growing potatoes when they are one of the cheapest vegetables to buy. Then I started growing all different kinds that we had never even
heard of, now he's a believer!
Yes, properly fed, but also it makes a HUGE difference in what kind you grow too.
I have tried just about every potato growing method known to man, and have had mixed results....since I grow everything (except blueberries) in raised
beds...2 years in a row now I have just grown the potatoes in my raised beds, and I have been amazed at the results. AND I did not pile up the dirt as
they grew, I just planted them deep in a trench and that was it. It was completely counter intuitive to me...but a friend of mine grew them this way
and I tried it, although I was really skeptical, I mean I have ALWAYS grown them by piling up the dirt as they grew...but it worked brilliantly, and
now this is the only way I will grow them from now on.
Are you growing those in containers, or in the ground, or in raised beds?
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woody with a view
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| Quote: |
Been eyeballing a hummingbird feeder here in the Miramar. Some folks do not know how to prepare hummingbird food. Two cups sugar, one liter of water
and BOIL the sugar water for five minutes to dissolve the sugar entirely then cool. Hummingbirds know and love the color red, for food. It's a hoot to
sit inside and watch the hummingbird wars while I'm sipping coffee. Honey is not good for a hummingbird.
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i just use 4 cups of water and one cup of suger. no coloring. they figure it out real quick and keep coming back. you only boil for 1 or 2 minutes so
that you don't evaporate too much water. you are trying to boil off the chlorine and flouride in the city water. don't try to put them on a diet or
give them extra sweet water. 4 to 1. and change the water every 5 days when its hot, every 8 days when its cold or fungus will grow in the yeast
water!
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