Planting Cold Hardy Blueberries in the Alberta Urban Garden
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- Опубликовано: 3 июн 2014
- I am following up our 5 easy tips to pick number 1 was to plan ahead to make sure you have the best plan for your garden. Number 4 was to cheat ;) I picked up Blueberries which I had not planned on ;) that said they are a great addition to my 2014 Goal of adding more perennials to my garden.
Blueberries are a great addition. I have a North Land and a North Country Blueberry. They are both dwarf varieties which don't get larger then 1 meter tall. Although both varieties may need an pollinator however each of them will do well alone.
Blueberries prefer a more acidic soil. I am looking for organic ways to do this but I might need to cheat. I am looking for your help. I have planted strawberries in the bed as well. They enjoy acidic soils as well and will make a great understory to blue berries!
Some of my favorite childhood memories are of gardening with my parents and brothers. This channel is about low cost organic urban gardening in zone 3. I am by no means an expert gardener however I love to share my experiments and journey garden year round. Please feel free to join the conversation and if you think you might like this channel subscribe. Have a great day!
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Pine needles are a great way to add acidity your garden. You can use them as mulch when they are dry. I am not sure if you have pine trees up in Canada but they are great evergreen. Thanks for showing us your garden and for adding more perennials to your garden.
Wes as you know I get slightly obsessive about things :) I have a few more I'll be adding to the garden soon ;)
It isn’t true. Scientifically disproven.
This was exactly the video I needed! Thanks! I’ll hit that subscribe button
You won't regret cheating, Stephen. Blueberries are a wonderful addition. I have been eating blueberries for two months now from my shrubs. Hope it grows well for you.
Thank you Gardening With Puppies I dont regret it at all ;) it was just not in the plan lol. I cant wait to get my first ones!
Nice update, Stephen.
Dry Spruce needles are often used here to make the soil more acidic. It`s mixed with the soil, and also used as a mulch.
Best wishes,
Halvor.
Halvor have you done that and measures the acidity prior to and after ? I have been reading up that the needles don't make the acidity. The peat and moss that grow with the pine do that. Thoughts ?
*****
I won`t call me an expert on this subject. You may be right.
I`ve only been listening to some biologists and rhododendron-growers here that recommend the use of it to bring down the Ph. Rhododendron is proberly one of the most popular garden plants here, and some people pull it so far that it`s not gardening anymore, rather pure science. :)
Gardening in Norway it might be specific to that plant. Ill have to take a look ;)
Trying to add more fruit to my garden - have blackberry and raspberry bush that need some attention,so this is good info for me!
Kim I have been adding a whole bunch of fruit. I hope to draw my children into the garden as much as possible :)
I'll be adding goji and honey berries in the next week or so ;)
*****
yes, my kids love fruit over veggies. So far the watermelon has been a huge hit. Working on other fruits as well. Thx for sharing!
Thank you for the video. I enjoy watching some gardening from here in Alberta, as it is a tough zone for a lot of plants, and I just bought a blueberry plant for my husband for fathers day. I'll try the tips in the comments as well.
I am really glad I could help !! :) what I have started to do with mine after this is poor my old coffee near and around the base to help with the acidity :)
I enjoyed all the tips and will incorporate them in my blueberry plans since I am having trouble with mine trying to die. I heard pine needles start losing their acidic value soon after they fall from the tree. Don't drink coffee so will have to start, I need another habit. hahahaha. I enjoy your videos, easy to follow and encouraging.
I am glad you enjoy the video Ida ! Unused coffee grounds spread at the base can help I am told :)
I am following up our 5 easy tips to pick number 1 was to plan ahead to make sure you have the best plan for your garden. Number 4 was to cheat ;) I picked up Blueberries which I had not planned on ;) that said they are a great addition to my 2014 Goal of adding more perennials to my garden. Check out this video on blueberries and how/where to plant them
ruclips.net/video/B7MbJFg86fE/видео.html
Breaking rule #4 is how I ended up with my blueberries as well. I bought three of the same type though, do you think I should keep some extra space near them for a different variety to be planted with them next spring? I didn't really do any research passed "Blueberries? I can make space for some of those" lol
I would recommend bringing in one more variety to the three. You will get much better pollination. I did do some research on the spot on my phone ;) kept me out of trouble :)
Haha, wish I would have thought to break out my phone. But that's alright I will just make note for next season to get another variety.
Speaking of phones, I've noticed that some plant tags have those weird bar codes on them for more information, have you tried that out yet? I'm not sure what app I even need to read them so I haven't yet.
its a code reader and yes I have used it or I usually go to the website that it would send you to anyways.
Good to know. I'll grab a code reader for the next time I'm at a garden centre. Thanks Stephen!
I really want to plant more perennials. Blueberries would definitely be good.
I highly recommend it ! :) I have a few more to show you soon !!
Ray over on the Praxxus55712 channel uses a cooled cup of coffee once in a while to help up the acidity of his plants that like acidic soils. He says that he just lets a cup of coffee cool and then just pours it around the plant like he's watering it.
That's a good idea ! I do drink a good amount of coffee and some times forget to finish it :)
GReat vid Stephen I just planted two blueberry plants this year hoping to get a good yield in years to come and hope yours do well also !
It would seem we are planting similar things these days ! I hope next year to get something ! My son would be so thrilled !
yes it does seem like we are planting similar things lol I love blueberries and I know I am not going to get alot of them its just knowing that you can out in your yard and pick and eat
Over time you will get a lot lol
Hey Stephen..
I did a test on used coffee grounds from our machine & found that they came in at 6.6 which isn't low enough.. Using stale unused grounds is a lot better if you can source them..
I use flowers of sulphur as advised by a local organic gardening guru Annette Mcfarlane.. Is a natural element but does take a while to break down to become plant available..
Cheers mate..
Bob, I found that our worm farms when ballistic when fed a lot of coffee grounds - not sure if the worms were on a caffeine high - but they seemed to be much more active. and worked their way through our compost much more quickly
I am going to have to see if I can find some. Unused grounds might be a good way as well. It will feed the plant and increase the acidity. I bet the worms will love the grounds as well.
Thanks for the suggestion my friend and thanks for doing that trial ! Saved me from doing it !
Have found the same with ours Craig Curtin :) Just re build a bathtub farm & have a months worth of coffee grounds saved up just or them ;)
Cheers mate..
I did a clip on it but never posted it *****.. Probably should of but it is lost to the hard drive of no return now :D :/
I would say that different coffees & machines would give you slightly different pH readings though..
Cheers..
I think the fact of the matter is they don't lower it enough :)
I am on the hunt now :)
you were asking for some suggestions to increase the acidity in your soil for the blueberries, a friend suggested using apple cider vinegar diluted with water/or plain vinegar diluted(1/2T vinegar to 1 Gallon water). Too much vinegar can cause root rot. Hope you find this helpful.
Good info yup the pine needles should do the trick. I like how you are using the space too. I am thinking about putting my strawberries around the outside of my asparagus bed.
I think traditionally we have Easter a lot of space ! Blueberries and strawberries should be great companions as they both love acidic soil and are on two different levels much like how the blueberries and grapes should be :)
Dave I would love to see how you do the asparagus and strawberry bed ! I have asparagus seeds for next year I am eager to figure out :)
I am going to try it I started some from seed and if they do well win win for me if not I will grow some more I still have lots of seed. I have a long weekend so hope to get it done
Good luck my friend ! I was supposed to have a long weekend. Work ruined that.
2 and a half hours to get home on Thursday traffic not the normal hour or so. I know what you mean..
I successfully grew strawberries and asparagus together in one bed. They both were plentiful.
Thank you Stephen for your advice on planting these BEAUTIES. I will be ordering 3 bushes and plan on planting them in April/May. I look forward to seeing how your bushes survived the winter. Did you tell us how old the potted plants were? I purchased some bird netting since I have a large amount of songbirds that love berries ESPECIALLY my Mockingbirds.
The plants I got had two years of growth after propagation. They did not recommend converting them so I left them and they seem alright under the snow. Only time will tell now !
I put mine against the fence as I know one day I'll have to protect them and the fence helps !
I am really glad you enjoyed the clip.
What is 'recommend converting them' mean?
Covering them with burlap or. Something :)
I am planning to plant some blueberries. Should I wait until the spring now? We have been following the square foot gardening book mostly, and Mel's Mix is made of 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 compost and 1/3 vermiculite. I wonder if that would be suitable? I guess I could test the pH level.
Stale coffee is what I've used when I lived in Maine. Just water with any cold, stale coffee that's left over when you drink coffee. No more than once per week should be plenty.
Thank you Frank I think that's what I'll do ! Usually on the weekend I have stale coffee at some point ! How is your garden doing this year ?
My garden is doing okay but I haven't had enough time to take any video of it as of late due to an immense amount of schoolwork. However, in no more than 30 days I will be back to a small load of schoolwork which will allow for much more videoing time :)
I cant wait to see it my friend!
If you do any home canning you can use the leftover water in the canner (once it is cooled of course)... most people put vinegar in it to stop the jars from clouding up.
Thats a great idea! Unfortunately I don't do any canning but will vinegar do the trick with out having used it?
I would check the acidity and add a bit at a time into water until it is right... but vinegar or citric acid could work. (There are organic white vinegars on the market for reasonable prices. I think Superstore has a PC brand of white organic vinegar)
that is the stuff we use for a lot of things lol. Ill have to monkey around with it !! thanks so much for the suggestion!
You did put peat moss in that bed, didn't you? It's acidic and blueberries love it. I'm lucky because I have a lot of pine needles that fall on my patio at the cottage so I just sweep them on top of the bed every year :) I have strawberries growing beside them too!!! Great mind think alike it would seem ;)
I do have some peat in both beds but not enough to make it acidic.
I love the pair of strawberries and blueberries :)
I dont think pine needles actually release acidity. I think there will be an episode in that ;)
I seen your comment and just out of curiosity, you said there's lots of pine needles that fall near your cottage. I'd assume it's somewhat forested,no? Its probably the forests ground moss giving the soil acidity.
AshtrayAnnie Not really, it is forested all around, but the patio is about 7 ft higher than the forest and no moss growing over there. But I did put a lot of peat moss when I planted mine 5 years ago. I also put acidic compost made for azaleas. I don't know if that can be found easily, everywhere thought?!?
***** has a forest near her. I don't unfortunately lol
Hi I live in Edmonton and wonder where you buy the straw mulch you mentioned in this video?
I have a patch of muskeg that I will be sampling the pH of, but I am wondering- will blueberries like that bog environment, or should I avoid it? Thanks
I planted my blueberry for 2 years now but it's not growing well. I live in Calgary and not sure what I should do to help my blueberry. I don't want to give up yet?
New to your channel. How have the blueberries done? Producing lots ?
I live in SW Alberta, east of the Rockies and sometime deer have the audacity of jumping into my yard. I want to plant a blueberry with another berry cross (blueberry and saskatoon, I think. Name begins with h) in a place where the deer won't be so bold (haha) and have thought of making a barrier around the bushes from skids and wire mess. Any ideas on this? Where I live is verrry windy too. I've got some established choke cherry bushes which are acting as a wind break. Would this be a good location for the blueberries?
As long as the area gets 6+ hours of sun this time of year you are good to plant next to your wind break. As for Deer deterrent Physically separating them from the crops is the easiest however I don't have any experience with that as I am in an urban area with a 7 foot fence. I would wager something like a chickenwire dome would work as long as it is secured to the ground.
Thanks so much. I feel somehow reassured.
I am glad I could help!
Would pine needles mixed into or on top as a mulch, add too much acidity?
I have seen the recommendation to mix in peat moss and pine/spruce needles as well as coffee grounds to plant blueberries. That is what I will do to plant mine this weekend
Does blueberries shrubs take more time for their leaves to come out in spring?
Yup mine are just coming out now
@@AlbertaUrbanGarden Thanks for the information.
We are trying to add a new verity every yr.
LCJ farms I am as well however I am out of space almost lol.
you can give them a cup of coffee it is much more acidic than the grounds
Thats a great idea! often I have a cup or two of cold coffee on the weekends
I run my ph at 5.25 to 5.5 for my blueberries. I have to use Sulphur to get it that low.
***** How often do you apply sulphur ? I have just been following the package and it seems to be fine for me but I have yet to test the soil pH.
I bet your production with those high bush varieties is super high!
***** After the blooming season and in the fall if I want to make a big adjustment just in case the math is off. That way you have all winter to raise it back up. Anything over 6 will not do well for blueberries. I know I fight your battle of shared bed. I even buried puts in the bed so I could grow other things but blueberries are the anti-social crop. This is why I am trying to raise 50 or so (out of 100, long story) because to me, this is the ultimate fruit.
Thank you Joe! I really hope mine make it as they don't have the opportunity in my over packed garden to be antisocial ;)
***** They will "make it", you may not get the growth and berries that you expect.
***** I had plants in ph 6.8 but they never grew bigger. They acted stunted. Hey you know the roomer, pine needles lower ph, just add 4 inches :)
The weather down here in VA near the Atlantic Ocean has been crazy. It has been so unseasonably warm, that one of my 7 blueberry bushes blossomed about 99% of the flower buds. As a result I have lost an entire bush full of blueberries. I could not believe it since the bush needs a certain amount of chill hours and we have not even come close to that yet due to the higher temps. So I am a bit confused as to why it would bloom without the proper amount of chill hours. I guess I will have to wait another year for that one bush to bloom again.
+Patrick Pittman That is too bad! They from time to time like apples will blooms out of season and that always loses crops! I hope they go dormant again and bloom in the spring!
+Alberta Urban Garden Simple Organic and Sustainable Do you think that one bush that blossomed already will go dormant and put on a crop in the spring?
It has happened especially if you have a few months left of winter as I do.
+Alberta Urban Garden Simple Organic and Sustainable How is that possible if the buds on the bush have already blossomed? Will the plant grow new flower buds if we get some cold weather?
At least with apples they can develop more from they caiman layer however it takes a lot of energy which is not always available in the plant.
Powdered sulfur , peat moss
My blueberries have very nice leaves but no blooms that means no fruit why would that be
add some ash from a wood fire will set acidity in your blueberries plants
That's a good point !! Thank my my friend !
Peat moss
Thank you !
I noticed on line orange peels acidify soil also very good nutrients for fertilizer you still get to eat the orange. H+W has naval oranges .98 lb this week. Good luck. Appreciate your videos. Thanks
I have a patch of muskeg that I will be sampling the pH of, but I am wondering- will blueberries like that bog environment, or should I avoid it? Thanks