Grow Your Own Magazine

Hi folks - first real post, so go easy on me

Just got back from Woolies, where I've picked up two blueberry plants (bushes?) for £2.49, which I thought was too good an offer to pass up, since I love them. Now though, I'm wondering what's the best thing to do with them, as I've very little (read no) experience of them.

I don't know what variety they are, as they just say "Blueberry" on the packet. They're also pretty small (maybe 8" long or so) so I'd imagine they're not that old.

I live in a pretty damp area of the Outer Hebrides, where the earth in my plot is pretty much poorly drained peat so, from what I've read about them, this should be a good environment for them. Is this a correct assumption?

Should I:

a) Put them in pots of peaty soil from the plot for a while 'til they're a bit bigger and able to look after themselves? Leave them in pots?

b) Put them in one of my raised beds on the veg plot?

c) Find a nice spot elsewhere in the garden and plant them there?

As you can see, I'm pretty clueless, so all advice is very gratefully received.

Thanks,
David

They do love peaty, boggy soil so it sounds like your conditions are ideal. As they're so small I'd be tempted to pot them on and look after them a bit. They'll get quite large eventually. Lots of people grow them in pots permanently because their soil is too alkaline but you should be able to let yours grow in the ground eventually. Good luck with them - sounds like you got a real bargain.

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Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Updated November 17th - The Big Dig

I think I'd put them in pot for now as they're that small (might get forgotten in the plot at that size), but just make sure they're bigger than the ones they came in. I think you should be alright to use your soil if it's definitely peaty, over here we have to buy that sort of things. Since both plants will most likely be the same variety, you could think about getting a third bush of a different variety as this is supposed to help with bigger crop from cross pollination. I think fruiting seasons (when they fruit) might help to tell the varieties apart.

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Food for Free

Heggied,
If you look in the "Growing Techniques" section you will find a thread "Blueberrys for beginners" by Piglet Willie. This should answer a lot of your questions.

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It's not the growing old I mind but the growing stupid with it!

Thanks everyone for the tips - I'd never noticed that article Grandpadragon, so thanks for pointing it out.

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My Clueless Adventures in Square Foot Gardening:
http://www.island-life.me.uk/blog/ca...oot-gardening/