We planted our blueberry bushes two years ago, the first summer we moved into our new (to us) home. I know it takes a while for blueberries to gear up their production; but once mature, the bushes can be amazingly productive for a quarter-century or more.
Last year, I harvested a modest one pound of fruit. It was such a small amount that it wasn't worth canning up, and I've just kept the bag in the freezer.
Last summer, I also spent a lot of time correcting some of the mistakes I made in planting, notably weed control. This summer, I looked forward to a better harvest.
I just didn't anticipate how much better it would be. The teaser came last May in the form of many flowers.
The flowers weren't just abundant, they were much larger than the flowers on the blueberries in our old garden. (Different variety.)
By early July, the promise of an abundant harvest was obvious.
Even more interesting, these berries were shaping up to be huge.
I picked the earliest ripe berries just before Older Daughter and I departed on our road trip to visit my parents. (In my eagerness, I also picked a few that weren't quite ripe.)
This meant Don was responsible for picking (and watering) for the duration of my absence, poor guy.
By the time I got home, he'd already filled an entire gallon-sized bag of blueberries. (We freeze them until the harvest is complete, at which point I can them.)
Many of these fruits were enormous!
I've been picking daily for the last few weeks, since the different varieties we planted are ripening at different times. Usually I'll get only a couple of cups of berries per day, but day after day that adds up.
(Yesterday I also came across this webbing connecting two leaves. I wasn't sure what it was – it didn't seem like a spider egg sac – so out of an abundance of caution, I pinched off the leaves and yeeted them over an embankment. The last thing I need is tent caterpillars making a mess out of the blueberries.)
Each day I sort the berries to remove any debris, then bag them up and freeze them.
So far I've got two full gallon-sized bags full, not counting yesterday's harvest.
I was curious, so I weighed what we've picked so far, and the total comes to 10.5 pounds, with lots more to come.
The contrast between this year's harvest and last year's is staggering. I'm seeing a lot of new growth on the bushes as well, which makes me think next year will be even more abundant. Blueberry bonanza!
That's awesome! Abundant harvests are a wonderful testament to the Lord's goodness!
ReplyDeleteWe planted our blueberries four or five years ago but for some reason this year they're really struggling and some seem to have died completely. Ugh.
But the beans and tomatoes are doing great! I do the same thing with my tomatoes: I pick them as they come ripe, lay them out on a cookie sheet and freeze them solid. Once frozen they can be bagged up and tossed into the freezer until the middle of winter. Mid-winter, I thaw the bags of tomatoes in our extra fridge, run them through the squeezo and leave them on the woodstove to cook down. Once they're cooked down, I can the sauce. This method doesn't heat up my kitchen and it uses far less gas since the tomatoes cook down on the woodstove (which we already have running to heat the house.) It's a win-win!
That is a great idea! I usually freeze mine in an ice cream gallon bucket. Then as they thaw the skins come off and I throw them in the vitamix and then cook them down. I have a squeezo but mine (read me) makes a mess when i use it so I usually use the vitamix instead. The idea of cooking on the stove though is a fantastic idea that I think I will do this year. Thanks for the new idea and God Bless!
DeleteI planted a blueberry stick this spring. So far, it is not making a bush, much less a single blueberry. Yours look wonderful. I bought a box of blueberries at Publix and was shocked at some blueberries the size of yours. They had a plum texture inside. Most of the time, I bite into a blueberry and the texture is just flavor. With the huge ones, I can feel the texture!
ReplyDeleteWhat varieties did you plant?
ReplyDeleteWe have Chandler, Toro, and Patriot varieties.
Delete- Patrice
We planted six blueberry plants 6 years ago. Replaced our alkaline soil with acidic soil, peet moss, pine neddles and shavings. Used azalea food. They did good until last year..so started watering with 2 cups apple cider mixed in 5 gallons of water. There is so much new growth that next year we should have our largest crop yet.
ReplyDeleteJust wondered if you ever tried spreading them out on a bread pan and putting them in the freezer then bagging them so you can take out small amounts to eat or put on cereal ?
ReplyDeleteNo, but only because (a) we don't eat cereal (none of us really care for it); and (b) for such things as muffins or pancakes, a pint's worth of canned blueberries works perfectly. However doing as you suggest would work perfectly.
Delete- Patrice
Blueberry's are my favorite fruit. Congratulations on the bountiful harvest!
ReplyDeleteFrom Isaiah 55:
ReplyDelete10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
Great is our God! What bounty He shares with us!
Amen!
DeleteAmen!
DeleteWe had an bumper crop of blueberries too, here in Georgia this year. They started turning blue in late May, and just finished about a week ago (except for a few stragglers which I just pop in my mouth when I see them).
ReplyDeleteI planted bush beans, and only a few came up, is there s pest that could have ate the seeds
ReplyDeleteI love ya, Patrice, and look forward to reading your post here but before I do, I wanted to say that I don’t think you have to keep saying “new (to us) home”. If you want to, I respect that, but it’s a petty thing that’s starting to bother me as someone who reads all your posts. 🤪
ReplyDeleteBlueberries-my all time favorite fruit. What a blessing!!
ReplyDeleteLong ago, someone gave me blueberry plants they'd grown ( possibly from cuttings) and info pamphlets from county extension services. One pamphlet showed details of pruning, some of which was to be done early in the plant's life. Anyway, if you ever do prune them, the green shoots, not the woody older growth, can be rooted. You may want to do this also with some of the other fruit abundance in your area.
ReplyDeletePoor country folk used to make their own stands of fruit near their houses with cuttings and transplanting younger volunteers. For this to work they probably took some of the soil also from where the plants were growing, and tried to duplicate the kind of place they put them in.
That old pear tree may have had some babies around the base that workers probably cleaned out. If so, they may come back. It's unlikely it was sprayed because that could have killed trees that were left. I'd be watching for babies!
With all your bounty I can’t help but wonder what agriculture zone you’re in. 5b? It’s what I used to be in in Michigan. A really good zone. Great zone for blueberries. Now, I’m having a heck of a time trying to figure out sub-tropical 9b.
ReplyDeleteWhat are the blueish collars around the blueberries and why?
ReplyDeleteYou can find old tractor tires at a tractor tire store. Most will let you have all you want that have been punctured or can't be used on a tractor again.
ReplyDelete