Today it was hot, but we needed to harvest the blueberries. What all can you see here? Well, the mode of transportation to the lottie--on the right top. An ancient parasol that is still going strong to shield us from the hot sun while picking. We had to remove and replace some of the curtains that we have on the bushes for protection against birds. The little orange thing is my Bride's work stool. It has a round bottom which allows here to move in any direction whilst working. You can see an woolly grass path that needs mowing, the developing green manure on the foreground and some blow-in Veronica bonariensis in the fence-row. And overseeing it all, the always optimistic Smiley on the greenhouse door. The red blueberry bush: Here they are--the pink blueberries. "Pink Lemonade". We have it covered in such a way that we can open the curtains on top and just peel it downwards, and then slide the two sides back up and clip them together again. Easy-peasy. We harvested the last of the blue blueberries today as well and will jam the two types together. We will jam these beauties in a couple of days when the weather cools a bit.
Of course you can make muffins with them. They may look odd, but they will taste the same. Oh what a party!
MARTY--Yeah, I don't know what I'd call them then. I had never thought of that. All of the crazy names that I can come up with just sound too goofy. hahaha. SPECTOR--Yeah, we used to use fleece, but our wet weather takes it's toll on that material, so we went to the second-hand shop and bought the cheapest white curtains that we could find. We got lots of curtains for a couple of eurries. They work well and are durable.
Very good idea about the curtains, I got no boysenberries this year. Everytime I thought I'd get one, the birds beat me to them. They must like them a little red
Thanks CAYU. We had to come up with something. Thank you WILLOW--Sorry to hear about your lost boysenberries.
I need to borrow that cover idea, as i struggle to get any fruit off my 2 blueberries before nature devours them. The same goes for our cherries. Sometimes I think we are some kind of approved supplier to the local flocks of birds.
I understand the disappointment all too well—it’s that feeling of desperation when the blackbirds, tits, statlings or whatever comes in and clears the bushes in a day sometimes. We simply went to our local thrift shop and picked up the most inexpensive white curtains we could find. I will leave you this one tip— when you swaddle your plants with the sheers, be sure to snugly close the bottom around the trunk. In fact close any holes or overlaps with clothes pegs. I discovered this the hard way...Mother Nature consistantly gives hard lessons and punishes immediately, as you well know. Nice to see you here, mate.
Lovely! I did not see this. How did they taste? I have or maybe had one plant out in the row. there is one struggling where I thought my pink lemonade plant was at but with no label or berries... no idea.
Hello there Carolyn. The pink blueberries were tasty, sweeter than the blue ones. I have had them for several years now and the plants just get better and better. I sure hope that you can find that “Pink Lemonade” plant of yours. How long have you had it? I wonder why you have no berries. Is there a chance that the birds ate them all before you saw them?
thanks. I have been wondering if they are worth the worry and fuss. I have a row that doesn't get watered except if I notice it is wilting. Some summers are very dry. I keep buying and replacing dead blueberries in the rows. I really should have an irrigation line there but it just hasn't happened. maybe next Spring we will get one in.
Well Carolyn, your blueberry bushes do need water...and if possible not city water that is calciumy. I collect rainwater and use canal water sometimes. Is the ground that your bushes are planted in acidic? I have found that thst is important and I ammend the soil with commercial hortensia and rhodendron soil topped with pine bark. I want your blues to work for you but they do need a bit of attention. If you don’t have much time, then at least give those guys water. To help keep the the evap.of moisture from the ground underneath the bushes, I plant Limnanthes. Good luck, meid.
