One more project down! As you've probably been following along with us, this was the year to get our blueberries into their new homes. I had to get the raised beds assembled HERE and then get the soil mixture blended and put into the beds HERE. This weekend was time to finally plant them and let them start to grow bigger.
The soil had settled some since it was put in so I added a bit more and fluffed it up. It was easy to dig a hole and put the plants in. They should love their new homes with the more acidic soil.
Blueberry plants like to be mulched and it helps keep them moist. We used pine bark mulch because as it breaks down over time, it will add acidity. Blueberries apparently do not like the tannins in redwood or cedar mulch so I stayed away from those.
I emptied the bags into the garden cart and then just shoveled it in, keeping it to about three inches deep.
They all looked great when done. Just had to do it four times, ha. We have two varieties growing...both Southern Rabbiteye varieties which are best suited to our climate. There are two "Tifblue" plants and two "Austin" plants. But wait, aren't there six rings to plant in? What will go in the other two? We have something growing separately for them, we're just waiting for them to get a little bigger before transplanting them into their new raised bed homes.
Stay tuned!
Sent private email
ReplyDeleteGiving your plants a dose of root stimulator really gives them a good start; reduces plant shock and good for the root system.
DeleteThank you got it. I will pick some of that up. I have to move two of them (more on that in another post) but I could add some of this when I move them to another raised ring. Plus we have more stuff to plant, ha.
Deletei miss my blueberries but my gardens are an oasis in this city for birds and they ate ever berry before i could get to them. watch out for japanese beetles...they love them.
ReplyDeleteCorrection your gardens are an oasis. Period. Ha. But yeah I can imagine. I'm going to try to keep the birds at bay with netting but we'll see how that works.
DeleteYou did a beautiful job of planting your blueberries. They will be very happy with your efforts in supplying such a perfect growing environment. It will be wonderful to step into your yard and pick fresh blueberries!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to discovering your mystery plantings for the other two rings.
Thanks! We hope they are happy in their new homes, ha. And yep, something interesting in the two other planters. Hint: It's a fruit! ha.
DeleteI'm pondering what I might plant in my backyard. I don't know if anything can live because of the standing water I have after heavy rains.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
How about a rain garden?
DeleteI'll Google that because I have no idea what it is, but thank you for the suggestion.
DeleteHmm, a rain garden is a great idea Daisy G! It's a low spot purposely created in your yard with deep rooted plants like grasses and bushes and it funnels water away from other areas. Short of that Janie please know that we have clay soil. One of the hardest things to grow in. That's why all of our plantings involve raised beds of some sort. The fruit trees if planted directly into the ground almost always died. Then we did the raised beds to give them a head start. I bet with some creative areas you'd be surprised what you could grow. Also think of groupings of clay pots or planters. Whiskey barrels are a great thing to plant in too.
DeleteFantastic!
ReplyDeleteThanks, we'll see how they do, heck they were already fruiting just in their black plastic garden center containers. I bet they'll be happy this way.
DeleteI got ours planted last weekend. One of the varieties we have is Tifblue as well. Hope you get enough berries for you AND the birds!
ReplyDeleteYay for you!!! I'm not sure where you are but if you are anywhere in the South Tifblue is a good choice. Here's to you and us having enough berries ha. Battle of the birds!
DeleteWe're in the Piedmont of North Carolina.
DeleteThey should work for you there. Keep us posted!
DeleteOh man, bless your heart! Yours and anyone else with the patience for gardening. My wife and I absolutely love fresh blueberries. Hell, fresh anything. We just don't have what it takes to grow such goodness, nor the space here. Your lifestyle sounds dreamy to me, even though I know it's a lot of hard work. Wonderful post.
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks for that. I'm not an expert by any means but it's what I like to do (and want to do eventually when we retire). We'll learn as we go along ha. Thanks for stopping by! Don't be a stranger!
Delete