"Cheryl Isaak" wrote in message
...
On 2/12/04 6:10 AM, in article ,
"Ann" wrote:

"gregpresley" expounded:

Blueberries are native, among other places, to Maine, which last time I
checked, is about a zillion times colder than Seattle in winter, so you
needn't worry over much about freezing temps.......
"paul" wrote in message
om...
Are blueberry plants hardy enough to withstand a hard freeze during
winer?

Is there anything special I will need to do to take care of them
during
the winter?

Thanks,
Paul

Really. Is 29 below a hard enough freeze? G Our yard in Maine is
carpeted with blueberries, there is no lawn!


Ann!

Lucky you!
Chery

The 29 below and a crop of blueberries can be a two edged sword, for under
such conditions the growing season is short. I used to live in northern MN,
and a late spring (cold weather until May 15 or later) usually meant
abundant wild blueberries. In an early spring the blueberries bloomed too
early and were usually caught in a freeze. The ideal combination for wild
blueberries in northern MN was a late spring and a wet summer. While I live
there, I often picked 200+ quarts of wild blueberries in a year of ideal
conditions. Of course, ideal blueberry conditions also mean swarms of
mosquitoes, deer flies, and sand flies.

I now pick 8-10 quarts each year from my cultivated bushes, if I beat the
birds, but the blossoms never freeze in the spring. We do have wild
blueberries in our area (northern AR), but the berries are the size of very
small beads and are extremely sweet. I have a few in my back yard in the
same shaded area where I have azaleas.

John