Broadback wrote:
Martin Brown wrote:
Alma wrote:
Can anyone give me advice on growing Blueberries. I thought they
could be grown in containers but growing to a height of 5' seems
rather high for a patio.

They are fine in a 12-16" pot and self limiting in growth. You need
two distinct cultivars and when they have berries on they absolutely
have to be netted if you want to eat the berries rather than feed the
birds.

Use rainwater and the occasional acid plant feed. They don't like lime.

Good crop this year.

Now you tell me Martin! I had a lovely crop on mine, then got up one
morning and there were the blackbirds acrobatically swing from the
branches. So I threw some netting over, next morning they had alighted
on the netting and were fruit picking through the net. I hastily made a
cane frame and netted over that. OK but the trouble is with the high
winds we have had lately it keeps blowing over!

Mine are in a simple cane frame. No chance of getting to eat them if the
birds can get at them. They do taste pretty scrummy so I expect birds
think so too. Strawberries also need netting. Raspberries seem to be
mostly OK provided you don't wire them too close to the top of the
canes. If there is no easy perch the birds go for something else.

I have the same problem with josta berries. They are even funnier when
the hens get under the bushes and start jumping up to get at the fruit!

Regards,
Martin Brown