Growing blueberries

[Staceyshoe]

I was thinking about getting a couple of blueberry bushes for our yard. I've read that highbush blueberries are the best for our zone, and that they do better if they can cross-pollinate. My biggest concern are birds. If you have a blueberry bush or two, do the birds just eat them up? (If so, I sadly won't bother.) Any tips or advice about this venture?

[delaney]

Yes the birds will attack but my neighbor puts a light mesh netting over her bushes.

[lmrich]

You need two different varieties. The birds do enjoy my blueberries! So do the neighborhood kids. I have seven bushes and harvest a lot of blueberries - still have some in my freezer from last year! It took about three - four years for the small bushes to really get to full size and produce. You can buy bigger bushes to start with if you perfer.

[stripe]

I have two bushes, and I'm hopeful, but I haven't gotten any fruits yet. The leaves are pretty in the fall.

[Luckymama]

Definitely need netting! If not, the birds will strip every single berry :(

[alpidarkomama]

Yep, netting. We have to net almost everything. The birds and squirrels are voracious.

[Lady Florida.]

We have two bushes, and I put bird netting on them in anticipation of birds and squirrels going after the berries. I don't think they even tried, though maybe I just didn't see them.

[Blessedchaos]

Do blueberry bushes spread (propogate? is that the word?) like raspberry bushes do? I've been interested in getting some for several years.

[fleischdoc]

Birds have never bothered mine and I don't use netting. They do not spread like raspberries-they are more of a true bush.

Lisa

[zaichiki]

They don't spread. Think of them as hedges. Raspberries are more like single stems growing from the ground.

 

Blueberry bushes are beautiful in the fall, too: I miss ours! Love those blueberries! (That reminds me... I need to plant some here at our new place!)

[stripe]

There are thornless blackberries. They can spread.

[Paige]

We had blueberries at our old house and I miss them so much!! They were the best fun for the kids. We never had problems with the birds attacking them. We had them planted near our house (along the back wall) and we kept a high bird feeder farther in the middle to back of the yard. Birds would come to the bird feeder but not that close to the house. I think my two dogs also helped keep them away. They would be quick to pounce on a bird hanging out that low for too long.

[Ali in OR]

Blueberries grow very well in Oregon. We have 3 bushes and have never had a problem with birds. Our local blueberry farms do just fine without netting. But I imagine this can vary from location to location. You might ask your local nursery what you need to do in your area. The cheapest way to start up is to plant bare root bushes which are available here in February. Once the nursery pots them they are more expensive.