Is there something along the lines of a Consumer Reports for blueberry cultivars? A website that ranks by fruit characteristics would be nice (e.g., sweetness/tartness, richness of flavor, berry size, etc.)
I'm looking for a good "blueberry pie" plant. A tart & rich flavor would be preferred.
Thanks Jona. That's an awesome website. Exactly what I needed.
Does anyone else know of other websites like this that review fruit cultivars?
Does anyone else know of other websites like this that review fruit cultivars?
Last edited by biwa on Sun Jan 10, 2010 12:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
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applestar
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I'll be keeping an eye on this thread too. I have 3 kinds right now. I believe they are Blue Jay, Blue Crop (or Early Blue, I'm not sure), and non-cultivar native lowbush V. angustifolium.
So far, I'm not getting enough harvest to make pies! Most go straight in my kids' mouths.
The Blue Jay and Blue crop/Early Blue are good eating fresh. The native shrubs haven't fruited yet so I don't know what they're like.
Looking through some catalogs, I stumbled on realization that I could grow early, mid, and late-season cultivars so we could have a longer blueberry season. So I'm looking to get a few more varieties. Try Googling for "blueberry cultivars."
Keeping away the voracious catbirds (not to mention other raiders like squirrels and rabbits) is a huge chore. I've tried bird netting and individual chicken wire cages. This year, I'm thinking of building a large cage around the entire blueberry area.
ETA: found this [url=https://www.backyardberryplants.com/plants/blueberries/index.htm#Lowbush_and_wild_blueberry_plants]website selling organic blueberry plants[/url] -
But I would definitely look for a cultivar list by your local ag. extension service as well as other recommendations for your own local area.
So far, I'm not getting enough harvest to make pies! Most go straight in my kids' mouths.
The Blue Jay and Blue crop/Early Blue are good eating fresh. The native shrubs haven't fruited yet so I don't know what they're like. Looking through some catalogs, I stumbled on realization that I could grow early, mid, and late-season cultivars so we could have a longer blueberry season. So I'm looking to get a few more varieties. Try Googling for "blueberry cultivars."
Keeping away the voracious catbirds (not to mention other raiders like squirrels and rabbits) is a huge chore. I've tried bird netting and individual chicken wire cages. This year, I'm thinking of building a large cage around the entire blueberry area.
ETA: found this [url=https://www.backyardberryplants.com/plants/blueberries/index.htm#Lowbush_and_wild_blueberry_plants]website selling organic blueberry plants[/url] -
But I would definitely look for a cultivar list by your local ag. extension service as well as other recommendations for your own local area.
applestar: Every fall, I go to an apple orchard that also has pick-your-own blueberries. The blueberry area is entirely enclosed in netting to keep the birds out. The orchard owners made a rough frame, wrapped it in netting & put a door on a spring. From the looks of it, it would be easy for them to take it down & move it when they need to rotate the crop.applestar wrote:Keeping away the voracious catbirds (not to mention other raiders like squirrels and rabbits) is a huge chore. I've tried bird netting and individual chicken wire cages. This year, I'm thinking of building a large cage around the entire blueberry area.
Good luck with the birds.
One thing to keep in mind about Blueberry varieties ... for the most successful crop, you will need to cross-pollinate with a different variety.
Of the many varieties, there are 2 main types: Highbush Blueberries, and Rabbit Eye blueberries.
Those will NOT successfully cross-pollinate each other.
In other words, if you plant a Highbush... be sure to have another variety of a Highbush blueberry for cross-pollination.
And, likewise, if you plant a Rabbit Eye... be sure to have another variety of Rabbit Eye blueberry for cross-pollination.
Of the many varieties, there are 2 main types: Highbush Blueberries, and Rabbit Eye blueberries.
Those will NOT successfully cross-pollinate each other.
In other words, if you plant a Highbush... be sure to have another variety of a Highbush blueberry for cross-pollination.
And, likewise, if you plant a Rabbit Eye... be sure to have another variety of Rabbit Eye blueberry for cross-pollination.