The blueberries are ripening quick in this warm, sunny weather we are getting! This means fresh berries are right around the corner and summer is in full swing! It also means the birds have noticed that there is a bunch of free food in easy reach... So it is time to cover the bushes with some netting to protect the blueberries.
We have a simple system that is fairly easy to put up in the summer and take down in the winter. This flexibility works for us and lets us maintain our little row of bushes easiest. We have had it in place for a few years now.
The first thing to do is pound a short length of PVC pipe into the ground at regular intervals on either side of the row. These stay in the ground all year. They serve as the inserts for the pipes that arch over the row...
We use a length of slightly smaller PVC pipe, preferably one with some flexibility, to insert into the pipe in the ground on either side of the row. This will form an arch over the bushes. Do this down the whole row, ours are a few feet apart. (Notice we had to extend some of the pipes as the bushes got taller...)
At this point, the row looks like this.
After this we take some fencing wire and run it down either side of the arches, looping it around each PVC arch. This gives the arches stability and also keeps the net from sagging too much in-between.
On either end we also have a fence post to tie off the wire (and eventually the netting too).
See how we loop the wire around each arch...
Now loop the end on the fence post and you are ready for the next part.
Next you put the netting over this arch/wire structure. We unravel ours from a board because we wrap it up each winter and then use the same netting the next summer.
At this point, the hard part comes in. We use some heavy metal pipe to keep the edges of the netting down on the ground. What good is netting if birds can just go under it? We loop the netting around each length of pipe. Be sure to use pipe that isn't too long in length because it gets harder to loop into the netting, the longer the pipe is. A good tip is to lay out the pipes first!
Looping the netting...
The pipes tuck the edges in nicely.
After this, just secure the two ends and you have a good flexible netting system!
When we want to pick the berries it is possible to take one side and flip it over or you can crawl under the netting too. If you find any tears in your net, it is important to fix them because the birds will find it!
As you can see we already had some bird damage!
We also might need to consider another system or larger arches next year because the bushes are getting bigger!
Hope this was useful! Feel free to comment if you need more information!
- Dan
Yesterday we thoroughly picked through the raspberry patch. We will probably have to do it again very soon, as a lot of berries are just almost there. Some if the canes themselves aren't looking as healthy this year but there are lots and lots of berries to pick!
Notice the little spider on the left berry!
Raspberries canes are biennials, meaning they have a two year life cycle. The first year, they sprout up and grow tall and green. In the first winter the leaves shed and all that remains is a woody cane that looks like a stick. The next spring they revive with new growth and this is when you get some fruit.
New canes or "suckers" should have sprouted with this second spring as well. So you should have a constant supply of canes as long as they aren't killed off by something. DO NOT get any kind of weed killer anywhere near them (we've learned that the hard way). The next spring when new growth emerges on the canes (wait for it, otherwise you cut out alive ones too) just cut the ones that are not budding (dead canes) to the ground. This helps keep a healthy patch and keeps diseases at bay.
Look at all those berries!
If suckers are coming up in less than desirable spots, you can transplant them very carefully! I have found that most will live if you get some of the roots with it and give them plenty of water to get re-established. They will look sad for a few days, but after a while they should start to perk up. Don't give up on them too soon! You can also simply pull them if you don't want them (just be sure you have a few left somewhere).
While we were picking the raspberries we noticed some giant blueberries had ripened on one of our bushes! Tried to capture their size (sorry the pictures are slightly out of focus). The fruit is from a Patriot Blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum 'Patriot'.
We couldn't resist picking a small handful and eating them all up!
- Dan
The blueberries are not quite ripe, but I can't help keeping an eye on them... I can't wait for some fresh, sweet juicy blueberries!
We have nine bushes and five different varieties planted on the southern slope of our property. They each have slightly different characteristics. Growing multiple varieties helps with pollination and increases fruit production.
Vaccinium corymbosum 'Berkeley'
medium berry / mild in flavor / ripens mid July to August
Vaccinium corymbosum 'Bluecrop'
large berry / sweet flavor / ripens mid July to August
Vaccinium corymbosum 'Patriot'
large berry / flavorful fruit / ripens early July
Vaccinium corymbosum 'Blueray'
very large berry / sweet flavor / ripens early July to mid July
Vaccinium corymbosum 'Chandler'
largest berry / dark blue fruit / ripens end of June to mid July
- Dan
