Issue Date: May 31, 2009
Other ThinkSmart articles this week:
 Parent Smart Avoid summer's big dangers
Eat Smart Don't toss it -- use it
Garden Smart With a container and a sunny spot, you can grow your own blueberries
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THINK SMART
Helpful tips for your everyday life
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GardenSmart |
ALLYSON DICKMAN |
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With a container and a sunny spot, you can grow your own blueberries
Plant your blueberries now for a fall harvest.
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Blueberries make the perfect healthful treat, but not everyone has the garden space or soil to grow them. Still, you can easily grow blueberries in a container with potting soil right on your patio or on your balcony, says Cathy Bishop, general manager of Mesquite Valley Growers Nursery in Tucson. Bishop offers these tips to help you grow the perfect blueberries:
Use a container at least 24 inches across and 20 inches deep. Put it in an outdoor spot that gets at least five hours of sun daily.
Check with your local nursery for the best variety of blueberries for your area. Buy a medium-sized, 2- to 3-year-old shrub and plant it in your container.
Fill your container with potting soil -- good brands for blueberries are Monrovia Custom Soil Blend, Black Gold All Purpose Potting Soil and FoxFarm Original Planting Mix. Make sure your soil has a mix of peat moss (it's acidic, so more is better) and compost.
If you plant now and fertilize your shrub regularly, you should start harvesting fruit in four to five months. Once the berries are a deep blue color, they should pull easily from the plant, and you can harvest all of the berries within a three-week span.
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