metro farming: Blueberries

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Blueberries

I need to find a way to cover my Blueberry bushes so the birds don't steal all the berries. My plants are loaded with flowers!

In response to this post, The Giving Garden sent along a nice photo of a relatively simple way to support a netting system to keep the birds away from berries... (click the image to see a larger version) Thanks Giving Garden!

In response to metrofarmer...here is a photo of the blueberry... on Twitpic

4 comments:

The Giving Garden said...: Get rebar large enough to be 2 feet in the ground and still be taller than the height of the plants. Cut old tennis balls and place them on top of each piece of rebar, then throw netting on top. IF you are worried about birds getting caught in the netting (which they will) I would use that sheer white netting that is mainly used as a floating row cover. This method works and it's simpler than it sounds. Imagine a shower curtain around (and on top of your plants) just be sure to know where the opening is for you to enter and pick. Good luck! Your picture look great. Happy Gardening.; April 26, 2010 at 7:35 AM
West Chester Growers Market said...: Best bet is netting. Draping netting over the plants can work, although the birds will perch on the plants and reach what they can through the net. Better bet is to build a wooden frame around the plant(s) that will give the netting support and keep it far enough away from the plants that the birds can't reach the berries. Good luck!!; April 26, 2010 at 7:47 AM
Christopher Paquette said...: Thanks to both of you! I think I will build some type of portable wood frame that will support the netting.

I have Blue Jays that seem to show up as soon as the berries ripen!; April 26, 2010 at 8:23 AM
The Giving Garden said...: I wasn't sure how to send a pic directly to you so I put it out there on my twitter. If you want to check it out it's a pic of the blueberry contraption.....good luck with it!; April 27, 2010 at 4:55 PM

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Welcome to Metro Farming! A blog devoted to the joys and rewards of growing, eating, and sharing high quality organic produce.

"The time is past to think of this as a hobby for enthusiasts; it is a fundamental part of human life."

Those words were written 30 years ago by Christopher Alexander in his book A Pattern Language in the chapter on vegetable gardening. Alexander warned of the disconnection that people have from their food sources, and the resulting insecurities and imbalances that follow. I firmly believe that we are now almost past the point of no return for most of American society in the loss of connection to the soil and our food sources. We make ourselves feel warm and fuzzy by buying organic foods at the Supermarket, and yet we have no idea where these foods were grown or how they were processed and packaged.

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