Preserve Today

Blueberries in the Garden

Blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) are native to the Americas. Historians believe that dishes with this fruit were probably served on the first Thanksgiving. In Pennsylvania, the gardener has many choices of cultivars. Lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) is a short mat-forming shrub ranging from 14 to 24 inches tall. It is a very cold-hardy crop with small, sweet berries. It is found mostly north of Pennsylvania, in New England, and in Canada. Cultivars of this wild blueberry include ‘Brunswick’ and ‘Burgundy.’ Highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) are the type most likely to be grown in Pennsylvania. They are large upright deciduous shrubs that produce large berries on canes growing from a central crown. This shrub can be 5 to 8 feet tall and wide at maturity or even larger. Many cultivars exist and are defined by the timeframe that berries ripen: early, early midseason, midseason, mid-late season, and late season. While these blueberries are self-pollinating, research shows that growing more than one cultivar creates larger berries and crops. One can thus be rewarded by selecting cultivars that provide ripe berries from late June through September. Penn State cultivar analyses can be found in the article Blueberry Variety Selection in the Home Fruit Planting.

“Right plant. Right place.” It is an adage that gardeners turn to when choosing plants for the landscape. If plants are matched to their preferred conditions, such as light, moisture, soil pH, and nutrients, their success is better assured. This adage works for those plants we don’t choose as well—weeds. Weeds are opportunists. If given the conditions that they tolerate, they will take the opportunity to germinate and spread. Weeds can thrive under fairly favorable conditions and under pretty adverse conditions, too. Most turfgrass species, blends, and mixes that are successful in Pennsylvania are cool-season varieties that prefer a sunny site with nutrient-rich soil that drains well and has a pH between 6.0 and 7.2. Starting with the right soil conditions and then utilizing the correct cultural practices can increase the vigor of turfgrass and create a density that won’t allow weed seeds the sunlight or nutrients to get established. Understanding the conditions under which different weeds flourish can dictate how to change those conditions in your lawn and suppress those weeds without relying continually on herbicides. Provide the conditions that your grass needs and weeds will not succeed.